Witch Ripper – Through The Hourglass

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · May 23, 2026

Witch Ripper is a heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington that incorporates progressive, stoner, sludge, and hard rock into their sound. The quartet consists of Curtis Parker on vocals and guitar, Chad Fox on guitar and vocals, Brian Kim on bass, and Joe Eck on drums. Formed in 2012, the band have released 2012’s Self Titled EP, 2018’s Homestead, 2023’s The Flight After The Fall, and their latest, 2026’s Through The Hourglass. Through The Hourglass was released on April 10th 2026 on Magnetic Eye Records. It contains seven tracks at forty four minutes long.

“Odyssey In Retrograde” is a fifty second intro of synthesized keys that crescendo right into the pounding drums of “The Portal”. The traditional heavy metal riffing and guitar harmonies soar with the double bass drumming. Witch Ripper transitions into a heavy slab of chuggy rhythms as the vocals enter the mix. The blend of clean and harsh singing creates an interesting quality that coalesce nicely with the music. Progressive rock elements and classic metal are blended together fortifying a heavy and powerful sound. “The Portal” is a fantastic lead off track that clearly demonstrates the talent and creativity of this excellent band. They really utilize the dual vocals expertly and overall musically, they fall somewhere between Mastodon, Baroness, and a little High On Fire.

“Symmetry Of The Hourglass” begins with some flange guitar tones that erupt into a bombastic hammering of drums and electrifying leads. The thrashy rhythms are met with excellent clean vocals with some demonic bellows. The dynamic guitar harmonies and proggy textures really makes for a spellbinding listening experience. “Echoes And Dust” is another banger! Dense and sludgy riffs doused in melody, the song masterfully molds together harmonies with raging rhythms. The vocals once again make this one more memorable with the contrast and variation of sounds taking place.

Witch Ripper create lengthy and elaborate tones throughout Through The Hourglass. The eight and a half minute “The Clock Queen” is another crushing passage that explore both heavy and light transitions with skillful precision and execution. I love the fluidity of the riffs, from the beautiful harmonies to the sludgy death tones. “Proxima Centauri” finds the band scaling down the heaviness and aggression in favor of more captivating melodies and engaging musicianship.

The seventh and final song on the album is called “The Spiral Eye”. It starts off with a slower and doom-laden approach with harsh, almost death metal vocals. The clean singing makes their way halfway through the song and the music is orchestrated sounding at times also. The double bass drumming is in full effect with the exquisite guitar leads and harmonies capturing the sound in its most striking component. Witch Ripper really does a spectacular job combining all the various styles of music into their own sound. The flow is organic and doesn’t sound forced or out of place in any way. I love when bands are so adept with their sound that whatever direction the music goes in, it is still authentic. This is definitely the case with Through The Hourglass, which really impresses me with how magnificent it sounds. Witch Ripper is a great band that will surely appeal to many people who like heavy music, in general. This record is another grower, so give this a few listens and prepare to have your ears blown out and your head ripped off.