SHOCKOPERA – Ghosts Of Whitechapel

The 1888 “Jack the Ripper” murders that took place in London’s notorious East End shocked a nation, and because no suspect was ever identified or apprehended, that became one of criminology’s greatest and most enduring mysteries. To this day, theories abound as to who the killer really was, with some of the more fanciful ones brought forth in comics, best-selling books, and movies often being accepted as fact.

Musically, this topic has been addressed a few times, most notably with Judas Priest’s classic tune “The Ripper,” which has stood the test of time as a classic Heavy Metal song. Now it’s Shockopera’s turn to try and crack the case: Ghosts of Whitechapel is a concept album dealing with the murder case and the hunt for the killer. Shockopera is an independent Progressive Metal band hailing from Hickory, North Carolina, USA, and Ghosts of Whitechapel is their second full-length release.

It should be noted that Shockopera’s version of events hew very closely to the more far-fetched Jack the Ripper theories that have been mostly dismissed by historians as fiction, but remain popular amongst conspiracy theorists and Alan Moore fans. If you were to take this album at face value, you’d be led to believe that the Queen of England herself was the main cog in the gears of a massive conspiracy, and the murders of five homeless prostitutes ensured that a dark secret would remain forever buried. Ghosts of Whitechapel plays fast and loose with the facts, to say the least.

Ghosts of Whitechapel kicks off with the fairly good narrated track “Unfortunate,” which sets the stage for the events to follow. With a nicely-atmospheric stage now set, you’re taken to the damp, foggy streets of London and the story moves along in chronological order with the discovery of the first victim (“Buck’s Row”) kicking the plot off properly. The album uses sampled voices, sound effects, and brief narration in places to help listeners stay in the mood as “Saucy Jack” cuts a bloody swath through the plot, while others try to keep the unhappy ending from happening. The lyrics are well-written and sung by David McBee, and do a good job painting a vivid picture and keeping the story on track through to the end.

Shockopera might be labeled as Progressive Metal, but on this album they mostly come across as a more Traditional Metal band with some Progressive influences here and there. Shockopera lacks the flash and virtuosity of other more notable Progressive Metal bands, although the effort is certainly there and the musicianship is pretty solid, with strong vocals, some good riffs, solos, and keyboard parts doing their part to get your attention. The drums on Ghosts of Whitechapel have a tendency to dominate at times, though, taking center stage on a few songs too many.

Ghosts of Whitechapel will drive Jack the Ripper purists nuts, but for everyone else, it’s an atmospheric story decently-told. The album is rough around the edges and could have used some more power and polish to make it shine a bit brighter, but at the end of the day it does the job.