In the right conditions, a single name can utterly dominate. It normally takes time for a name to ascertain a reputation that is bold and massive enough to really grab the attention of listeners at large with many worthwhile acts that have been around for decades still struggling to accomplish such a feat, but some pull it off damn near instantly. In the world of black metal, you have to hit upon just the right node in order to unleash a flood of intrigue upon your music, and Hellripper managed to do that in 2017 with its debut album as its follow-up three years later only furthered the name Hellripper had made for itself. Just two years later with a third full-length offensive, I think it goes without saying that the reputation of Hellripper has been all but cemented.
When we’re dealing with bands like this, it’s hard to imagine any scenario where the ante is somehow increased or the bar has been raised in some form or another with what has already been accomplished before seeming to be insurmountable by any new creation. In the case of Hellripper, though, it has to be made known that this is a band that isn’t content to sit still for long with their desire for domination all but evident given how the seemingly impossible has been delivered with “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags”. While it’s up for debate by the masses whether or not this takes the crown as Hellripper’s greatest piece in their discography, I would phsyically challenge anybody who would dare deny the excellence that has been laid forth here. A creation that is undeniably Hellripper’s all the way to its very core and a piece that still holds true to the roots of the sound, “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” is not a record that is to be taken lightly whatsoever with its heaviness, speed, melody, and vicious ferocity the exact kind of spectacle that makes any piece of thrashy black, blackened thrash, or whatever it is you want to call it a sound that is nigh on promising in many hands with few truly delivering on that promise. In the fullest extent, Hellripper has been delivering the apex of that madness for years now.
Whatever it is that Hellripper has been promising us since the beginning, it’s all come together wondrously to make “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” an uncompromising listen of the style that is not to be denied in any form. This is a record that is sure to dominate the listening habits of many who come into contact with this fiery magnificence to the point that I won’t be shocked if “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” is considered by many to be an early yet unmistakable highlight for all of metal in 2023.
“Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” releases on February 17th via Peaceville Records!
LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Hellripper on Facebook here.
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