The Somatic Defilement
Studio album by
Whitechapel
ReleasedJuly 31, 2007
April 16, 2013 (reissue)
Recorded2007 at The Sound Lair in Knoxville, Tennessee
GenreDeathcore[1]
Length31:59
LabelCandlelight, Metal Blade (reissue)
ProducerWhitechapel, Miah Lajeunesse
Whitechapel chronology
Demo 2
(2006) 		The Somatic Defilement
(2007) 		This Is Exile
(2008)
Reissue cover
The cover for the 2013 re-release of The Somatic Defilement.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[2]
AllMusic [3]
Rock Hard8/10[4]

The Somatic Defilement is the debut studio album by American deathcore band Whitechapel. The album was released on July 31, 2007, through Candlelight Records and is their only release through this label before their move to Metal Blade the following year. It is the only album to feature guitarist Brandon Cagle.

Overview

The Somatic Defilement is mostly a concept album based on Jack the Ripper, in which the majority of the songs are first-person narratives of the slaughter and rape of prostitutes. Only two songs are exceptions to this theme: vocalist Phil Bozeman specified that "Alone in the Morgue" is about "a coroner who is a demented necrophiliac" and "Festering Fiesta" is about Jeffrey Dahmer.[5] The intro track, "Necrotizing" also contains excerpts from a Stone Phillips interview with Dahmer.[6]

The album is the only one by Whitechapel to include Brandon Cagle as guitarist. He later left the band, because the injuries he received from a motorcycle accident left him unable to play his instrument. He was replaced by Zach Householder.[7]

Reissue

A remixed and remastered edition of the album was released on April 16, 2013 through Metal Blade Records.[8] Re-mixing and re-mastering duties were given to Mark Lewis, whom the band worked with since their self-titled release.[9]

Track listing

Tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Necrotizing"0:35
2."The Somatic Defilement"5:19
3."Devirgination Studies"3:12
4."Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation"3:33
5."Fairy Fay"3:33
6."Ear to Ear"3:30
7."Alone in the Morgue"2:53
8."Festering Fiesta"2:29
9."Vicer Exciser"2:52
10."Articulo Mortis"4:03
Total length:31:59

Personnel

Whitechapel
Production

References

  1. ^ "The Somatic Defilement Review". Last Rites. 16 August 2007.
  2. ^ "About.com review". About.com. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Allmusic review". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  4. ^ "The Somatic Defilement". www.rockhard.de.
  5. ^ "Phil Bozeman explains the meaning of every Whitechapel track". killthemusic.net. Sep 6, 2011. Retrieved Jun 26, 2020.
  6. ^ Jeffrey Dahmer Interview - Extended Footage shown at YouTube.
  7. ^ www.metalunderground.com Whitechapel part ways with guitarist Brandon Cagle
  8. ^ "WHITECHAPEL "The Somatic Defilement" re-issue; music and pre-orders now on-line | Metal Blade Records".
  9. ^ "More Details Revealed for Whitechapel's Reissue of "The Somatic Defilement"". 13 November 2012.
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