James McBain returns precisely as expected, three years after Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, again proving both his skill and his ever-evolving songwriting. The name remains Hellripper—a project that has secured its place in the international extreme metal scene with its distinctive blend of black metal, speed metal, thrash, and unfiltered rock’n’roll.
With Coronach, the Scottish musician broadens his musical palette, infusing new elements and bold experimentation drawn from Scottish folk traditions and expansive atmospheres, while preserving ferocity.
Hunderprest opens the album with a savage burst of blackened speed metal, already enriched by more memorable melodies and increasingly atmospheric arrangements. Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite) introduces almost rock’n’roll-like grooves and dynamic shifts that showcase just how much McBain has refined his songwriting approach. The Art of Resurrection alternates gothic piano passages with explosive thrash attacks, creating a cinematic tension rarely heard in the project before, while Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned) stands out as one of the album’s most original moments thanks to its use of violin and its folk-horror atmosphere deeply rooted in Scottish folklore. Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm drags everything back to Hellripper’s punk-driven origins with razor-sharp riffs and relentless speed, whereas Sculptor’s Cave slows the pace considerably, focusing on darkness, epic grandeur, and ritualistic atmosphere, ultimately becoming one of the album’s deepest and most immersive tracks. Mortercheyn revives the project’s most direct and aggressive side, backed by a production that sounds sharper and more powerful than ever before. Finally, the epic title track closes the album like a funeral lament, blending bagpipes, Bathory-inspired melodies, and melancholic folk overtones into what is, by far, the standout song of the entire record.
Coronach is the most mature album James McBain has released to date. Not only does it build upon everything that made Hellripper compelling in the first place, but it also expands, refines, and enriches that formula with a wealth of new influences and ideas, bringing a refreshing sense of evolution. For years now, Hellripper has been one of Scotland’s most celebrated and representative extreme metal acts — and after hearing this album, it becomes immediately clear why.
