A New Era of Corruption
Encyclopedia
A New Era of Corruption is the third studio album by the American deathcore
band Whitechapel
. It was released worldwide on June 8, 2010, through Metal Blade Records
. In the USA, just under 10,700 copies were sold in the first week, placing it at #43 on the Billboard 200
chart.
being the chosen producer. It was announced that the album's recording was completely finished on March 31, 2010. Guitarist Alex Wade said, "I think this record truly represents where we are as musicians at this point in our career. A New Era of Corruption is the heaviest and most aggressive material we have written to date." In the same interview, Wade confirmed the release of the album would be on June 8, 2010.
The name of the album is derived from a passage of the lyrics in their song "Possession" which appeared on their previous album, This Is Exile
. The album's working title was "The Darkest Day of Man", being named after a song on the album. This change makes A New Era of Corruption the first Whitechapel album that does not have a title track
. Chino Moreno
of Deftones
and Vincent Benett of The Acacia Strain
make guest appearances on the album, Moreno in the song "Reprogrammed to Hate" and Benett in "Murder Sermon".
being a narrative of Jack the Ripper
and This Is Exile
containing political and anti-religious themes, A New Era of Corruption is the first Whitechapel release that is not a concept album
. It generally focuses on negative themes, for example "Devolver" is written within the concept of the devolution in society and how it has crafted "violent and hateful" individuals, while "Breeding Violence" was written about the increasing corruption in society during the post-9/11 times, and "Animus" is about the death of vocalist Phillip Bozeman's mother.
Production
Deathcore
Deathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
band Whitechapel
Whitechapel (band)
Whitechapel is an American deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The group comprises vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Alex Wade, Zach Householder; bassist Gabe Crisp and drummer Ben Harclerode. Their band name is derived from a district in the built-up inner city of London, known...
. It was released worldwide on June 8, 2010, through Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
. In the USA, just under 10,700 copies were sold in the first week, placing it at #43 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart.
History and background
The recording session for A New Era of Corruption ran from December 27, 2009, to March 2010 with Jason SuecofJason Suecof
-Career:Jason is best known for his production and song-writing with the band Trivium. He produces most of his albums at his own Orlando, Florida based studio, Audio Hammer...
being the chosen producer. It was announced that the album's recording was completely finished on March 31, 2010. Guitarist Alex Wade said, "I think this record truly represents where we are as musicians at this point in our career. A New Era of Corruption is the heaviest and most aggressive material we have written to date." In the same interview, Wade confirmed the release of the album would be on June 8, 2010.
The name of the album is derived from a passage of the lyrics in their song "Possession" which appeared on their previous album, This Is Exile
This Is Exile
This Is Exile is the second album by the American deathcore band Whitechapel. In its first week, sales were 5,900 and it entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #118. It is the first release by the band to feature their current guitarist Zach Householder. It was released July 8, 2008 through Metal...
. The album's working title was "The Darkest Day of Man", being named after a song on the album. This change makes A New Era of Corruption the first Whitechapel album that does not have a title track
Title track
Title track may refer to:*Title track, a recorded song having the same name as the album or movie it comes from*Title Track, a song on the album The Stage Names*Title Track, a song on the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes...
. Chino Moreno
Chino Moreno
Chino Moreno is an American musician. He is best known as the lead singer and contributing guitarist of Deftones. He is also a member of the side-project bands Team Sleep and Crosses....
of Deftones
Deftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
and Vincent Benett of The Acacia Strain
The Acacia Strain
The Acacia Strain is an American deathcore band from Chicopee, Massachusetts. Originally founded in 2001, the band itself has undergone numerous changes in the member line-up...
make guest appearances on the album, Moreno in the song "Reprogrammed to Hate" and Benett in "Murder Sermon".
Lyrical themes
The concepts and lyrical themes of A New Era of Corruption travel into new boundaries and details where previous Whitechapel albums did not. With The Somatic DefilementThe Somatic Defilement
The Somatic Defilement is the first album by the American deathcore band Whitechapel. The album was released on July 31, 2007, through Candlelight Records.-Overview:...
being a narrative of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
and This Is Exile
This Is Exile
This Is Exile is the second album by the American deathcore band Whitechapel. In its first week, sales were 5,900 and it entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #118. It is the first release by the band to feature their current guitarist Zach Householder. It was released July 8, 2008 through Metal...
containing political and anti-religious themes, A New Era of Corruption is the first Whitechapel release that is not a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
. It generally focuses on negative themes, for example "Devolver" is written within the concept of the devolution in society and how it has crafted "violent and hateful" individuals, while "Breeding Violence" was written about the increasing corruption in society during the post-9/11 times, and "Animus" is about the death of vocalist Phillip Bozeman's mother.
Track listing
- All lyrics written by Phil Bozeman, all music written by Whitechapel.
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada | 70 |
| Canada Indie | 9 |
| Canada Hard Rock | 8 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
43 |
| US Top Rock Albums | 12 |
| US Top Independent Albums | 3 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums | 5 |
Personnel
Whitechapel- Phil Bozeman — vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Ben Savage — lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Alex Wade — guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Zach Householder — guitar
- Gabe Crisp — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Kevin Lane — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Jason SuecofJason Suecof-Career:Jason is best known for his production and song-writing with the band Trivium. He produces most of his albums at his own Orlando, Florida based studio, Audio Hammer...
– production, engineering, mixing - Mark LewisMark LewisMark Lewis may refer to:*Mark Lewis , infielder in Major League Baseball*Mark Lewis , documentary film and television producer*Mark Lewis , Arena Football League placekicker...
, Shaun LopezShaun LopezShaun Lopez is a US musician and the guitarist for Far, a band from Sacramento, CA.After a number of local releases, including their first demo tape, Sweat A River, Live No Lies, and two independent albums Listening Game and Quick, they signed to Epic/Immortal Records and released their major label...
– assistant engineers - Alan Douches – mastering
- Cole Martinez - sampling, sound design
- Shawn Carrano, Andrew Roesch - management
- Brent Elliott White – artwork