Review Summary: Hellriffer
Hellripper is the brainchild of James McBain, who is the band's only studio member and also plays every instrument on his albums. His last two records were solid but stayed within the typical sound of blackened thrash metal. However, his most recent release,
Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, is far more ambitious and enjoyable than his previous works.
Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags immediately makes a positive impression with the opener,
The Nuckelavee, as it demonstrates exactly what you should expect from the record with its blisteringly fast riffs, infectiously melodic soloing, hellish screams, and lots of blast beats. Throughout the albums 43 minute runtime, McBain never spares any expense on the riffs with the best and strongest being arguably found on
The Cursed Carrion Crown. Simply put, this album is a gold mine of pummelling thrash riffage.
On this record, Hellripper has a go at longer songs, and they are extremely effective at holding your interest across the 7 minute plus runtime. The title track,
Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, makes itself one of the obvious standouts on the album with its effortless inclusion of the bagpipes, which bring some more than stellar melodies to the harsh and thrashing riffs. The other epic,
Mester Moor Worm, closes off the record perfectly as it includes sections that are more close to death metal territory while still sticking to the classic tremolo picking riffs and an all too brief acoustic guitar break that prepares you for the upcoming crushing riffs.
While the longer tracks are nothing short of impressive, the shorter, typical blackened thrash metal tracks still leave a powerful impact.
Goat Vomit Nightmare starts off with a great heavy metal-esque riff, and the song eventually crescendos with an instantly memorable and extremely melodic guitar solo. Following a similar style,
Poison Womb (The Curse of the Witch) contains even more high octane guitar playing, but it also demonstrates the potency of the vocals, as the chorus is perfectly shaped to fit McBain’s vicious barks. This makes the track feel even more intense than it would otherwise be, and it would be absolutely perfect for the live setting.
Overall,
Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags is among the strongest thrash albums of the past decade with every riff hitting hard, every solo standing out and the drumming never falters. All of the instruments on the album sound great, basically, and this is made even more impressive considering that Hellripper is a one man band. The album has very few faults, so the tracklist is very strong. All I wish is that the acoustic sections were expanded upon a bit further and that there were more unique moments, such as the inclusion of bagpipes. Despite those nitpicks, this album is an easy recommendation for anyone who even slightly enjoys thrash metal.
