Album Review: Graveripper - From Welkin To Tundra
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
Indianapolis blackened thrashing horde GraveRipper return for another bout of icy blasphemous carnage with their second album “From Welkin To Tundra”. Their debut album “Seasons Dreaming Death” got the seal of approval from the thrashing masses back in 2023 and the band are ready to rip faces once again with a “blackened, cold, furious assault that captures Graveripper’s distinct style of blending Black and Thrash metal better than any release yet”.
‘Welkin, Now Tundra’ opens the album and sets the scene with frosty atmosphere and evil tones literally sounding like Adam Burke’s stunning album cover artwork in music form. Soon enough though things explode with the furious onslaught of songs such as ‘Bring Upon Pain’, ‘Hexenhammer’ and ‘Hounds From Hell’ rip forth perfectly blending thrashing rage with frosty blackened evil.
The black metal takes the lead in songs such as ‘Death’s Cold Embrace’ with its eerie sinister melodies and ‘New Gods, New Masters’ which is easily the most ferocious tune on the album. The most straightforward thrasher comes in album closer ‘Burning Barren Plains’ and it is a ripping and super energetic way to finish things off.
“From Welkin To Tundra” is the debut album for bassist Steven Garcia and drummer Nick James and they put in furious performances. Vocalist and guitarist Corey Parks is also in killer form with a caustic vocal performance and also unleashes a relentless barrage of killer riffs. Whilst a lot of blackened thrash albums sound a lot like thrash with harsh vocals, “From Welkin To Tundra” manages to perfectly mix together black and thrash metal sounds with influence coming equally from old school thrash and classic black metal. It is a cold relentless thirty three minutes of ferocious goodness which is the perfect soundtrack for the upcoming winter months.
