Hellripper, the one man thrash machine headed up by James McBain, is now streaming the title track to its upcoming record Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags. Aside from being a grandiose seven minutes long and feeling epic as hell, "Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags" also includes some Great Highland Bagpipes performed by Antonio Rodríguez.
"'Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags' is definitely the farthest I've gone away from the usual 'Hellripper sound' with it being a more mid-paced track than what I've done previously," said McBain.
"The lyrics to this track (and the song title) are primarily inspired by Robert Burns' Address to the Deil and reference the poem quite a bit (as well as other works of Burns), though where the poem kind of downplays and mocks the Devil, I wanted to switch the point of view and insert a few nods to the treacherous Scottish landscapes and mythical creatures – with nature being the Devil's Church. For the first time in Hellripper's music, you will hear the sound of bagpipes in the latter part of the song which also ties in with the lyrical theme."
Hellripper will release Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags on February 17. Pre-orders are available here. Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags was recorded and mixed by McBain at Coronach Studios, and mastered by Damian Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios.
