On March 18th, 2025- Whitechapel performed at The Ritz in Raleigh, NC on their “Hymns in Dissonance” tour with special guests: Alluvial, 200stabounds, and Brand of Sacrifice! This was the first night of the tour and the venue was packed with attendees! I got there around 5:30ish when the doors were opening and honestly the line was pretty long. I’ve seen people wearing Whitechapel merch from when I was a teenager, so automatically just being outside brought back so much nostalgia for me. I haven’t seen Whitechapel since Vans Warped Tour in 2010, I believe. So being able to finally see them again after 15 years; It was a remarkable night for me. And I got to meet their media person; Rachel and that even made the night even more memorable! This is why I love photographing shows because you make connections with so many content creators and it’s an amazing community honestly.
When it was time for Whitechapel; the crowd was already amped up from the other bands from the night! I haven’t seen this much crowd surfing in a very long time. And we actually got removed from the photo pit during Brand Of Sacrifice because of how many crowd surfers were coming over the barricade. I knew the second we got in the photo pit for Whitechapel; I knew I needed to watch my back. When the band started to walk onto the stage; I got hit in the head by someone else's head because they started head banging instantly. The first song the band started with was “Prisoner 666” and honestly they started the set with the best song on that newest album! And I was not prepared for the chaos that erupted once this song started because EVERYONE was screaming along with Phil (vocalist). It was one of the wildest things I’ve experienced because I swore I felt the venue vibrating because everyone was so interactive with the band. As I was photographing; I kept looking at the vocalist and thinking to myself “Damn, this man hasn’t aged at all” and it's probably because he’s one of the most genuine and authentic musicians in this scene in my opinion that’s not afraid to speak about mental health. During the set; I felt like my body was going to combust with how much tension each song built and it caused major turmoil because I didn’t know what was going to happen next! When they started “Hymns of Dissonance” that’s when the crowd surfers started to come and I mean there was A LOT!
Once we were done in the photo pit; I migrated out into the crowd and attempted to get near the pit, but it was so chaotic that it was impossible to get close to get any shots. The pit grew larger and larger as the set progressed. And I am so short, so it was hard to get crowd shots unless I went upstairs which I did eventually. The light production for their set was not easy to work with, but it matched who they are as a band and the song’s being performed. Each song performed was so spine-chilling and I am usually not the one to go to deathcore shows like this because of how dangerous it truly can get, but you can sense the crowd was living for this moment. And Whitechapel did not disappoint at all.
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