Artist:  Whitechapel
   Title: Recorrupted
   Label: Metal Blade records  

This limited edition EP is from US metallers Whitechapel, and is five songs long, including one new song, remixes and a cover of Pantera's 'Strength Beyond Strength'.  This EP follows up their last album, 'A New Era of Corruption', and would be perfect for someone who hasn't heard of them to get acquainted with their deathcore sound. 

The first track on the EP is their new release, 'Section 8'.  I can see why this would be popular but if I'm honest the majority of the vocals don't really have any meaning, so I listen to the instrumental to imbue a sense of meaning.  The guys are strong together and play well, albeit their drummer has only been with them for just over a year and this shows as he only really warms up in the second song, 'Strength Beyond Strength' (Pantera cover) but this may be as the song is a cover, so he is following the lead of those who have gone before. 

All in, it is slightly twisted to hear Pantera put through the growly chasms of Phil, and this enders it to me slightly, as it feels like a bit of a mash-up, which is always welcome.  This change is continued through into the remixes, with the first 'Breeding Violence' being reminiscent of something that could be played in Blade/Matrix is the clubbing scenes.  It's deep, dark and slightly strange, with the heady mix of metalcore and trance/dance trying to smack this into EBM territory. 

The second remix, 'This is Exile', is possibly one of the strangest mixes I've heard.  The mixing pulls no punches but settles it into another bizarre world, this one taken over by bells and strange voices, dissimilar to what you would expect to hear in a horror film.  Yet the acoustic 'End of Flesh' manages to bring the album full circle, relying on acoustic guitars to provide a rhythm, which they do flawlessly, sounding at one point like they are chasing each other, closing the EP sweetly and softly for metalcore.

Review by: Kerry H

Tracklisting: 

  1. Section 8

  2. Strength Beyond Strength (Pantera cover)

  3. Breeding Violence (Big Chocolate remix)

  4. This is Exile (Ben Weinman remix)

  5. End of Flesh (acoustic version)

 

                  

 

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