Whitechapel released This Is Exile through Metal Blade on 8 July 2008. It was their second album and the first with guitarist Zach Householder. You can hear why the three-guitar lineup worked for them.
Every guitar has a job
Possession and the title track get their weight from how the guitars fit together. One can hold the main rhythm while the others add dissonance, higher notes or short leads. It's heavy without every player doing the same thing.
Phil Bozeman Holds It Together
Phil Bozeman's lows sit right in the rhythm, while his higher register cuts through the guitars. That control gives the record a recognisable voice at a time when plenty of bands were picking up deathcore's basic ingredients.
The huge low end and precise stops became familiar in later deathcore production. This Is Exile holds up because you can still hear what's happening between the guitars. Tuning lower alone wouldn't have done it.
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