Hellripper

Hellripper operates as a one-man black and speed metal project led by Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer James McBain. Drawing from the satanic themes, raw extremity, and thrash-punk energy channeled by Venom, Darkthrone, Megadeth, Sabbat, Kreator, and Motörhead, McBain frequently turns to historical incidents when shaping his narratives of witchcraft and occult forces.

The project first appeared in 2014 via the EP The Manifestation of Evil, followed by a 2015 split 7" alongside Philly-based doom and black metallers Batsheva. Its debut full-length, Coagulating Darkness, emerged as a family project issued in 2017 on Barbarian Wrath; McBain tracked the record at his Aberdeen residence and invited his parents to contribute guest vocals. The album earned underground praise for its fidelity to classic speed and thrash metal principles. The 2019 EP Black Arts & Alchemy shifted toward a punk-metal sound, whereas the narrative-focused 2020 album The Affair of the Poisons—Hellripper’s inaugural release on Peaceville Records—merged substantial hooks with thrash-driven black metal. Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, issued in 2023, found McBain presenting an expansive blackened thrash collection shaped by the terrain and shadowy folklore of the Scottish Highlands.