HELLRIPPER — Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags (review)

HELLRIPPER — Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags album cover

Album · 2023 · Speed Metal

3.5/5 · 2023-12-27
siLLy puPPy

Scotland has been the centre of countless enigmas throughout the ages whether it be the secret societies that have instituted Freemasonary or the mysteries of the Loch Ness Monster. Even the northern most part of the UK looks imposing on a map with jagged island chains sputtering out from the very tippy top looking like a child was channeling demons while sculpting an artistic expression. Here is yet another phenomenon from the Northern Highlands and his name is HELLRIPPER. Well it’s James McBain actually and he is the one-man / singer / songwriter / guitarist / bassist / drummer and occasional goat herder by night. McBain comes from the city of Aberdeen, a city of many amazing trivia itself such as the fact that self-sealing envelopes were invented there and of course a long history with witchcraft. That’s where HELLRIPPER comes in!

As HELLRIPPER, McBain has been a busy boy having cranked a whole slew of EPs, splits and albums since 2014. WARLOCKS GRIM & WITHERED HAGS is his newest musical journey into the esoteric world of magick, the occult and Satanism. Once again McBain looks back rather than ahead by creating a cauldron and a list of magical spells to conjure up his own versions of blackened speed metal from the pioneering days of extreme metal. In this cauldron one will find traces of Metallica, Megadeath, Venom, Slayer and even healthy doses of the world of NWOBHM. After adding the proper ingredients of sheep brains, newt’s eyeballs and full moon potato sprouts from Zimbabwe, HELLRIPPER has crafted another 8 tracks that add up to 43 minutes of playing time. Even the album length is on retro mode!

Sounding somewhat like the Japanese band Sabbat only set to NWOBHM worship, HELLRIPPER really has nailed the classic retro sounds from the underground 80s and extreme metal 90s without ever stepping over into the second wave anything. You could call this a first wave fuckfest if you will where all the earliest offerings of metal are happily getting all nasty together. Let’s not forget the Motörhead brash bravado that gives it that crust punk connection. Basically HELLRIPPER has cast his net and cast it wide and although WARLOCKS GRIM & WITHERED HAGS focuses on tamping down the raucous energetic unhinged antics of prior albums, McBain once again proves he’s a master of past master manipulation with tracks that sound as if they really did exist in the late 80s timeline only forgotten in some vault for the ensuing decades.

Graced with catchy melodic hooks, HELLRIPPER tames things down a bit but still keeps the speed metal furor roaring along. One thing is for sure and McBain is a riff monster, one that must have extracted some DNA samplings from some of the influences on board in order to craft this musical Frankenstein. Given that McBain was born in 1995 well after the majority of first wave of extreme metal had well given way to the next coming, his astute research has paid off well making WARLOCKS GRIM & WITHERED HAGS a nice throwback to the days when Slayer still had shock value and ripping lead guitar lines were still the biggest thing since sliced bread (was that ever a thing?). As much as i would like to love the heck out of this one, ultimately it’s sort of a one trick pony in many ways. Sure the tracks showcase a dab of this and a pinch of that but it fucks with my sensibilities as i’m always pulled back to another era and reminded of one other band or another.

It seems that HELLRIPPER and his ilk have become popular as retro metal entertains those who weren’t around the first time around. All of that is fine and dandy but honestly i’d rather just listen to the original masters in the first place than dabble in recycled tribute albums. So it’s a mixed bag for me with this sort of wayback machine revisited type of metal. Sure it’s competent, it’s even entertaining while i’m listening to it but at the same time it lacks that wanna come back and listen to the hell out of it that many of the classics offered. For those like me who want to see metal progress and relish in experiencing the new paths forged this one doesn’t scratch that itch for i can understand why many are attracted to the sounds of HELLRIPPER. But you always have to wonder if you REALLY like it or did the freaky goat on the cover simply cast a spell on you? Hmmm.