CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Charleston-based metal band WhiteChapel District is heavily influenced by heavy metal bands from England's working class; it even takes its name from the area of London where Jack the Ripper prowled.

The band members took some time out of their schedules for an email chat about WhiteChapel District's soon-to-be-released CD, the gig at Tomahawks on Saturday and why they prefer to keep their metal old school.

Q:How and where did you guys form?

A:Tim Burford: "Simon, Jimmie and I started jamming about five years ago, and it just clicked. That was the foundation for WCD."

Thom Copher:"My college band, The Edge, did some 25-year reunion gigs back in the fall of '09, and one of the shows was at Tomahawks. WCD played with us, and they were looking to change things personnel-wise. My playing with my old mates was also my audition for WCD."

Q: What is the band's chemistry like?

A:Copher:"Mike [Workman] is such a brilliant player and writer; it's really great to play with another guitar player who appreciates the classics but also brings modern ideas into the mix. Jimmie is an extraordinary songwriter, and it's interesting the way that he, Mike and I interpret our blend of ideas. Burf is a very insightful arranger of our ideas. Simon goes way beyond any vocalist that I've ever worked with; his ear for structure and vocal layering is, in itself, an instrumental component."

Tim Simon: "We've done the math; there's a combined 120 years of experience in this band! We all come from different musical genres and the combination has resulted in something that is new and vital yet pleasantly familiar."

Q:What is the status of your new CD? Will it be ready for Saturday's show?

A: Mike Workman:"The demo is finished as far as the music. We're finalizing the artwork and the packaging. Jason Burford (Tim's brother) helped design the cover. We took time off from gigging pretty much the whole month of January to get the songs the best that they could be.

"It won't be ready for Tomahawks, but we will be playing the songs on it. We will have a release party in about a month, and the CD will be available through iTunes and ReverbNation, along with actual copies at shows and FYE stores and Budget Tapes & Records.

Burford:"I've known Jimmy for over 30 years, and he's worked with WCD for many years. He knows our sound and our songs better than anyone, so I knew this project was in good hands."

Q:You guys are a self-avowed old-school metal band. What do you like about old-school metal versus newer incarnations?

A: Copher:"Bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth and the whole speed-thrash movement, they poured their heart and soul into their art. Nobody told them how to do things. They were raw and just did what they did. A lot of what you hear today is less of an influence; it's more the case of what the industry tells bands that they should do."

Burford:"We definitely have a classic influence, which fuels our sound. When you think about it, the classic, influential bands are always mentioned when the discussion of hard rock comes up. Trends and industry concoctions come and go; the music of the real architects will be around forever."

Q: Aside from releasing your CD, what is in the works for WhiteChapel District for 2011?

A: Simon:"On June 18, we've got The Boone Bash, which will be a multi-band extravaganza. We also plan to branch out beyond the local area -- Pittsburgh, Nashville, over into Ohio."

Workman:"The progression of WCD is at a very exciting stage because we're constantly coming up with ideas and advancing our songwriting even further. We envision having full-on original shows by the end of the year along with full four-set nights of originals and covers."

Reach Nick Harrah at wvrocksc...@gmail.com.