Depending on who you ask, the last half a decade has either been the peak of Whitechapel’s artistic achievement, or a miserable, self-indulgent tirade against all things deathcore. The group’s last two albums were certainly departures for the band, abandoning the sole focus on brutality that defined classic records like ‘This Is Exile’— instead, ‘The Valley’ and ‘Kin’ were much more varied and intimate listens, exploring Phil Bozeman’s upbringing and mental health in a brutally honest manner. For many, it might be a shame to see the six-piece reverting back to their old ways then, as 2025’s ‘Hymns In Dissonance’ is a bold return to the satanic imagery and pummelling breakdowns of albums past. It’s quite hard to be upset at the change in direction though as the new album achieves everything it set out to do in spades, amping itself up into a sinful display of ferocity.

Right from its opening moments, ‘Hymns In Dissonance’ lays its greatest strength out bare for all to see: if nothing else, this album is heavy. Vocalist Phil Bozeman has claimed that the aim of this record was for it to be “relentless and oppressive: to not let you breathe and to create an atmosphere of pure evil and hopelessness,” and there is no doubt that the record does just that. ‘Prisoner 666’ may begin on a haunting, tense build ripped straight from ‘The Valley,’ but the opening cry of “I bear the number 666” quickly thrusts us into one of many disgusting breakdowns Whitechapel subject their fans to throughout the record. 

Every member of the band is bringing their absolute a-game for this one, riling themselves up into more of a terrifying cult than a regular band. Bozeman has never delivered such a varied and impactful collection of harsh vocals than this— though the soft cleans that permeated the last few years have been completely removed, their absence can hardly be mourned as all manner of guttural growls and piercing screams take their place. Similar praise is deserving of Zackery’s drumming, which sees the new member ripping through the entire project with more blast beats than you can shake a stick at. We’d also be remiss not to praise the plethora of guitar solos that crop up throughout the record: though unconventional for the genre, each one fits in seamlessly and provides a welcome balance of melody and aggression. Collecting all these diabolical performances together into, undoubtedly, Whitechapel’s largest and most overwhelming sound design yet, the overall impression that ‘Hymns In Dissonance’ leaves is one of absolute mayhem from start to finish— never before has the band’s three-guitar setup been more justified than this.

Truthfully, this may be the most intense crop of tracks the band have ever released, growing so gargantuan as to even dwarf the likes of ‘Somatic Defilement’ or ‘A New Era Of Corruption.’ A majority of tracks here are dominated by gigantic, crushing breakdowns that only grow increasingly punishing with every track: in the case of the ‘Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us,’ the inescapability of its heaviness becomes almost funny as stunning barrages of guitars give way to… more stunning barrages of guitars. Whether we’re banging our heads to the hardcore beatdown style of ‘Bedlam,’ the unstoppable chugging of ‘Mammoth God’ or the tortured riffs of single ‘A Visceral Wretch,’ there’s no denying just how infectious each of these cuts are.

Of course, this central focus on classic deathcore aesthetics is something of a double-edged sword, as the band have lost the nuanced songwriting and poignant lyrical themes of ‘The Valley’ and ‘Kin.’ Many fans may be justifiably disappointed to see the band, seemingly, regressing after demonstrating themselves to be remarkably versatile musicians— for as enjoyable as ‘Hymns In Dissonance’ may be, we can’t deny that the majority of songs here feel fairly interchangeable. In fairness, Whitechapel do a far better job creating memorable moments here than they ever did on their earliest records. “We hunt, we kill, we feast, we conquer” makes for an infectious hook that’s sure to make ‘Hate Cult Ritual’ a mainstay of the group’s live shows. The album also ends on some of its strongest material, stepping smoothly from aggressive bellows of “I am the mammoth god, I am the slayer of gods” to a nostalgic, contemplative mood in ‘Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us.’ Even still, we can’t deny that cuts like ‘Diabolic Slumber,’ ‘The Abysmal Gospel’ and ‘Bedlam’ do blend together for us: coupling that with a notable step back in lyrical depth, ‘Hymns In Dissonance’ is certainly more of a one-note experience than its immediate predecessors.

Whether that lack of depth impacts your enjoyment will really depend on what kind of Whitechapel fan you are, and on which era of the band’s catalogue speaks to you most strongly. ‘Hymns In Dissonance’ is a crowd-pleasing return to deathcore for the band, not an insightful piece meant to be dissected— in some ways, attempting to draw too much meaning from the album is missing its point entirely. The group’s 9th record follows its mission statement to a tee, delivering one of the most suffocating and claustrophobic listens of the year so far: though it may not be the direction we wanted the band to go in, we can’t overlook just how successfully they’ve pulled this off.