For three years now I have traveled from my home in Florida's Panhandle and relocated myself to the great state of Tennessee and the beautiful town of Knoxville. This event has easily become one of my favorite traditions for the sole purpose of throwing down at my favorite band's hometown show. I was hoping for a brutal show, and as I stood in line, three hours ahead of doors, I was given a foretaste of what I can only describe as a love letter to their discography. Whitechapel's soundcheck, this was my introduction to a devastatingly heavy evening. 

When the show was first announced, back in August, the bill looked promising. The lineup featured Sidious, The Guild, Signs of the Swarm, and Whitechapel. Truly, a recipe for heaviness. 

Sidious was the first band of the evening. Prior to their set I was only vaguely familiar with the band. Albeit short, their set was incredibly powerful. Their sound leans more into the Hardcore spectrum rather than metal, and was a huge refresher on a scene that honestly deserves more of my attention. The setlist consisted mainly of songs off of their latest release The Unsound. I'm eager to see what they have to offer going forward. If it's anything like I saw at this show, then we have lots to be excited about.

One of the reasons I make this trip annually is to bear witness to one of the best bands in the game. One thing for certain my love affair with The Guild is no secret. Two years ago the group impressed me so much that I had to write a Hot New Band article about them. If you haven't checked them out, you must. As a band their sound gets more and more ferocious. But most importantly they have fun! A smile hardly leaves frontman Mark Woelkers' face, and when it does you know what's about to go down. Their crowd work is incredible, bass player Josh Mcculley is the commanding force on this front. He beckons the crowd to headbang and to give as much effort as they themselves do. So naturally that's what we, the crowd, did! All the headbanging I did during their set warranted a comment from security, who jokingly said, "You didn't like that band did you?" I couldn't help but laugh, he could tell how much I enjoyed myself during their tenure on the stage. 

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to watch Whitechapel and Signs of the Swarm in tandem on Whitechapel's Playing The Valley in Full run. Their show in Tampa was electric. In Knoxville, however, Signs of the Swarm were on a mission. Throw it down, kill the crowd, and return to Pennsylvania. 

Way before the show ever began, I had a brief chat with frontman David Simonich who shared with me that the band would be pulling a "turn and burn '' after that night's gig. The reason? Simonich's wife had undergone surgery that very afternoon. David explained that, if it were up to him, he would've called the show off to go and support his wife. But, as it turns out, it was not up to him. His wife insisted that he honor his commitment to the band's last show of the year, and that is exactly what Signs of the Swarm did. Their setlist consisted mainly of songs off of their latest album Amongst the Low and Empty (read about it here). But also featured classics like Hymns of Invocation and the mighty Death Whistle. It was, especially, great to hear the songs that I have grown to love off of their recent release. Signs of the Swarm's music demands a crowd's reaction. And for 45 minutes David Simonich commanded my attention. From the moment the band took stage and played Between Fire & Stone, I never once quit. How could I? After hearing David's story, I felt like I owed the band. They give it all for us, why should we just sit with our phones in our hands?! Their set was amazing and ended with a great finale, David crowd surfed and passed out Signs of the Swarm stockings! 

Not long after Death Whistle ended did Let Me Burn begin. Let me tell you, I was pumped. Not once did Whitechapel's set falter in ferocity, and as I said earlier, the setlist was most definitely a love letter to their discography. They played something from every album, excluding 2016's Mark of The Blade. The most surprising of all the setlist choices was certainly Ear to Ear off of The Somatic Defilement. This really blew me away. I was really hoping for some older tracks for this show and I was not disappointed. Immediately following the throwback they played another deepcut. End of Flesh off of 2010's A New Era of Corruption. Again, the setlist that the band curated was made for the fans. When The Saw is the Law came on, I knew this was the end of another great evening. That is a song that never gets old, and is always perfect live. The vibe from the crowd is pure electric and so much fun. After Bozeman bellowed out the final "We are everything" and the lights came up, I collected my thoughts, gathered my senses and headed to the coat check to grab my things. 

It was in the coat check line that I was approached by a woman and her husband. The woman, or as I later found out Nona, began to explain with tears in her eyes, that I had made her evening. I awkwardly said, "thanks'' and she continued and eventually she asked me if I had ever met anyone in the band, it was at this time I noticed the V.I.P. laminate around her neck. Nona explained that she was a close family friend of Ben Savage, lead guitarist of Whitechapel. It was at this point that she whisked me away backstage. I can't front, I was ecstatic. Thanks to Nona, I was able to meet everyone, minus Zach. I even chatted with them about this website! Everyone was so kind and personable, and I really appreciated the time they took to indulge me. 

Whitechapel puts on their Christmas show annually, this year being the eighth. Each year their goal is not only to melt their fans' faces, but also to raise money for a charity. At this year's sold-out show, the band raised $5000 for a regional organization, the Young-Williams Animal Center. It's absolutely humbling to see a band actually make a difference in areas unrelated to Metal. 

Of course I had a blast, and I'm eagerly awaiting next year's trip to Knoxville. Like The Saw is the Law states, "This is our way of life." It's true. Every show is worth the trip. And it is certainly the mantra I’ve adopted.