Album Review: Hellripper - Coronach (Century Media Records , 2026)

Written: 17th March 2026

Watching the rise of one-man blackened / thrash speed metal project Hellripper over the last ten years has been extremely interesting. It was a venture James McBain did not expect to be anything more than one that attracted some local interest; Hellripper’s success has been an extremely pleasant surprise. “When I started Hellripper, the goal was to release one EP with the hope that a few people in my local scene at the time would enjoy it,” he recalls. “It’s safe to say it’s gone further than I ever imagined, and I have no intention of stopping! I love what I do, and I appreciate the support from the fans so much. It means a lot to hear that the music I create at home resonates with people.” 

Following Coagulating Darkness in 2017 and The Affair of the Poisons in 2020, it was the excellent Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags that propelled Hellripper to even greater heights and with the release of Coronach – named after a vocal lament performed at funerals in the Scottish Highlands - on 27^th March, McBain is aiming to repeat the feat. When I interviewed him in February this year, I asked him about his wish to retain the core Hellripper sound but noted that on Coronach he seemed quite prepared to experiment and take things in a slightly different direction. “It keeps me inspired. The only limitation I put on myself is that I want Hellripper to remain speed, thrash, black thrash, whatever you want to call it. I find it more enjoyable with the added challenge of expanding the sound. So taking these different influences from different kinds of music and incorporating that into Hellripper but keeping the core sound there is the fun part. I want Hellripper to have its own kind of identity, its own sound and the only way I think I can do that is if I incorporate more of me in the music.”

Coronach opens with the blistering speed metal of Hunderprest. Crammed with caustic, serrated riffs and driven by McBain’s savage vocals, it makes interesting use of synths, enraged guitar solos and with genuine variety within his vocals, he seizes our sense instantly, pulling us into the album’s already raging tempest. Most impressively, Hunderprest walks a wonderful line between devastatingly bruising and incredibly memorable. Lyrically, in McBain’s words, “It is based on the legend of the vampire of Melrose Abbey  and the sinful chaplain who inherited the nickname Hunderprest (dog priest) because of his habit of hunting on horseback with his pack of hounds.” It is a perfect tale for Hellripper’s style of music and the song drips with gothic horror and effortlessly paints a picture of a haunted landscape.  The great death rattle symphony plays in the fall of night  / In dust and dream, and in between, there hides a deadly bite / The claws of tribulation scrape across your back / Serenity fades in the morbid black. Memorable. A stunning opening to the album.

Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite) is inspired by McBain’s experiences growing up in Aberdeen, with Kinchyle being the McBain clan’s war cry. McBain also wanted to point out that Scotland is not all green hills and beautiful lochs. “Aberdeen is very grey, rainy and dull. When I do go back, it feels like the city is having the life sucked out of it. People are not happy and shops are closing and there's less to do. It was a challenge trying to do a more personal song, but I made it Hellripper and gave it the dark imagery to make it fit.” In this vein, the lyrics are imbued with all the fiery venom fans will expect. Salt water fills the wounds of time / Grey palisades fade into endless fucking, pure soul-sucking night / Born of thunder, wind and rain / Vultures on jagged wings usurp the kings and call upon my name. It is also here that we see deeper examples of the musical experimentation that makes Coronach such a fascinating release. With some classic Hellripper sounds, McBain also makes deliberate nods to bands such as Running Wild, Motörhead and Opeth. He also comments that, “it is the most ‘rocking’ song that I have written in quite a while.” Two tracks into Coronach and Hellripper has not put a note out of place.  

The Art of Resurrection opens with a beautifully constructed piano and orchestral prologue that is quite unlike anything else on the album. McBain told me, “That intro was originally written on guitar and the initial idea was more in the vibe of Bleed The Freak by Alice In Chains. Then, I was listening to a song by Agnes Obel and it was piano and cello. So I thought I should try that intro on piano and it worked perfectly.” However, this respite is short-lived and within thirty-seconds, feral and demonic riffs are unleashed. Full of atmosphere and writhing with menace, there are also plenty of commanding melodic moments. Inspired by Burke & Hare and their exploits in Edinburgh, it tells of grave‑robbing, body‑selling and moral collapse. Told in the first person, the narrator revels in desecration with chilling delight, capturing the macabre pragmatism and dark humour of history’s most notorious body‑snatchers. Tip-toe past headstones laughing / Dark lanterns blink in passing fog / Eyes gleaming, hearts beaming / Graveward we go, scheming. McBain states it took some time to get right because of the different parts but it was clearly a puzzle worth solving. Another – this time slightly slower - song that confirms the first half of Coronach is turning into something special.

Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned) accelerates the album once more and throws in more thrash influences for good measure. Over the years, McBain has become increasingly adept when experimenting with tempos and moods - here he does both with outstanding control. Chaotic, untamed riffs attack in one movement and tortured black metal guitar twists and snarls in others. There is also remarkable attention to detail in the album’s design - even down to the birdsong woven into the track - as Baobhan Sith, set amid heathered Highland slopes, recounts a deadly encounter with vampiric faerie‑women who lure men to their end. The night crawls while ales and tales are flowing  / Disciples of the great forest rejoice in the warm heart of a song / And with the last dying embers gently glowing / I suddenly stop and recoil at the glimpse of a claw.

Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm – the shortest track on the album is nothing short of an all out attack. Partly written at the time of Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, it is inspired by Thrawn Janet by Robert Louis Stevenson. Crushing, scorching riffs abound - a momentum that carries straight into Sculptor’s Cave. Both echo Hellripper’s raw origins while showcasing McBain’s prowess as a multi‑instrumentalist at the height of his craft.

Mortercheyn opens with a distant howling wind and this adds to the frostbitten and haunting atmosphere. McBain comments, “The title itself is a little nod to a track on the previous album, ‘The Nuckelavee’ and mortercheyn is said to be the disease spread by the creature in its wake. It is a contagious and lethal sickness that primarily affects horses and is used in the song to represent the decay and downfall of the world.” Without doubt there is a malignant, grimacing spirit twisting through Mortercheyn and even the sudden appearance of cowbell  - bizarre on paper - settles unnervingly into place.

Coronach ends with the epic nine‑minute title track. Befittingly, it starts with a few moments of Chopin’s Funeral March before slow, colossal, stomping riffs rain down with cataclysmic precision. As the piece unfolds, McBain makes use of spoken word, clean vocals, death metal growls and black metal shrieks, pushing Hellripper’s sonic palette further than ever. It is the most ambitiously varied and intricately constructed track Hellripper have produced to date. Discussing the track, McBain stated, “The structure is a bit weird because there’s not much repetition, maybe just one chorus. It was a through-composed kind of journey. It happened naturally where I would add on a new part. It was a little inspired by songs like Welcome Home (Sanitarium) or In My Darkest Hour where it's half slow then builds up to a faster part.” Coronach – the track - is where the experimentation he has so clearly embraced reaches its peak: a glorious exploration of everything he wants Hellripper to embody now and everything it could become in the future. A majestic conclusion to the album, its brooding first half gives way to the speed fans crave, and it is to his credit that he allowed himself to take on a track of this scale and to deliver it with such resounding power.

Coronach is a decisive step forward for Hellripper, marking a clear deepening of songwriting and structural ambition while holding tightly to the surging force and immediacy that long‑time followers will recognise. Some listeners who crave unbroken velocity may drift during its broader, more exploratory passages, but for those – like myself - who value a band able to evolve without losing its identity, this album is a deeply engaging experience. It captures James McBain - who plays every instrument - operating with sharpened intent, expanding his scope without erasing the spirit that brought him here. The result is a release that radiates conviction, and will, at the end of the year, be challenging for a place at the very top of album of the year lists. Remarkable.

Coronach is released on 27th March 2026. Read my full interview with James McBain here.