Hellripper’s Next Album ‘Coronach’ Explodes with its First Single “Hunderprest”
Scottish blackened thrash metal project Hellripper is back with the announcement of a new album and single and god damn it, it simply rips. Set for release on March 27, Coronach serves not only as a follow up to 2023’s Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, but it’s also their first release under the Century Media Records banner.
But that’s neither here nor there for the average listener. All you care about is if this shit kick ass and I’m happy to report that just based off of the album’s opening salvo “Hunderprest”, this could be something special. Hellripper’s architect James McBain has once again wasted zero time in unleashing the raw energy that exists in his mind and in his hands. And that’s all on display in the music video posted below, which was filmed at Damnation Festival 2025.
Speaking of the track as not just the album’s first single, but its opener as well, McBain explained why he opted to make “Hunderprest” the world’s introduction to Coronach.
“‘Hunderprest’ hits immediately with a chaotic deluge of dissonance, and is what I felt to be the perfect way to open the album — leaving the listener with no time to prepare. Based on the legend of ‘Hunderprest,’ or ‘dog priest’ – the vampire of Melrose Abbey. The sinful chaplain inherited his nickname because of his habit of hunting on horseback with his pack of hounds.
“After his death, legend says he was buried in the graveyard of Melrose Abbey; and because his spirit could not find peace, he would rise from his grave when night fell to harass the villagers and his former mistress to satisfy his bloodthirst. He was eventually defeated when a group of monks from Melrose Abbey exhumed Hunderprest’s blood-soaked body in broad daylight and set it on fire, throwing the ashes into the wind to be sure that the vampire would no longer be able to torment the town.
“Musically, the track primarily takes influence from a mixture of thrash (Kreator, Merciless, Metallica) and black (Watain, Rotting Christ, Tribulation) metal, with a healthy dose of some more ‘atmospheric’ d-beat elements from the likes of Oathbreaker and Fall of Efrafa.”
As for the album itself, McBain explained that it traffics heavily in Scottish folklore, music, history, and culture.
“Inspired by anything and everything from Venom and Mercyful Fate, to Watain and Opeth, to Manic Street Preachers, film scores and traditional Scottish music, the album is a good representation of myself all wrapped up in a nice speed metal package! Quite a bit of experimentation went into this album, and I wanted each track to contain something that I had never done previously. Whether it be the inclusion of a different instrument, or how a song begins, I aimed to offer some element of surprise in each track.
“The album, named after the vocal lament traditionally sung at funerals in the Scottish Highlands, encompasses everything the band is about: mixing modern and old-school influences, past and present storytelling, the dark side of Scottish history and my personal interpretation of it.
“As always, the writing and recording took place in my home studio, with various other people putting their stamp on a few of the tracks. The album was mixed by myself, and was mastered by Damian Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios, and the artwork was done by Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustration). Fàilte gu Alba – Welcome to Scotland!”
Coronach will be released on March 27 via Century Media Records, but you can preorder your copy today.
