The Valley (Whitechapel album)

The Valley is the seventh studio album by American deathcore band Whitechapel. It was released through Metal Blade Records on March 29, 2019 to very positive reviews. On April 14, 2020, an acoustic version of "Hickory Creek" was released. It marks the first Whitechapel song to include entirely clean vocals.

Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.

Composition
The Valley is a concept album based on vocalist and writer Phil Bozeman's childhood; the title is a reference to Hardin Valley, Tennessee, where Bozeman grew up. His father, Michael Gary Bozeman, passed away in 1995 when Phil was ten, while his mother struggled with alcoholism and schizophrenia; "When a Demon Defiles a Witch" is an interpretation of one of her visions she wrote down in a journal entry. She eventually remarried, but Bozeman's step-father turned out to be abusive towards both of them: Bozeman has called him a "predator" and holds him responsible for introducing his mother to crack cocaine, which lead to her eventual death via drug overdose.

The band's follow-up album, Kin, continues the story.

Personnel

 * Whitechapel
 * Phil Bozeman – vocals, lyrics
 * Ben Savage – lead guitar
 * Alex Wade – rhythm guitar
 * Gabe Crisp – bass
 * Zach Householder – rhythm guitar


 * Additional musicians
 * Navene Koperweis – drums


 * Production
 * Mark Lewis – production, engineering
 * Ted Jensen – mastering
 * David Castillo – mixing


 * Artwork and design
 * Branca Studio – artwork, layout
 * Phil Savage – photography