I had to look into it for a moment, but the title of this new Hellripper release does not refer to a lament about the circumstances five years ago, but to a component of traditionally improvised chants performed at a death, wake, or funeral. That should be a cheerful affair! And it turns out to be exactly that, really!
Right from opener Hunderprest – the name of the fictional, or at least I certainly hope so, vampire of Melrose Abbey – the energy and sheer joy of playing music burst forth. The tempo kicks in immediately, both in the relentless drums and in the finger-breaking, tickling riffs. The blackened shriek is convincing and instantly transports us into horror-like atmospheres, while the longer guitar lines in the bridge toward the rattling, stomping chorus provide a nice contrast. Just like that delightful acceleration at 2:30, by the way. What stands out is that the guitar work – for a band often placed in the blackened thrash corner – is quite melodic and frequently carries the epic feel of heavy metal (with even a slight touch of folk). The blazing solo full of sharp edges, on the other hand, is clearly thrash-related. And so, a single track should already be enough to win many people over.
And things continue just as smoothly with Kinchyle, where tempo, melody, and biting vocals are once again combined into a flowing track. It’s great how a recurring stripped-down theme is increasingly drenched in distortion to build toward a happy/heavy metal acceleration. Because the chorus is little more than a mass chant of the title, it still feels nicely underground and, above all, very energetic and driven. The Art Of Resurrection once again begins with such a fast yet melodically tickling riff, which can already be called a defining feature of the album (and, by extension, the band). In the sections where the tempo drops a bit, the song leans on massive vocals that sometimes evoke bands like Arch Enemy, which may take some getting used to. The choice to let the song slowly fade out with occasional solos and some doubled vocals also sits somewhat in that ballpark.
Then Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned) sounds more inspired, darker, more dynamic, and more narrative. The short “blegh” that appears more than once once, again brings a sly grin to my face, like that little dog that keeps popping up on my Insta. O Satan, my blood runs cold / O Satan, spare me, oh spare me my soul / Will I live? Will I die / Let me live. It’s simply wonderful when you can let yourself go like that in the music you write and perform yourself. In Black Satanik Fvkkstorm, the dial is turned to “as close to over-the-top as possible,” because that track is packed with juicy, fast string work full of rock-’n’-roll spirit. Did someone say Motörhead? Absolutely: the same fury, but with even filthier vocals. How much hard liquor and how many cigarettes must James McBain have put his vocal cords through? Oh, needless to say this, together with the opener, is my favorite track on the album.
The Bathory-like epic feel in the title track is, however, a bit of a “left-hand path” on this album. I’m a big fan myself of what Quorthon delivered on Hammerheart and just before that, but it did take some getting used to here after the abundance of rapid-fire riffs that preceded this mid-tempo closer. That might also be due to the hint of shanty weaving through the beginning, but ultimately the vocals (sometimes a heavy grunt, sometimes lightly clean) carry us through the waves. Oh, and that surge of heavy metal leads after about five minutes certainly helps as well. And so it ends up being quite an enjoyable track after all. Rock on, maestro!
I had to sit down for it, because I might not have expected such a strong dose of melody and heavy metal influences, but now I’m completely on board and find myself semi-energetically bouncing around the room in my old age (where the beautiful cover art certainly doesn’t look out of place). Push the chairs aside and go! What a great and, above all, driven album… and what great songs.
Score:
85/100
Label:
Century Media Records / Sony Music, 2026
Tracklisting:
- Hunderprest
- Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite)
- The Art Of Resurrection
- Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned)
- Black Satanik Fvkkstorm
- Sculptors Cave
- Mortercheyn
- Coronach
Line-up:
- James McBain – All instruments
Links: