The band is named after the Whitechapel district in East London, England, where Jack the Ripper committed a series of murders.

The group comprises vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Alex Wade, and Zach Householder, bassist Gabe Crisp and drummer Brandon Zackey.

Their core lineup, with the exception of the drummer, has remained consistent since Householder replaced original guitarist Brandon Cagle in 2007.

Founded in 2006 by Bozeman and Savage, the band has released eight studio albums and fourteen music videos, and is currently signed to Metal Blade Records.

Whitechapel's 2010 album A New Era of Corruption, sold around 10,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release and debuted at position No.

Whitechapel was founded in February 2006 by Knoxville residents Phil Bozeman, Brandon Cagle, and Ben Savage.

They were soon joined by Alex Wade (formerly of Redwinterdying) as a guitarist, along with bassist, Gabe Crisp, and drummer, Derek Martin.

They were joined by new drummer Kevin Lane and released their debut full-length album The Somatic Defilement in June of the same year.

[7][8][9] Cagle had to leave the band after an unfortunate motorcycle accident left him unable to play guitar; Zach Householder was then brought in as replacement.

[14] Whitechapel recorded their follow-up album to This Is Exile from December 27 to March 31 with Jason Suecof as the chosen producer.

A song from A New Era of Corruption entitled, "The Darkest Day of Man" was performed live before the album's release.

[18] Whitechapel's focus on mass exposure over their small, dedicated following has provided them with featured spots in both California Metal Fest IV and 2010's Warped Tour.

[27] Whitechapel had to cancel the European tour with August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada due to an illness in the family.

On April 16, 2013, a remixed and remastered edition of their debut album The Somatic Defilement was released via Metal Blade Records.

On November 29, 2013, vocalist Phil Bozeman stated via YouTube that the band's last day in the studio would be December 9, and said that by then, everything should be done and ready to be sent to mixing and mastering.

On September 13, 2015, Phil Bozeman informally announced in YouTube vlog that the band was currently in the process of writing a new album entitled Mark of the Blade.

[30] On August 9, 2017, Ben Harclerode announced via Twitter that he had parted ways with the group, stating "...it was the hardest move I've ever made, but I was truly unhappy and needed to happen.

Contrary to the previous singles, "Orphan" was much slower in pace, resembling a ballad, and features entirely clean vocals.

[49] Whitechapel have stated that they are influenced by a wide variety of artists, including Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Korn, Slipknot, Dying Fetus, Bloodbath, Pantera, Metallica, Slayer, Suffocation, Deftones, Despised Icon, Behemoth, Nile, Gojira,[citation needed] Vader, Necrophagist, Tool, Carcass, Aborted, Amon Amarth, Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Entombed and Cattle Decapitation.

"[52] On Whitechapel's 2016 album Mark of the Blade, the songs "Bring Me Home" and "Decennium" were the first to feature lead vocalist Phil Bozeman performing clean vocals.

Bozeman continued to use clean vocals on the songs "When a Demon Defiles a Witch", "Hickory Creek", and "Third Depth", on the 2019 album The Valley, as well as the majority of Kin.