Band:	Witch Ripper
Album:	The Flight After The Fall
Style:	Sludge metal
Release date:	March 2023

01. Enter The Loop
02. Madness And Ritual Solitude
03. The Obsidian Forge
04. Icarus Equation
05. Everlasting In Retrograde Pts I & II

I’m not sure if there’s any band I’ve compared albums with in my reviews more than I have with Mastodon. It makes sense, since Mastodon are a great band; however, the range that Mastodon have covered over their career means that there’s quite a few different ways in which one can sound similar to them. Each of the albums I’ve linked above is distinct from the rest; Witch Ripper’s The Flight After The Fall is the latest album that manages to incorporate that influence while still standing out in its own way.

The Seattle ensemble aren’t shy about the influence that Georgia’s greatest metal export has on The Flight After The Fall, namedropping them in the album blurb; however, there’s plenty of other big names referenced alongside them, as wide-ranging in style as Baroness, Gojira, Queen, David Bowie, Coheed & Cambria, and Muse. Presented as a combination of fierce sludge, modern prog and arena rock, this sophomore record is clear about its building blocks and its intentions, and Witch Ripper deliver what they promise.

I don’t want to focus this review too much on Mastodon, because truthfully, it’s not that dominant a vibe here. Probably the element that will have listeners most prone to Mastodon coming to mind are the lower-pitched shouted vocals, which rival Vokonis in how closely they imitate Troy Sanders. Having this voice in the rampant chorus of “Madness And Ritual Solitude”, or accompanying the first main riff in “The Obsidian Forge” that sounds oh so much like “Crack The Skye”, makes the influence clear, but in the parts where the higher-pitched singer dominates, it’s not a common comparison. There is a slight hint of Brann Dailor to these higher vocals, particularly in the pre-chorus and chorus of “The Obsidian Forge”, but it’s a far weaker resemblance.

Moving past Mastodon, there’s quite a lot to digest on this album. “Enter The Loop” ranges from ominous tension-building riffs and drums, through to sludgy passages, and then onto more melodic parts with a clear classic rock influence, which comes through strongly in the main solo. One left-field similarity that I can’t ignore (and I’m glad to have seen mentioned in another review of this record) is “Welcome To The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, which comes through for me in the vocal melody of the finale, the general tone, and even specifically in some of the guitar solo phrasing. This song also has one of the few more prominent passages featuring keyboards, with some quite flamboyant playing happening during the chorus; I somewhat wish Witch Ripper had used similarly elaborate keyboards in the climax of “Icarus Equation”, as the more scaled-down backing synths slightly undersell the big song ending.

Performance-wise, there’s a lot to like about Witch Ripper. The drums are great, whether its in the ominous, reverberating builds at the start of each of the first three songs, or in the more hectic parts, during with some Dailor-ish fills are occasionally thrown in. Guitars bring some cracking solos, with a very melodic, almost bluesy, one in “The Obsidian Forge” and a great one in the big rowdy ending to “Madness And Ritual Solitude”. There’s great riffs too; this second song has a fluid balance between sludgier riffs and more up-tempo rocking that works nicely. Vocally, I think the cleaner, higher-pitched singing does have some slight limitations that come through in the more ambitious passages, such as the climax of “Icarus Equation”, but sounds right in its element in the more measured chorus of 17-minute epic closer “Everlasting In Retrograde”.

The main thing that comes through to me when listening to The Flight After The Fall is just a real sense of fun; I really get the impression that the guys in the band had a blast writing and producing this record, and I find it quite infectious. They find a solid balance between the sludgy heaviness, the proggy expansiveness and fluidity, and the hookiness of the big sing-along vocal moments. The progginess is given centre stage on that big closing track, on which the vocals take a slightly more backing role; the instruments explore riffs, solos and jamming, including a very soothing second half before one more big finale, and it rounds off the album very strongly.