The growth of a band is truly something remarkable, with Whitechapel beginning as one of the poster boys of the “scene” with their album’s This Is Exile firmly leading the breakdown charge, slowly but surely the band began their evolution. With the help of a change of line up, the band then released the slightly more melodic A New Era of Corruption. Pushing the envelope even further with not much respite the band decided to unleash their self titled record ensuring that their indentifiable and remained yet began to implement more experimental ideas. Which brings us to the present, releasing their most ambitious work to date the band unleashed Our Endless War last year. Hitting the road hard on the back of the release the band wanted to lift the lid on the Whitechapel story bringing us to The Brotherhood of The Blade.
[tracklist]
DVD :
Part I : The Documentary
Part II : Live At The International – Knoxville, Tennessee 8th June, 2014
1. Our Endless War
2. Section 8
3. Faces
4. I, Dementia
5. Possession
6. Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation
7. Vicer Exciser
8. Mono
9. Worship The Digital Age
10 The Saw Is The Law
11. Possibilities of an Impossible Existence
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]Part I : 75:00 Part II : 45:00[/length]
[record_label]Metal Blade Records[/record_label]
[release_date]30th October 2015[/release_date]
[/details]
Covering all aspects of the band as a whole and as individual members the documentary section of the DVD provides an in depth look at Whitehcapels inner workings are. Introduced to each of the members and their various characters. Ranging from the comedic stylings of their bassist come biggest man on earth, to the more serious and thought provoking vocalist and ring master Phil Bozeman. Contrary to most documentaries the DVD delves slightly deeper than perhaps the usual live footage interspersed with jokes at truck stops.
Instead we see each of the members strengths and weaknesses in black and white clarity. Guitarist Alex Wade for example is very much a hands on business guru dedicated to all things Whitechapel, which perhaps could be influential in the bands rising success. The Naughty Mantis production is in keeping with the film makers style, shot beautifully the interspersed cut aways mostly work, though personally there was a tad too much slow motion effects. Nevertheless the content of the documentary shows all sorts of angles that a band has to look through.
Often romanticising about heading out on tour for the first time, after having sufficiently cut their teeth the band adopt a different stand point on the likes of touring and bring the harsh reality to light that sometimes it isn’t the best thing in the world. In order to successfully thrive as a musician essentially you need to become nomadic and not depend on others. Which is commendable, all too often it seems that those particular aspects are glazed over in favour of just how great is to be in a band. Arguably is record label propaganda inspiring countless budding musicians to go on the road and embark on their on journey to keep the music machine alive. Nevertheless there is also the glass half full idea that you are able to travel the world, meet incredible people and have essentially once in a lifetime experiences, so it’s not all bad!
Most importantly however the documentary gives us a glimpse into the world of what Whitechapel is made up of, from the men behind the scenes to getting ready to walk out on stage we see aspects of the group that often would not be caught in a very interactive and real representation. Perhaps I thought that some of the music used didn’t quite fit the subject matter with much of the material that isn’t a quick cut of a live show being non metal music. Regardless of this personal niggle the documentary lifts the veil over one of Metal’s most inspiring bands.
The live DVD portion of the release is much the same as we are used to, personally I find it a hard sell when a band releases simply a live DVD. Fantastic though it might be to have a document account of the bands performance, you never truly get the sense of energy and anticipation that comes with a live show. Packaged together with the documentary the performance side of things shows the band in their hometown which after the edited shots of the band performing put in sporadically, actually makes you want to see a full performance. Playing material varying from throughout their back catalogue right up to the modern of “Worship The Digital Age” it’s a fantastic double header.
Creating the DVD through the fans for the fans it echoes the statement that without your fans you are nothing. An incredibly interesting and well shot account into the beginnings of the Whitechapel life cycle. The hands on approach adopt by our film maker truly shows all of the facets of being in a band in the modern day. Celebrating their progress so far the band have made a distinctive Mark in the sand with the final statement that there is always more to do you can expect Whitechapel to deliver.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]The Brotherhood Of The Blade is not only a fantastic document showing the way that Whitechapel have evolved but an insightful look into the world of being in a band truly behind the scenes. [/why]
