Whitechapel will release their new album Kin on 29 October via Metal Blade Records and have shared the first new track, Lost Boy, along with a Miles Skarin directed video.
Kin promises to be a more dynamic and diverse collection of songs than its predecessor, The Valley (2019). “I feel with every album, we learn what worked best on the last one and try to utilize that in our writing,” vocalist Phil Bozeman told MetalTalk.
“Early in writing, there was some discussion of the album being like ‘The Valley’ part II, not literally called that, but in how the songs sound and flow through it. It’s very much a storytelling type record like The Valley was,” Phil said. “Musically, we want to create what we vibe with at the given moment. We write music with how we feel and not what is expected of us, while lyrically, the idea of continuing from the story of The Valley was always the goal.”
Very much a Metal album
Kin has been described in terms of as much of a rock album as a Metal one, an opinion guitarist Alex Wade is comfortable with. “It’s still very much a Metal album,” he says, “but there are elements of the record that have more of a rock and open vibe. We really wanted these songs to breathe, have life, and sound bigger than anything we’ve made so far,” he says.
“We have explored more singing on Kin too. It wouldn’t make sense to have the majority of the fanbase enjoy that sound and then shy away from it.”
Kin follows on from The Valley, released in 2019 and which marked a true landmark release for the band. “To me, it was like the stars aligning for us to create our almost perfect record in regard to songwriting, vocal performance, the mix and master, and the artwork,” Alex told MetalTalk.
“We like to look at our albums as chapters of our career,” Alex says, “and that is one chapter I will never forget. I think it solidified that we can embrace a new sound, and if we execute it properly, then the fanbase is going to support and enjoy it.”
Business as usual
Kin has some business as usual in that Mark Lewis produced his fifth straight Whitechapel album, though the album’s tracking was mainly completed at guitarist Zach Householder’s home studio.
“Creating records with him [Mark] has an effortless flow to it,” Alex says, “and we can track things pretty quickly and efficiently these days. Mark has a great ear for giving us unique and complementary guitar and drum tones for the songs we are trying to record.”
The tracks were set to David Castillo at Ghostward Studios in Sweden for mixing, with Ted Jensen mastering it in Nashville, TN. The resulting album, Kin, is something that Alex Wade is, rightly, proud of. “I see more growth and a limitless potential,” Alex says. “I think we found a great formula on The Valley, and we used that to create another monumental record for our career that I can’t wait for people to hear.
“We hope to continue to grow our fanbase with this new album and always seek to move in a positive direction. I’m excited as the pandemic lessens for the touring world to come back to life and to be able to perform these massive songs we have created in the manner they were meant to be heard – live and loud.”
Kin can be pre-ordered from www.metalblade.com/whitechapel/
Kin track-listing
1. I Will Find You
2. Lost Boy
3. A Bloodsoaked Symphony
4. Anticure
5. The Ones That Made Us
6. History Is Silent
7. To the Wolves
8. Orphan
9. Without You
10. Without Us
11. Kin
Formats
– digipak-CD
– deluxe box set (hardcover box includes: exclusive gold vinyl, gold 7-inch single, 72-page photo book)
– 180g white vinyl (EU exclusive)
– clear sky blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 500 copies)
– clear ash grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
– midnight blue marbled vinyl (Eyesore exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– milky clear w/ blue and white splattered blob vinyl (Kings Road exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– gold / black split vinyl (Impericon exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– cool grey marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– gold / black dust vinyl (EMP exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– opaque cyan (sides A/B) black (sides C/D) vinyl (US exclusive)
– black w/ white edge splatter vinyl (US exclusive)
– royal blue / black color in color vinyl (Newbury exclusive)
– electric blue w/ aqua blue splatter vinyl (Revolver exclusive)
– cyan w/ black splatter vinyl (US exclusive)
– white / cyan melt vinyl (US exclusive)
