In the vast tree that is metal with its many long-reaching branches, it’s not hard to see that many of the core styles of the underground can be taken in any number of different directions with some styles having far more innovation and variety when compared to others. For the branch that sludge metal calls its own, I feel as though a little bit more can be done to make the style broader despite its well-earned reputation as supremely thick, viciously dense, and undeniably heavy in the vast majority of its releases. But what if we were to take it in a slightly different direction with the core ideals still intact to make for a performance that feels brighter in nature but still no less impactful? For their sophomore full-length, Witch Ripper seems to have pursued such a query with the resulting material proving to earn more than a simple mumbling of a curious “hmm”.

While I’m always for a display of sludge metal that redefines what it means to be crushing to the fullest extent, a small shift in any different direction can make for a wildly fresh creation if it’s molded by hands that are both competent and diligent enough to bring it to life in such a way that catches the ears and attention of listeners. Right out of the gate and seemingly without breaking so much as a damn sweat, Witch Ripper shows us what it means to deliver excellence of that kind with all that was brought forth within the six massive tracks of “The Flight After the Fall”. Incorporating more than a little of that sweet melodic factor to even further put this creation apart from much of what modern sludge delivers, it should take even a fresh fan of the style to realize that Witch Ripper has offered up something of a different ilk here. Without a single track dropping below seven minutes in length, the thunderous drums are what propel “The Flight After the Fall” right from the beginning as it’s every musician that has more than their fair share to shine brilliantly as it’s the surprisingly smooth vocals that make for a gorgeous painting before the mind’s eye that is constantly shifting and morphing into some more complex and densely layered than what’s come before it with plenty of tricks and intrigues being dispersed expertly from the sleeves of Witch Ripper as the record progresses. There isn’t a single weak moment to be had for the absolute entirety of “The Flight After the Fall” with its nearly 17-minute finale of the sort that prompts several follow-up listens so that you can uncover all that may have passed you by on that first spin with Witch Ripper more than willing to slowly give up its secrets to the dedicated and tenacious.

What could’ve come out as not much more than an alt-rock attempt at actual heaviness in the incompetent hands of the fumbling, Witch Ripper proves to be a powerhouse of a name that is not to be underestimated at any turn. From its riffs to its density to the very colors in its sound, “The Flight After the Fall” is what coalesces when sludge metal finds itself at home with what it means to be truly exquisite.

“The Flight After the Fall” releases on March 3rd via Magnetic Eye Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “The Flight After the Fall” on Bandcamp here.

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