Despite being next door neighbors like my good buddies in Wraith, GraveRipper are a band who I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve only become recently familiar with. Earlier this year, I caught them opening for the mighty Nunslaughter, and upon being absolutely walloped by their black-thrash attack, said to myself, “I oughta check these maniacs out!” Needless to say, 2023’s Seasons Dreaming Death scratched my blackened metalpunk itch, falling largely into the same wheelhouse as Toxic Holocaust and fellow Indianan hellraisers Wraith, which is always good company. So when I caught wind of a new GraveRipper album on the horizon, I only had three words: Bring it on!
Well folks, GraveRipper have brought on their sophomore album, From Welkin to Tundra, and it is…not exactly what I expected. When it comes to the Venom/Bathory worship crop, I’m used to outings that strictly adhere to the age-old philosophy of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” When it comes to From Welkin to Tundra, we’re instead treated to the sound of a band who have undoubtedly matured as writers and musicians, and aren’t afraid to show it. Now this isn’t always the best sign, especially when it comes to a genre of this nature, but rest assured that GraveRipper make this musical leap while still maintaining all the qualities that made them great the first time around.
The biggest shift that’s taken place between Seasons and From Welkin is a doubling down on the blackened side of the blackened thrash equation. This shows in everything from the blasting drums and tremolo-driven riffs, to the crisp, frostbitten production that certainly embodies the hostility of a tundra. In this scenario, the black metal is less derived from the genre’s first wave and more reminiscent of ’90s melodic black metal like Dissection and Sacramentum. Couple this with GraveRipper’s usual brand of rough and tumble thrashing, and one can’t help but draw comparisons to Skeletonwitch pre-shark jump.
This new melo black-thrash side of the band is best showcased on cuts like “Hexenhammer”, “Death’s Cold Embrace”, and “New Gods, New Masters”, all guaranteed to freeze the blood coursing through your veins. Hell, even the song titles scream second wave BM, so props to GraveRipper for fitting the bill all around. That said, being a purist at heart, I can’t help but gravitate towards no frills thrashers like “Bring Upon Pain”, “Hounds from Hell”, and “Burning Barren Plains”: Diabolical neck-snappers that fuse the ancient black metal flame of Sentence of Death era Destruction with the unhinged rage of Baloff-fronted Exodus.
Lucky for you and I, the listeners, the thrashers and, uh, blacksters coexist perfectly well, with no track ever sounding out of place or uncalled for. Just like Seasons before it, GraveRipper do what they have to and never overstay their welcome, which is part of what makes their attack so compelling. From Welkin to Tundra is one monster of an album, blurring the lines between black metal’s first and second waves and managing to boast a high caliber of tuneage that will appeal to diehards of both scenes. Whether you’re a leather n’ bullets bastard or part of the corsepaint crowd, get ahold of the new GraveRipper and prepare to rip some hell!
7 out of 10
Label: Wise Blood Records
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Skeletonwitch, Toxic Holocaust, Wraith