Whitechapel Burns Nashville: Hymns in Dissonance and a Room That Rattled Teeth

By Evan Weidl, Rock At Night Nashville

Live Review: Whitechapel with Disembodied Tyrant, Bodysnatcher, and AngelMaker – Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN – December 9, 2025

Safe from the sharply cold air of a December evening, a large crowd, dressed overwhelmingly in black, gathered to see deathcore stalwarts and Tennessee heroes Whitechapel, along with opening acts Disembodied Tyrant, AngelMaker, and Bodysnatcher, bring their punishing sound to Nashville’s Marathon Music Works on December 9th.

Disembodied Tyrant kicked the night off, and they set the night in motion with their wild, eclectic sound that emphasized pure technical prowess. Their songs were wonderfully unpredictable; their arrangements were nearly whiplash-inducing, and still, the band nailed them to a tee. Heck, the attempts of the pulsing stage lights to keep up with their frequent tempo changes made it quite challenging for me to write in my notebook.

Highlighting their set with a reimagined version of the 4th concerto of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Disembodied Tyrant laid the groundwork for a night that was not about to get any more light-hearted.

AngelMaker took to the stage next. What do you get when you add three guitars with two vocalists? You get one massive avalanche of sound. With drummer Steven Sanchez sporting a seasonally-appropriate Santa hat, the Canadian deathcore outfit built upon the foundation that had been laid by the previous act. The energized crowd gave a full-throated effort in joining the band on their set’s closer “Leech”. When you have a whole audience of people screaming “YOU’RE A F****** COWARD” back to an artist, you know it’s a night like no other.

The energy of the bands and their crowds kept building off each other as the night went on. When asked what he liked about this kind of music, audience member Derek said “the live energy of the room. Not only from the crowd, but watching the band feed off the energy. It’s one of the most captivating things because people will be moshing, and the harder it goes, the harder the band goes.” The energy between the artists and the audience was mutually beneficial.

The penultimate set of the night belonged to Bodysnatcher. It was not 30 seconds into their set before multiple crowdsurfers took flight, much to the delight of lead vocalist Kyle Medina, who repeatedly demanded as much energy as the crowd could give. He refused to accept any stillness from the crowd, and Bodysnatcher’s onslaught of dissonance made stillness a rarity throughout the sea of people across the floor. Their mesh of deathcore and hardcore was yet another delightful addition to the show, and it was a splendid lead up to the main event of the night.

Finally, it was time for Whitechapel to burn the roof off the place. With a haunting stage set decorated with candles, animal skulls, and bladed weapons, they launched into their set by performing their latest album, “Hymns in Dissonance”, from front to back. What ensued was a fully immersive and unrelentingly vicious experience to the senses. The lights, designed meticulously yet executed chaotically, only heightened the raw intensity created by the music.

The band’s ability to switch between blazing blast beats and tight, stomping grooves, and melodic guitar solos was absolutely remarkable, and the contrast between the two sounds was thrillingly abrasive. Vocalist Phil Bozeman has been one of the most revered vocalists in metal for quite some time, and it was easy to see why; his ability to switch from ear-splitting high screams to gut-punching gutturals is second to none, and watching him do it in person was a treat to all in attendance. Having left everything they had on the stage, Whitechapel capped off the night with fan favorite tune “This is Exile”.

Most of all, what I noticed about the evening was the celebration of abundance of self-expression in every corner of the room. From the fans who were covered head to toe in tattoos and piercings, to the music that pushed the limits of intensity as far as they could possibly go, the night was a beautiful glimpse into how this sub-culture celebrates embracing excess and acknowledging the strong emotions and experiences that fuel such a taste.

While the aggression of the music may seem unattractive or even strange to those who don’t listen to it, the community around bands like Whitechapel places a strong emphasis on connection and emotion between themselves and the fans. Said Derek, “that’s always the most fun thing for me. I can’t always understand the lyrics, but I don’t always have to. Just feel it. You know? You still understand the emotion and the intensity.”

Audience members Caden Reed and Brandon Sims, who were dressed as a bottle of Fireball and a wizard respectively, had similar thoughts.

Said Reed, “[The music] just allows you to get all that rage, all that anger out in a positive manner.”

“Personally, the lyrics just hit a bit closer to home,” added Sims. “I feel like it’s meant for me specifically. It just helps me communicate how I feel. It kind of helps with the more extreme emotions, like anger.”

The night was defined by pure intensity; heck, the music shook the room with such a force that I could feel my teeth rattle when I leaned against the wall. For almost 20 years, Whitechapel have been setting the standard for what extraordinarily harsh art should be, and that night at Marathon Music Works, they delivered one of countless performances that further their mantra.