Almost one year after their last show at Marathon Music Works, Whitechapel was back again for their annual winter Nashville show and their fans were just as excited that they were back. Even though the band comes pretty much every year at around the same time, their fans never get enough and make sure to absolutely pack the venue even though this year, the band had to switch it from the Brooklyn Bowl. Disembodied Tyrant, AngelMaker, and Bodysnatcher joined them for this tour and honestly, Whitechapel picked an incredibly talented and perfect lineup to get their crowds going. All three bands made sure to set the stage for Whitechapel and the crowd made sure to give them very ounce of energy that they could. Disembodied Tyrant took to the stage first, who made the lighting guy and the lights themselves at Marathon work double time to keep up with their heavy and fast tempo changes. AngelMaker was second, and I don’t think anyone was quite ready for the sound of 7 musicians on one stage. Equipped with two vocalists, three guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer their sound was electrifying. The drummer, Steven, wore a Santa hat while he played which added a bit of fun and humor despite the heavy music that we were hearing. But the one opener that stood out for us in the photo pit, and the crowd, was the last one. Bodysnatcher.
Within two songs, there were so many crowdsurfers that we had to be taken out of the pit. Their vocalist demanded that the crowd keep moving, he did not want them to stay still. And the fans very much obliged his request. Finally it was time for Whitechapel who started out the night with “Prisoner 666”, the very first track from the new album. The song starts with a creepy but slightly melancholic guitar intro which made the fans buzz with anticipation as the band slowly trickled onto stage. For the first part of their set, Whitechapel played every track from the new album, which includes songs such as “Diabolic Slumber”, “The Visceral Retch”, and “Mammoth God”. Once they finished playing the new album, the group fooled the crowd into thinking the show was over and left the stage for a little bit. When they came back, their encore set consisted of four classics from previous albums which sent the crowd roaring. Just to name a couple, we heard “The Darkest Day of Man”, and “This Is Exile” which were the perfect songs to round out the night. As you left the venue, there were still attendees buying merch for all of the bands and chatting it up while waiting for their rides. The enjoyment from their show was written over every single persons face and Whitechapel once again made sure that Nashville got the show they paid for and more.
- Ashlee Riggins
Photos Courtesy of Ashlee Riggins (For Bell Music Magazine)
