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Band of the Week: Whitechapel

Are you guys surprised that Whitechapel is my band of the week? Because I’m not. Whitechapel’s song, The Saw Is The Law, influenced my DJ name, The Saw. During my senior year of high school, “where we come from, the saw is the law” was my senior quote and I wrote it in the sand at the beach for the whole world to know that the saw is the law. I even have a saw blade tattooed on my shoulder blade, so you can say that I am a pretty big Whitechapel fan. This is because Whitechapel was one of the first deathcore bands that I got into. My brother used to play them when I was younger, and when I started to get into the music myself, they were one of the first bands I went back and listened to. I love their overall sound and how the music and vocals blend beautifully together. I also love their evolution, musically. They have tried different things on their most recent album, The Valley, and even though it is different from their previous records, they keep their theme of brutality.

I have seen Whitechapel four times, and every time they impress me. They always put on a great show and Bozeman’s voice is so powerful and strong and I don’t know how he can do his gutturals live. The entire band is in the crowd’s face throughout the whole show and it makes the crowd rowdier and more exciting. I got to meet Whitechapel and it was great to finally meet one of my favorite bands. They were so nice and they were all smiles when I told them that mg DJ name was influenced by them. When I said that I go to NC State, Bozeman said “go Wolfpack” and it honestly made my day.

Whitechapel is an American deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennessee and was founded in 2006. They got their name after the Whitechapel district in East London, England, referring to the series of murders committed by Jack the Ripper. They are signed to Metal Blade Records and have released seven albums: The Somatic Defilement (2007), This Is Exile (2008), A New Era of Corruption (2010), Whitechapel (2012), Our Endless War (2014),  Mark of the Blade (2016), and The Valley (2019).

Whitechapel has stated that they are influenced by a wide range of bands. A few are Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Slipknot, Dying Fetus, Pantera, Slayer, Despised Icon, Nile, Behemoth, Amon Amarth, Morbid Angel, and Cattle Decapitation. You can hear these variety of influences within their music. Phil Bozeman (vocalist) stated in an interview that him and Ben Savage (lead guitarist) are more into death metal, Zach Householder (guitarist) is more into epic black metal, and Alex Wade (rhythm guitar) is more into hardcore. Within the guitars, you can hear the different riffs that represent their taste in music.

Current members: Phil Bozeman (vocals), Ben Savage (lead guitar), Alex Wade (rhythm guitar), Gabe Crisp (bass), Zach Householder (third guitar), and their touring drummer, Alex Rüdinger.

Favorite songs: The Saw Is The Law, The Somatic Defilement, Mark of the Blade, Elitist Ones, Brimstone, and Black Bear.

Have you seen Whitechapel live? What are some of your favorite songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW