Album Review: Whitechapel – Hymns in Dissonance (Metal Blade Records)

Released on March 7th, 2025, via Metal Blade Records, Hymns in Dissonance is the brand-new album from deathcore heavyweights, Whitechapel. The follow-up to 2021’s savage and personal effort, Kin.

After several really personal albums (2021’s Kin and 2019’s The Valley), it’s refreshing to hear Whitechapel return to their roots and offer up a creative story built around the mantra of being ‘as heavy as possible’.

The story revolves around a cultist who is gathering worthy followers for nefarious reasons. Only the most horrid of people will be deemed worthy, required to show their devotion in immoral ways. The main focus of the album is on the seven deadly sins and the cult’s mission to resurrect their lord and saviour.

It’s a dark and twisted story, so requires a dark and twisted mindset, which sees Whitechapel looking back to earlier times in the career. This is a throwback, a Whitechapel throwback, and it comes with unparalleled aggression and intensity. You can sink into the mire of the story, experience all its wretched horror to its fullest, but you can also let loose, and enjoy the blistering brutality of it all. It might not have the personal feel of the last couple of albums, but it certainly isn’t lacking in power or passion either.

In fact, I quite enjoyed the fantastical story, especially as it does have real world parallels and tells a grand story about evil and the wicked levels that some parts of humanity will sink to. That’s real.

What I really enjoyed though, and so will you, is the senseless deathcore heaviness of it all. Whitechapel set out to make their heaviest record ever, and at times, they do succeed. Not only are they consistently abrasive across the ten tracks, but they approach every single moment with feverish passion and manic ugliness. Faster than ever, heavier than ever, featuring more breakdowns, more guttural roars, more screaming solos, and more crushing drums, this is dissonance personified.

Is it nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake though? There is an argument that it feels like a step-back when you consider the direction of the previous records. However, that dismisses the fact that both Kin and The Valley were ruthless listens too. In fact, that Whitechapel feel comfortable moving on and embracing their past should be celebrated, especially when it comes with so much of the ‘heavy’ stuff. Genuinely, this album is liable to give you a headache, especially when turned up loud (as all metal should be).

There are so many moments where you might find yourself a little breathless too. Whitechapel hitting so hard, the air is knocked out of the lungs. No amount of horror-infused story-telling and nuanced imagination can survive aggression like this. Ten tracks (one of which is an ambient intermission) that kick so much ass. Whitechapel pay loving tribute to their past and show that embracing it can result in a strong release. Especially when you’ve learned and grown so much since ‘out and out’ intensity was the only goal. Be prepared to head bang until it freaking hurts.

Whitechapel – Hymns in Dissonance Track Listing:

1. Prisoner 666
2. Hymns in Dissonance
3. Diabolic Slumber
4. A Visceral Retch
5. Ex Infernis
6. Hate Cult Ritual
7. The Abysmal Gospel
8. Bedlam
9. Mammoth God
10. Nothing Is Coming for Any of Us

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