A New Era of Corruption (Bonus Track Version)

This Knoxville sextet are heavily influenced by those European church-burning, corpse-painted bands of yore, but they also infuse a dose of good old American grindcore into the mix, as well as technical metalcore’s lightning fast changes and the rapid-fire attacks culled from old-school hardcore punk. *A New Era Of Corruption* is Whitchapel’s first non-conceptual album, though negative themes abound. The opening aural assault “Devolver” touches on what Devo’s entire M.O. was built on — the de-evolution of mankind and how society has turned most people into a hateful and violent breed. Of course you really have to listen closely to get this because lead screamer Phil Bozeman inflects as though he stayed up all night doing shots of shrapnel and broken glass while an avalanche of guitars crash down and wreak havoc. “Breeding Violence” is a salient number riding on a heavy artillery of rhythm and the impressive employ of three guitarists, each with their own discernable styles. The aptly titled “The Darkest Day of Man” is easily the darkest and strongest song here.