Ben Harclerode is the drummer for the heavy metal group White Chapel. The band has just released their fourth studio album which titles “White Chapel”. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Ben about the new album and what it has been like being the new guy in the band.
Adam Lawton: Can you describe the bands writing/recording process on the latest record?
Ben Harclerode: The process was pretty collective between everyone in the band. We all got together at Alex’s house where he built a small studio space. We spent most of January there going through old riffs. We had a massive amount of material to go through so it was more a matter of everyone sitting down and figuring out what would work with what. We wrote some new stuff as well which was also thrown in to the mix. We really were just piecing various ideas together.
AL: Were there songs from the recording sessions that did not make the album?
BH: We were shooting to have more material however we just didn’t have enough time.
We went out on tour with The Devil Wears Prada in November/December and then had about 2 weeks off for the holidays. From there we immediately jumped into working on the record for about a month. Time constraints were sort of put on everybody so we basically used what we had. We had hoped for a bonus track or two but we just didn’t have the time to make it happen.
AL: What do you feel you have brought to the band since joining?
BH: I have never met Kevin who is the guy I replaced. From what the other guys have told me they were looking for someone who was not only a fast player but the wanted someone who had a little more groove to their playing. They were looking for someone who was into playing other styles rather than just the standard blast beats and double bass. I like to think that maybe I bring a little bit more playing style outside of metal to the band. When I first joined I brought click tracks and sampling to the table. Now during our live shows we have started to sync our lights and other effects to those tracks. I think we can be a lot more flexible with our set now.
AL: What do you think makes this album standout from others in the genre?
BH: I think more and more as records are categorized into one specific genre a lot of style 
blend together. I feel when we put this album together no one was trying to sound one specific way. I think the end result shows a dynamic contrast between the songs. Each song has more of its own idea and vibe. This album has its own thing going on as do each of the tracks individually.
AL: Can you tell us about the band’s upcoming tour plans?
BH: We are going to be going out with Hatebreed. I haven’t seen the dates yet but I think it’s going to be a small venue tour. I love playing big venues but the more intimate shows always seem to be a lot more fun. We are on this year’s Mayhem Festival which I am really excited for. Getting to play with Slipknot is going to be great. All of the guys in the band are huge fans of theirs. This fall we also have plans to tour Europe with August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada.