Scottish thrash metal act Hellripper aka guitarist/vocalist and songwriter James McBain have released the lead track from their forthcoming new album, Coronach. We asked James the BIG questions . . .
Speaking about the album, James says, "A coronach is a vocal lament traditionally performed at funerals in the Scottish highlands. Intertwined with my own words is the poem of the same name by Walter Scott, which served as an inspiration for this story: the funeral of an ambivalent and mysterious figure, revered by his community for his heroic deeds but whose life hid many dark secrets.
"As well as lyrically, the track is also a musical experiment for me; it was primarily influenced by late 80's thrash metal along with bands like Bathory, Gallowbraid and Atlantean Kodex.
"A dash of post-punk, a fair amount of Iron Maiden-style guitar harmonies, some classical references and the haunting wail of the bagpipes fading in the distance: this song feels like the perfect farewell to the album."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Hellripper is a solo project, and (aside from a few guest spots) I have written, recorded and mixed everything myself at home since the beginning. The first four years of material was recorded in my bedroom while I lived with my parents (who also contributed some vocals to my first album during this time). I've used most of the same equipment for the past 12/13 years too!
I studied computing science at university for three years, and have a Bachelor's degree in Business IT. I skipped a presentation (or some sort of coursework submission) to play a show in Romania. I think it affected my grades slightly, but it was our first show outside of the UK, and definitely worth it!
Our first European tour was done in my partner's Citroen Picasso. It was a tight squeeze, and we were so overloaded that we all had to get out if we encountered a speed bump on the road! Thankfully, that was only a one-time thing as we bought our first van shortly after!
How would you describe your music?
Fast, loud and aggressive metal played through a Scottish filter... with an unnatural number of goat-themed lyrics.
Who are your musical inspirations?
It can be anything and everything! The main ones that sort of influence the sound "directly" would be things like Toxic Holocaust, Bathory, Kreator, Midnight, Sodom, Mercyful Fate, Megadeth, Metallica, Watain, Venom, Discharge, Motörhead, TANK and Opeth. And some more unconventional things for this style of music would be Manic Street Preachers, Arctic Monkeys, Editors, Beastmilk... it really can be anything and everything! I usually try to find at least something from any song that I like regardless of genre and try to incorporate that into my music in my own way.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
It was Airbourne in 2010. Black Spiders and Taking Dawn opened the show, and it's still my favourite gig I've been to! It was at the O2 Academy in Glasgow.
What was the first record you ever bought?
By the Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's still probably my favourite album of all time!
What’s your favourite song right now?
Stone Temple Pilots - Crackerman or Tribulation - Saturn Coming Down.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"I know I believe in nothing, but it is my nothing" - Manic Street Preachers.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Midnight. Probably for slightly nostalgic reasons - I can remember listening to this track (and this album) over and over on my CD player while my friends and I played video games in the early 2000s.
Where can people find your music/more information?
On any social media (Instagram is currently where I'm most active) or digital music platform. Or you can head to my website.
Alan Corr
