It was three years ago that the one man black/speed vehicle known as Hellripper possessed my soul with their sophomore maelstrom, The Affair of the Poisons. Channeling the heydays of Venom, Bathory, and Sodom, this band checked off all the early black metal boxes and then some, unleashing one punishing slab of high speed, high aggression blackened metalpunk after the next. There wasn’t much difference sonically between this album and the band’s debut, Coagulating Darkness (2017). So when album #3, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, was announced, I anxiously braced myself for more of the same. As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags is indeed fast and heavy and punkish in its own special way. It’s also, much to my surprise, a quantum leap forward in songwriting and musicianship from The Affair of the Poisons. Granted, there were hints of musical ambitiousness on the last album. I went so far to label the closing cut, “The Hanging Tree”, as “borderline prog”. On Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, mastermind James McBain has expanded upon these sonic explorations to create what very well may be the black metal masterpiece of 2023.
The opening “The Nuckelavee” establishes this new, forward thinking approach, with its intricate twists and turns, diabolical riffs, and rip roaring solos akin to NWOBHM titans like Iron Maiden and Angel Witch. The traditional metal elements are as pronounced on this cut as the black and speed metal elements, making for one hell of a ride. Cuts like “I, the Deceiver” and “Poison Womb (The Curse of the Witch)” owe more to black metal’s second wave than first, with their emphasis on bleak atmosphere and pseudo-tremolo riffs, while the title track is a masterclass in epic black metal, a brilliantly executed suite that evokes the triumphant darkness of late 80s Bathory. Quorthon approves from Valhalla.
For those who long for “the old Hellripper”, McBain has you covered. “Goat Vomit Nightmare” is as filthy, fast, and unhinged as you could imagine a song with such a title being; Venom meets Discharge worship gone awry. “The Cursed Carrion Crown” is arguably the fiercest cut on this affair, abandoning the speed aspect and going full blown evil thrash in the vein of Sodom and Metal Blade era Slayer, while “This Hissing Marshes” lies somewhere between traditional metal, first wave black metal, and the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world, Motörhead. Rounding it all out is the 8 and a half minute “Mester Stoor Worm”, yet another epic. McBain saved the darkest for last, going full Into the Nightside Eclipse era Emperor for this opus.
From a musical, songwriting, and production aspect, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags is going to be the black metal album to beat in 2023. With the incorporation of traditional and prog undertones, Hellripper have become utterly untouchable, capturing the fresh and unpredictable aura of black metal during its 80s and 90s glory years. If the future lies within the past, Hellripper have mastered the ancient art. Have mercy on the poor souls who stand in their path.
9 out of 10
Label: Peaceville Records
Genre: Black/Speed Metal
For fans of: Venom, Bathory, Emperor