HELLRIPPER‘s new single, and title track of the upcoming album ‘Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ is out now!

On the release of the new single “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” – the title track from the forthcoming album James McBain comments “ this song is definitely the farthest I’ve gone away from the usual “Hellripper sound” with it being a more mid-paced track than what I’ve done previously. The lyrics to this track (and the song title) are primarily inspired by Robert Burns’ ‘Address to the Deil’ and reference the poem quite a bit (as well as other works of Burns), though where the poem kind of downplays and mocks the Devil, I wanted to switch the point of view and insert a few nods to the treacherous Scottish landscapes and mythical creatures – with nature being the Devil’s Church. For the first time in Hellripper’s music, you will hear the sound of bagpipes in the latter part of the song which also ties in with the lyrical theme.”

Pre-order the album here.

Having released the masterful ‘The Affair of the Poisons’ in 2020 on Peaceville Records, James McBain and his electrifying brand of blackened thrash fast propelled HELLRIPPER to the forefront of the UK metal scene – now get ready for ‘Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ – Hellripper’s third studio album, due for release on 17 February.

‘Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ establishes a new threshold of excellence and raises the bar further over ‘The Affair of the Poisons’, with an opus standing at the crossroads between the sound that Hellripper has become known for and a whirlwind of different influences up until now yet to be explored, resulting in James McBain’s most personal and diverse work to date. With a greatly expanded scope to the tracks, incorporating more epic and melodic blackened anthems alongside the high-speed metal attack and blistering solos, ‘Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ marks a new high point for the band.

Inspired by the landscapes and legends of the Scottish Highlands, McBain explores the darker side of Scottish history & folklore – the title itself taken from a line in the Robert Burns poem, ‘Address to the Deil’ – as well as including references to clan culture (including his own) throughout the album.  Setting the scene with the release of their first single (available on all streaming platforms now) and accompanying lyric video, created by Matthew Vickerstaff, for “The Nuckelavee” – McBain comments “I wanted “The Nuckelavee” to be the first track released as it’s not only the album opener, but it is the song that I think best represents the overall sound and vibe of the record. It’s speed metal at its core but with a few twists. Lyrically, “The Nuckelavee” is based on the Orcadian tale of the eponymous creature – a grotesque and skinless horse-like demon that brings plague and death wherever it travels”

The theme is continued with, for example, the track, ‘The Cursed Carrion Crown’, being based on the legend of ‘Sawney Bean’ and the Bean Clan (a spelling variation of “McBain”) and tells the story of a family of cannibals that lived in a cave and committed various gruesome acts.

As always, the writing and recording process was carried out by James McBain himself, with a few guests offering contributions in the form of additional vocals and instrumental parts. With recording taking place between March 2021 and June 2022, the album was also mixed by McBain, and mastered by Damian Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios.

Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags will be released on 17 February on CD, LP, limited edition green coloured vinyl LP via the band store, limited edition gold coloured vinyl LP, cassette and digitally and is available to pre-order here.

Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags tracklisting

1. The Nuckelavee [05:47]
2. I, the Deceiver [04:57]
3. Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags [07:15]
4. Goat Vomit Nightmare [03:15]
5. The Cursed Carrion Crown [05:48]
6. The Hissing Marshes [03:50]
7. Poison Womb (The Curse of the Witch) [03:42]
8. Mester Stoor Worm [08:33]

Hellripper will be supporting the release of their new album with live shows & festivals throughout 2023 – so far they have confirmed the following with more to be announced

11 February – The Flying Duck – Glasgow, Scotland (UK)
11 March – Welcome to Hell Fest – Eindhoven, Netherlands (EU)
30 June – Pitfest 2023 – Emmen, Netherlands (EU)
5 July – Obscene Extreme Festival 2023 – Trutnov, Czech Republic (EU
27 July – Goldgrube – Kassel, Germany (EU)
28 – 29 July- Burning Q Festival 2023 – Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany (EU)
21 October – Derby Alt Fest 2023 – Derby, England (UK)

HELLRIPPER have revealed details of their upcoming new studio album The Affair Of The Poisons scheduled for release on 9^th October 2020.

Hellripper, aka James McBain, based in the Scottish Highlands, says of their forthcoming epic “‘The Affair of the Poisons’ contains the mixture of thrash/black/speed metal and punk that Hellripper has become known for, but this time I feel that the end result is more cohesive. Some of the tracks are more straight-forward while others contain some twists and parts that are new to the Hellripper sound. As always, the whole writing and recording process was done at home by myself, with a few friends of mine contributing some additional vocals and lead guitar parts. The album was mixed by myself and was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege who did an amazing job.

Lyrically, the album’s themes primarily revolve around witchcraft and the occult, with some tracks being based on historical events (‘The Affair of the Poisons’, ‘Beyond the Convent Walls’) and Scottish legend (‘Vampire’s Grave’).

Skadvaldur did an excellent job, as he always does, of creating a piece of artwork that both represents the album’s themes, as well as being a somewhat of a homage in style to the old B-horror movie posters that inspired a few of the album’s tracks.”

The Affair Of The Poisons tracklisting:

1. The Affair Of The Poisons [04:59]
2. Spectres Of The Blood Moon Sabbath [03:37]
3. Vampire`s Grave [02:59]
4. Beyond The Convent Walls [04:29]
5. Savage Blasphemy [03:11]
6. Hexennachtm[02:50]
7. Blood Orgy Of The She-Devils[02:51]
8. The Hanging Tree [04:45]

Hellripper has been fast gaining a reputation for whipping up an infectious storm of blackened speed metal greatness in the spirit of old and are one of the most electrifying young, up & coming metal acts in the scene today.

Inspired by the likes of the old-school legends including Venom, Kreator, Sabbat [JPN] and Metallica, McBain formed Hellripper in 2014 and with the release of the debut EP The Manifestation of Evil shortly after, the band were already making a very clear mission statement… Total fucking mayhem!