Graveripper - From Welkin To Tundra - review
Graveripper - From Welkin To Tundra - review
Band
Graveripper Album
From Welkin To Tundra Style
Blackened thrash metal Release date
October 17, 2025 Tracklist
01. Welkin, Now Tundra02. Bring Upon Pain
03. Hexenhammer
04. Death's Cold Embrace
05. Sanctioned Slaughter
06. Hounds From Hell
07. New Gods, New Masters
08. ...And Now It's Dark
09. Bullet Laden Crown
10. Burning Barren Plains
A review by
AndyMetalFreak October 26, 2025
Graveripper emerged onto the US blackened thrash scene in 2018. After releasing two impressive EPs, they unleased their acclaimed full-length debut Seasons Dreaming Death, an album that proved to be one of the most memorable and ferocious blackened thrash offerings in 2023. Whereas the blackened thrash subgenre typically leans more towards a classic thrash route with blackened elements incorporated, Graveripper tend to veer more in a traditional black direction. Their style combines the frosty Norse atmosphere and raw spirit of Norwegian trve kvlt, inspired by bands such as Carpathian Forest and Immortal, with the neck-breaking ferocity and high-end grooves of bands more associated with blackened speed/thrash and black'n'roll, such as Hellripper and Midnight. Additionally, their sound bears similarity to that of Norway's Aura Noir.
Now, after proving their potential and showing us that they have what it takes to become a formidable force within this niche, they return to unleash their sophomore From Welkin To Tundra. This latest album doesn't just carry on from where the debut left off, but instead they've returned in a much darker, more ferocious, and more sinister fashion. The first thing that's striking, though, is the glorious Adam Burke cover painting that illustrates heaven being reduced to a frozen wasteland; this is an obvious reflection of the album's theme, title, and approach.
Throughout its relatively short 33-minute runtime, the band merely toy with thrash elements, shying away even more so than on the debut, and introduced in only short surges of lightning-speed thrash ferocity. There's times when it feels more as if you are listening to a traditional black, or even a meloblack, album instead, at least until founding member Corey Parks spurts out his semi-harsh punkish vocals, just to remind you that this ain't no Immortal or Mayhem clone. The guitars consist mostly of razor=sharp ferocious tremolos injected with striking icy cold melodies that are almost Immortal-like, before then unleashing short outbursts of neck-breaking thrash shredding and wailing leads. The rhythm section is entirely new, and drummer Nick James pulls off a fine performance as he suddenly transitions between rapid-fire blast beats and more stylish pounding rhythms, while Steven Garcia's bass provides a vital component to the instrumentation, cutting clearly through the mix to counterbalance the guitars rather than acting merely as a layer in the background of the mix.
Graveripper is one of the best bands in the category for merging the old-school with new, playing blackened thrash in a way that sounds fresh and modern, yet still contains that vital raw, edgy, punk spirit of old. However, classifying Graveripper as just another one of numerous acts in the subgenre that repeat the same established sound would be quite a harsh statement to make, as they've taken a bolder and more ambitious approach compared with what most might. They certainly possess more evilness and ferocity than the average band in this category.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 26.10.2025 by
Written on 26.10.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
Comments:
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 Posts: 64432 |
Posts: 64432
Sounds good,listened fed songs damn good old scool battle blast,
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