While it's tough to imagine Whitechapel ever topping This Is Exile — one of the most important deathcore albums ever — this record is an extremely close second. The Valley solidifies the band in their current musical direction and is easily Whitechapel's most diverse and well-composed album.
Throw all of your expectations for a Whitechapel album out the proverbial window; The Valley is on a completely different level. Be excited. Be very, very excited.
Thanks to a unique blend of instrumentation, excellent vocal talent, and poetic lyricism, Whitechapel’s The Valley takes its place among the upper ranks of the band’s discography.
While most of the band's albums in the 2010s have warranted repeated listenings to absorb, The Valley requires repeats just to get a handle on how much this outfit's approach has developed. Though some fans wishing it were still 2008 may disagree, most fans will embrace Whitechapel's new progression as natural, necessary, and welcome.
i fell asleep like 6 times trying to listen to this, this is just an uneventful metal album with its highest points still being boring and done better by other bands
Considering how one-dimensional this genre is known to be, props to Whitechapel for putting out something that is slightly out of the box. Some great atmospheres and Phil's deep clean vocals really stand out. Despite some weird hitting lyrics and meat and potatoes, average deathcore here and there, this is a refreshing listen. "Doom Woods" is a must check out.
The only song I have any complaint about is Doom Woods and that is still a song I really don’t mind hearing at all. Whitechapel really expanded their sound on songs like Hickory Creek and Third Depth. This is something I come back to often and it never disappoints.
This album is in my opinion their best. The masterclass in storytelling throughout, going in-depth into their vocalist Phil Bozeman's troubling past. The vocals are as good as ever in this with songs such as brimstone or black bear being their heaviest songs in years. They also incorporate clean vocals which is a neat touch and really adds to the storytelling and creativity without being overdone. The only thing holding this back from 100 is that the instrumentals themselves are a bit ... read more
like i replied on @TessituraET review on the infant annihilator album however the fuck you spell it "the battle of thgiuehguhtuij", i agree that album is the best deathcore album from a music, production, and just overall standpoint. it's not my favourite deathcore album, however. that title goes to this beast
favourite track: Lovelace (100/100), Third Depth (100/100), and We Are One (100/100)
least favourite track: The Other Side (95/100)
1 | When a Demon Defiles a Witch 5:04 | 96 |
2 | Forgiveness Is Weakness 2:55 | 96 |
3 | Brimstone 3:25 | 86 |
4 | Hickory Creek 4:56 | 87 |
5 | Black Bear 3:08 | 91 |
6 | We Are One 3:58 | 92 |
7 | The Other Side 3:17 | 74 |
8 | Third Depth 4:07 | 93 |
9 | Lovelace 3:48 | 91 |
10 | Doom Woods 5:51 | 89 |
#40 | / | Metal Hammer |