Whitechapel
A NEW ERA OF CORRUPTION

July 2010
Released: 2010, Metal Blade
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Demonator

Making inroads in the music business these days is no easy feat, especially when you're knee-deep in a genre that's more densely populated than Ethiopia. But fair dues to Knoxville's Whitechapel; they’ve given this deathcore malarkey a far better go than most, and while 2008’s sophomore outing, THIS IS EXACTLY, wasn't quite a classic it garnered enough positive vibes from the pundits to guarantee at least a fair degree of anticipation for a sequel.



Sure enough, A NEW ERA OF CORRUPTION, is a manifold improvement over its predecessor, not least of all for the fact that to a song each of the album's eleven cuts is catchier than a case of crabs. While still prone to meeting out a cascade of chugging Meshuggah-style beatdowns, the ornery sextet also draw from a decidedly broader creative palette, injecting swathes of distinctly un-Swedish melody into proceedings. Nowhere is this approach used to more devastating effect than on the claustrophobic onslaught of "End of Flesh" where a haunting guitar lead tussles for a place of prominence with a rhythm section that’s definitely not shy about its single-minded intent to cause harm.



Whitechapel's latest joint hints at being custom-made to incite mosh-pits of daunting intensity. The album offers no quarter, and requires none in return - truly A NEW ERA OF CORRUPTION is a story of promise and potential made reality. Long may their ascent continue.