"Scotland's King of the arcane mosh."- Metal Hammer Magazine
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Genre: Black/Speed Metal
Years Active: 2014 - Present
Current Record Label: Peaceville Records
Hellripper is a one-man black/speed metal band based in Aberdeen, Scotland very much in the vein of old-school bands such as Venom, Kreator, Sabbat [JPN], Metallica etc. Formed at the end of 2014 and with the release of the debut EP 'The Manifestation of Evil' at the start of 2015, the band have made their statement clear... Total fucking mayhem!
2015 and 2016 saw the release of an EP and couple of split EPs to positive reviews in the underground as well as the assembly of a live line-up. The band's debut album 'Coagulating Darkness' was released in April 2017 by German based labels 'Barbarian Wrath' (CD), 'Diabolic Might Records' (vinyl) and Scottish label 'Granite Factory Records' (cassette) to acclaim in the underground as well as positive reviews from the likes of Metal Hammer and Noisey with the former claiming Hellripper to be “Scotland's King of the arcane mosh”.
Hellripper have gained a solid following in the underground metal scene over the past couple of years and with the release of the debut album in April 2017, it is only increasing. A live band has been assembled and lead to several live dates scattered across 2017 and 2018 including an appearance at 'Old Grave Fest' in Romania along with the likes of Necrophobic and Wolfbrigade.
2018 saw the the band sign to US-based record label 'Reaper Metal Productions' - a division of 'Hells Headbangers Records' and, the release of a 4-track EP in April 2019 through the label followed. The band embarked on their first European tour in April (which included an appearance at the pre-show of the acclaimed Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands).
At the end of 2019, the band signed a deal with the legendary 'Peaceville Records' for the release of their second album 'The Affair of the Poisons' in 2020. The band has teamed up with 'Doomstar Bookings' and will support the release with a number of European and UK dates throughout the year.
Hellripper is:
James McBain - All instruments & Vocals
Press:
"[Coagulating Darkness] feels as much a homage as it does an original creation... which, given the backwards-facing tendencies of black, speed, and thrash metal, means he's nailed it." - Noisey
"Old school metal as it was meant to be, Hellripper has crafted the album to beat this year. Fans of everything from Sabbat to Venom to Toxic Holocaust should be looking into this now, as this is authentic black/speed metal with all of the trimmings that make this style so great." - The Metal Observer
"This guy needs to be heard, because this is real, raw punked-up speed metal that even Lucifer would be proud of." - Heavy Forces Magazine
"Scotland's King of the Arcane Mosh' - Metal Hammer