HELLRIPPER – Coronach review

 

HELLRIPPER – Coronach

Century Media Records

OK so for starters I'm a HELLRIPPER fan but in all honesty I don't go back re-listening to their releases as much as I do with early MIDNIGHT or TOXIC HOLOCAUST. Those two bands need to be mentioned because HELLRIPPER is basically the Scottish version of them. All are one man bands doing Blackened Thrash / Speed Metal. The one man in this case is James McBain who performs everything in the studio.  

I got into HELLRIPPER way back with their The Manifestation of Evil EP from 2015. So sure when James McBain started out the sound was raw aka: low production, etc. Then the full lengths came out and hell yeah this guy was a new leading force from Scotland doing what Americans were doing already (aka: early MIDNIGHT and TOXIC HOLOCAUST). 

I'll say that this release sound wise is a well produced Blackened Thrash album. It's the best thing HELLRIPPER has ever done. When it comes to the riffs as well as guitar soloing this one shines. Of course the added keyboards gives it a cool Symphonic BM feel on a couple of cuts. McBain is mostly in a Blackened screech vocal mode throughout this release.

But all in all after five listens in two days I'm not into returning to it for a while. Still it's a great release. 

https://www.centurymedia.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hellripper.bandcamp.com/album/coronach-24-bit-hd-audio

WINTER ETERNAL - Unveiled Nightsky review

 

WINTER ETERNAL - Unveiled Nightsky

Hells Headbangers Records

So there's a lot to unpack here. WINTER ETERNAL, cool name by the way, is a one man Black Metal band. The one man is Soulreaper (aka: Stelios Makris) who is responsible for the vocals, guitars and bass. The drum work is performed by session player V. Nuctemeron. Just for the record WINTER ETERNAL started out back in 2011. Originally this band was from Athens, Greece but relocated to Glasgow, Scotland. 

This is WINTER ETERNAL's fifth full length and third released on Hells Headbangers Records. Now for someone who does buy stuff from HHR over many years. This band has escaped my notice and I don't have an answer to why. Be that as it may musically this is not anywhere close to what you know sound-wise by any Greek or Scotish BM acts. 

If anything this release comes across as something similar to the more obscure Swedish Melodic BM acts of the past. But with a definite revamp to the style which it's fuckin needed for a while. And look it took a fuckin Greek to do it. So hey Scotland some immigrants to your nation are cool as opposed to those other ones who are assholes. Which lead to young girls having to carry knives and hatchets to defend themselves. 

But anyways if ya like Black Metal (ah duh?) then get this release, turn the sound up to a comfortable listening level, then kick back and relax. Let the waves of cold tremolo picked riffs cascade over you. The vocals will stagger you to be awake. Yeah I like this a lot. The cover artwork is cool as well.

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://winter-eternal.bandcamp.com/album/unveiled-nightsky

CNOC AN TURSA - A Cry for the Slain review

 

CNOC AN TURSA - A Cry for the Slain

Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings

Ironic that I'm listening to a patriotic Blackened Folk Scottish band at the same time I'm reading a news article about two young Scottish girls who have been vindicated for defending themselves from a foreign born predator. Here's a photo of the girl defending herself. Looks like the battles against cultural oppression, attacks by foreigners and national pride still exist today in the great nation of Scotland. But hey check out this girl defending herself. Looks Black Metal to me.

So what we have here is the third album by Scotland's CNOC AN TURSA. Just for the record their name means Hill of the Standing Stone in Scottish Gaelic. That also coincides with the music which I mentioned earlier is Blackened Folk Metal. Their songs are all sung in Scottish Gaelic. Yeah I know it's authenticity to the max. 

What I like about this album is how the song structures are pretty much all Folk driven with the Metal style weaved in. Which for many Folk Metal bands it's the opposite if not just pandering to a genre. As far as the Black Metal aspect goes it's subtle. This is more of an epic yet melodic type of album which is definitely a listening pleasure. 

I mean the roar of the battle vocals. The powerful riffs which diverge into melancholy with leads that are Folk-ish. Of course there's a point where this all falls into what we use to call Pagan Fest type of music or Battle Metal. Either way I like this album a lot and need to find their first two releases. 

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.co.uk/

LISTEN HERE:

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.bandcamp.com/album/a-cry-for-the-slain

FUATH - III review

 

FUATH - III

Northern Silence Productions

For some cool reason January always has some cool as fuck Black Metal releases. In just the past couple of weeks I've heard two amazing releases which will be remembered in December. Here's another one which needs attention. This is the third full length release by FUATH which is a one man band from Glasgow, Scotland. The one man is Andy Marshall who performs everything. 

Musically this is Atmospheric Black Metal in the same vein as early DRUDKH. In fact the four cuts on here are very similar to what DRUDKH has done. You've got two long tracks that bookend the release with two shorter tracks inbetween. Now with that said it is an amazing release as far as Atmospheric Black Metal goes. Andy Marshall channels DRUDKH through his Scottish lens. 

You have to appreciate the cascading and painful tremolo picked melodic riffs, harsh vocals and pummeling drum work that runs throughout this release. It's a renewed sound by someone else which fans from the past will congregate too instead of being jaded. All in all it's an amazing piece of work. One of the best of 2026 easily unless you're a jaded piece of shit. What's funny is I'm the 60 plus year old guy who's supposed to be jaded and I'm not. So yeah buy this one and then back track to this band's previous releases.    

https://northern-silence.de/en/

LISTEN HERE:

https://fuath.bandcamp.com/album/iii

COFFIN MULCH - Septic Funeral EP review

 

COFFIN MULCH - Septic Funeral EP

Redefining Darkness Records

Can we all give a hell fuckin yeah to this band's name? I mean COFFIN MULCH, come on that's cool. Strangely enough I'm writing about this band's debut EP on the night where the pub I work at had a wake for a regular who passed last week. Nice guy who've I've known for close to a decade. He was into classic rock but then again the guy was much older than me. Don't know who's getting his Harley but it ain't me. I don't think he'd like this band even though he'll be coffin mulch in a few years.

But anyways the first time I checked out this Scottish band's release I was like cool it's old school death metal. Then I wondered after all of these years, well decades now, why does this music still appeal to me. I mean seriously it's been done three times over. Sure there was a revival back in 2008 which I thought was cool especially since the mainstream metal media elites at first mocked it. But the fact is the sound lives forever no matter who is doing it.

To be honest COFFIN MULCH are not bringing anything new to the genre table and frankly that's a good thing. Musically their sound is part Swedish / part US as far as a death and doom delivery. The vocals are of that 'I drink from a cauldron of fire' variety. The riffs are heavy as fuck Boss HM-2 style thunder with an undercurrent of filth plus anger. The rhythm section lays waste when things speed up a bit. While keeping a powerful back drop when slow and heavy beats are required. 

Something else which this band includes, while some other new OSDM bands quit doing, are those surgeon scalpel solos. For me that's a must have. Even better is that this is a six song EP which is just two or three cuts short of a full length. So this release is COFFIN MULCH kicking your ass and demanding you throw up the horned fist for twenty plus minutes. The old ones have pasted on so celebrate their memory with music that reminds you of em. Cheers! 

http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://coffinmulch-uk.bandcamp.com/album/septic-funeral

HELLRIPPER - Black Arts & Alchemy EP review

HELLRIPPER - Black Arts & Alchemy EP

Reaper Metal Productions





Not my first time writing about Scotland's HELLRIPPER, a one man blackened thrash/speed metal act created by James McBain. Back in 2017 I checked out the HELLRIPPER debut full length, Coagulating Darkness. That was a decent self released effort. One thing to note is that McBain is a prolific short form release guy. Prior to the full length McBain just did an EP and three split releases. All of which can be found on the HELLRIPPER Complete and Total Fucking Mayhem compilation.


Since the full length McBain has continued in his old ways by returning to the short release format. Last year he was involved on two split releases. Now this year it's an EP, four cuts if you get the vinyl. Five if you get the CD where he covers "Iron Heads" by RUNNING WILD. As far as this goes musically it's your typical blackened thrashing speed metal stuff that's been making the rounds over the past decade. McBain is Scotland's version of Joel Grind of TOXIC HOLOCAUST or maybe  Athenar from MIDNIGHT. 


I like the four originals on here a lot. Of course the riffs are furious as are the drum beats. McBain has a harsh blast furnace vocal style. And his lead work gives way to some exciting solos. The first cut, "All Hail the Goat"  reminds me of Florida's HOT GRAVES. It's obviously my favorite on here. The title cut adds some Scottish folk song structure flavor. The other cuts are good as well. If you're getting into HELLRIPPER now then this is a great place to start. Get the full length next and definitely pick up the Complete and Total Fucking Mayhem compilation.  


http://reapermetalproductions.com/

https://hellripper.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Hellripper1

HELLRIPPER - Coagulating Darkness review

HELLRIPPER - Coagulating Darkness

Self Released




HELLRIPPER is a one man blackened thrash act from Aberdeen, Scotland and sound-wise this sounds like a ton of other bands out in the genre but most notably TOXIC HOLOCAUST because of the similarity that's it's a one man band. The one man in question is James McBain who started HELLRIPPER back in 2014. Over his short career prior to this James has released an EP and three splits. Interested parties should check out his Complete and Total Fucking Mayhem compilation which has all of his music from those releases mentioned. I'll probably be one to check that out.


Coagulating Darkness is James' first full length, eight song's worth, and it's a decent blackened thrash release but it's just generic as it's gets. Is it good, sure but it's paint by the numbers and there's so much out there equal to it. Hells Headbangers has a dozen or so bands on their roster right now. Welcome to the big pond James, although I do like this one. Nothing wrong with putting out something tried and definitely true. You do get props on the cover artwork though.


https://hellripper.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Hellripper1