Whitechapel, When a Demon Defiles a Witch | Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘

On the 6^th edition of Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘, we explore the outlandishness behind the song “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” performed by Whitechapel.

B

ring on the outlandishness! Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 is a column that falls under the umbrella of Controversial Tunes 😈🎶.  Like its parent column, Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 provides background information and insight into rock and metal songs that raise eyebrows and stir the pot.  The records featured on Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 can be classic or brand new. On the 6^th edition of Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘, we explore the controversy behind the song, 🎵 “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” performed by 🎙 Whitechapel.

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Theme & Lyrics ✍

“The demons dance by the fireside / But tonight they migrate to my bedside.” Woo! 🎵 “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” is a disturbing song title, period. Furthermore, it’s an unsettling opener on 💿 The Valley, the 2019 album by Tennessee metal collective, 🎙 Whitechapel. Set in a minor key, portions of the song feature aggressive, unclean vocals, intense, jagged guitars, and of course, wild lyrics. 

“Burn the bed, burn everything
It’s a lie anyway
There’s nowhere left to run
There’s nowhere left for me to be
Without you by my side.”

Did I already mention that “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” is incredibly disturbing? For some context, the visions captured lyrically came from singer 🎙 Phil Bozeman’s mom.

“For my spirit guide is trapped inside my brain
I don’t know who I am
In the name of the father and the holy ghost
Close your gates, lock the doors, there is no hope.”

Bozeman’s mom had mental issues, hence the outlandishness of the vision, and the song too!  Per Kerrang, guitarist 🎙 Ben Savage asserts, “Phil’s mom would see a demon outside or by her fireside, and she knew that if she saw it there, then it would be by her bedside that night.”

 

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Music Video 🎶📼 

A disturbing song deserves a disturbing music video 🎶📼, right? Right! “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” doesn’t disappoint, proving to be every bit as unsettling as the song is.  There are elements of the occult (demonic possession and ritual), blood, and a sense of hopelessness. The mental anguish is superbly illustrated to say the least. During the more melodic portion of the song, the protagonist in the video finds a ‘strange’ peace before things grow unhinged once more to finish things out. 

 

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Final Thoughts 💭

Truly, “What has the world come to when a demon defiles a witch?”  “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” is a stellar way to commence The Valley.  It means even more since front man Phil Bozeman has a personal connection to the song, which is traumatic.  Yep, it’s outlandishness exemplified, but it’s also ‘outlandishly’ good!

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🎙 Whitechapel • 💿 The Valley • 🏷 Metal Blade • 📅 2019
Whitechapel, “When a Demon Defiles a Witch”: Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 No. 6 [📷: Brent Faulkner, Metal Blade, The Musical Hype, Paul Brennan on Pixabay, Pexels, Sebastian Ervi, SHVETS production, Vinícius Caricatte]

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