Nothing like a Friday night road trip for a metal show to start the weekend off right, especially when it was in celebration of a decade of Knoxville Tennessee’s own Whitechapel. Hard to believe that it has been that long of a career already for them, but at the same time, it feels like they have so much more to do before they ever even consider calling it quits. For Whitechapel, the best way to celebrate their decade of being a band would be to make an album that’s not just for them, but for the fans, along with a handful of tour announcements (which also includes being on the legendary Van’s Warped Tour).
Whitechapel didn’t waste any time getting into the good old stuff like: Possession, Vicer Exciser, End of Flesh, and Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation. What a hard hitting opening set of songs they chose for this tour. After that, they started to make the transition into some newer songs that also included a couple off of the yet to be released album, “Mark of the Blade.” Just from hearing the new latest songs, the new album is going to be more than just heavy… a lot more. In all honesty, I wouldn’t expect anything less from them though.
Aside from a killer set from start to finish, making the trip to Erie was well worth it for this tour, especially since the crowd was more than just into it. There was moshing galore along with some endless stage diving going on. If that doesn’t tell you something about the following that Whitechapel has gained over the years, then I don’t know what would. Even the supporting acts were pretty solid that night (Enterprise Earth, The Plot In You, and Fit For A King).
There’s so much that could be said about Whitechapel, from the music that they write to the way that they present themselves as pure professionals. It isn’t just a high school band for them anymore, it’s their actual livelihood that relies on this band. A dream come true that is now a full-time job, the only difference is that they probably love their job with everything that they have.
Don’t forget to pre-order Whitechapel’s latest album celebrating a decade of Whitechapel, “Mark of the Blade,” set to be released June 24th through Metal Blade Records. Link below along with setlist and pictures!
http://whitechapel.merchnow.com/
review and all photos 2016 © Dave Mondine
Setlist
- Possession
- Vicer Exciser
- End of Flesh
- Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation
- Mark of the Blade
- Section 8
- Our Endless War
- The Saw Is the Law
- Tremors
- I, Dementia
- Let Me Burn
- Possibilities of an Impossible Existence
Encore:
- This Is Exile