Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags

If you have heard of Hellripper before, it’s likely that the first word that comes to mind has something to do with pace. So, much, pace. Since releasing an EP to impress his mates in 2015, James McBain’s DIY project has been consistently producing some of the most exhilarating blackened thrash metal going. This has caught the attention of those far outside his Scottish homeland. A cursory glance at the album’s tracklisting reveals songs that will be cavorting around for an eye-watering eight minuets. Eight. Minuets. If most of his early output would have easily qualified for Eurovision (I mean, in terms of length, I’m not sure how many points 'Nekroslut' would get) the question is, does the Hellripper formula translate to a longer form? And the short form 2016-era Hellripper answer would be, yes, yes it fucking does.

The opening track, Nuckelavee, rips out of its satanic starting stalls like a, well, like a demonic horse. It’s frenetic, fast and, most importantly, fiendishly fun. Lyrically, Hellripper’s fourth album is inspired by McBain’s move to the scottish highlands and the darkest folklore that is hidden there - yeah, I had to look up what the bloody hell a ‘Nuckelavee’ was. Whether it is sea serpents, witchcraft or unpleasant dreams involving chundering goats, those with a pacemaker might wince at the thought of being pummelled at 400bpm for seven straight minutes but Mr McRipper is more tactful than that. The track order carefully places the fast and the furious either side of the mid-paced thumpers. Indeed, this album is a stark move away from the straight-up “black ‘n’ roll” of yesteryear and clearly draws from other influences while keeping the unmistakable white-knuckle ride that you sign up for. Different vocal flourishes add dynamism; whether it’s the biting rasp as he snarls “rotting flesh” or the Tom Araya scream at the start of The Cursed Carrion Crown that gets the nostalgic blood pumping (or raining), it’s certainly not monotone. And the album is an absolute smörgåsbord of guitar licks. Hellripper? More like HellRIFFer...chortlesnort.

The title track is the clearest example of the additional influences. A mid-paced epic that bounces along with enough ideas to fill an album for most bands, it complements ragers like The Cursed Carrion Crown and showcases McBain’s awesome songwriting chops. They even have time at the end to incorporate bagpipes that aren’t terrible! I, The Deceiver’s flurry of a chorus is the most black metal the band have sounded, while The Hissing Marshes is classic Motorhead being steered into the 21st century. Additional melodies form a backdrop during the verses which stop the song from becoming one-dimensional and album closer Mester Stoor Worm displays an amount of variety that Heinz would be envious of. And that’s before it unleashes its cathartic ending passage. In less proficient palms, these transitions could become jarring, but here they are confidently sewn together to create an absolute banger of an album. All hail the goat!