

On their ninth album, Knoxville deathcore squad Whitechapel bring their triple-guitar onslaught to a concept album about religious extremism. As a thematic successor to 2008’s This Is Exile, Hymns in Dissonance examines evil through the eyes of a fanatic gathering followers for his cult. After the hellish introductory combo of “Prisoner 666” and the title track, parts of the remaining songs—minus tribal interlude “Ex Infernis”—are meant to be hymns sung by the cult’s members. Their goal? To open a portal for their leader’s unholy ascent. Lyrically, Whitechapel vocalist Phil Bozeman has written the hymns as representations of the seven deadly sins. Meanwhile, the band’s hyper-staccato attack fully embodies all the diabolic discord the title promises.