Label - Peaceville
Release Date- 17th Feb 2023
Words - Tony Bliss
Any dyed-in-the-wool metalhead will confirm it; there is nothing quite like the enduring power of blackened speed metal. Indeed, it could be said that as sub-genres go, the genital-clenching rush of this pure ‘n’ raw adrenaline surges from the scabby heart of the underground itself, and there are few bands that have harnessed this arcane spirit quite as well as Hellripper in recent years. Building on the red-hot clangour of 2020’s The Affair Of The Poisons, there is certainly no lack of speed or steel here as one-man riff king James McBain approaches every second with maxed-out, neck-wrecking intent, however, Hellripper are no mere nostalgia merchants - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags is underpinned with genuine ambition.
And therein lies the difference; as much as its predecessor was a beer-swillin’ riot of classic black-thrash ‘n’ roll, the sense that Hellripper held that genuine authority and steely-eyed command to really compete with the big guns remained to be seen. Less than a minute into a robustly excellent ‘The Nuckelavee’, Warlocks Grim… ticks that box with aplomb as a Slayerized avalanche of riffs erupts from the speakers, executed with a precision and intensity that screams ‘yeah, this guy really means it’.
Strong echoes of Venom, Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica and Motorhead are still writ large across the albums forty plus minute run-time (look to the brilliantly entitled ‘Goat Vomit Nightmare’ if proof be needed), yet some of the dynamic leaps and subtle detours ventured by McBain see new and exciting influences emerge at every turn. ‘I, The Deceiver’ for example is something akin to Dissection and Melechesh locked in mortal kombat, a swirling ripper which gives way to a scathing chorus hook that could have been plucked straight from ‘Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk’, whereas the seven-minute title-track is a groove-laden mini-epic that at points recalls mid-career Bathory jamming The Black Album riffs.
And the fun doesn’t stop there; ‘The Cursed Carrion Crown’ is another Slayeriffic thrill-ride with a Maiden-esque harmonized mid-section - not to mention a sensational lead break from McBain (one of many on the album by the way) -, ‘Poison Womb (The Curse Of The Witch) rattles by with shades of early Children Of Bodom neoclassical shred, and closer ‘Mester Stoor Worm’ frequently calls to mind The Black Dahlia Murder at their most progressive, a treble-headed mult-rhythm monster built on electrifying bursts of ornate death metal violence.
Make no bones about it, ‘Warlocks Grim…’ is a step up in almost every conceivable sense. Saluting past glories is all well and good, but Hellripper’s roiling cauldron of ideas will not only make you want to regress joyfully back to your pimply thrash kid self but has all the maturity, scope and diversity to plant their sound still well and truly in the now. Put more plainly, ‘Warlocks Grim…’ comprehensively rules across the board, and already feels like a nailed-on future classic.
9/10
Comments