Few things at AMG Industries make us prouder than watching bands once thoroughly hazed by AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö move on to greener pastures. In 2013, Witch Ripper from Seattle endured the timeless hazing ritual, earning worldwide praise with their groovy, sludgy self-titled EP. Despite that early promise, lineup changes derailed the efforts of Curtis Parker (ex-Iron Thrones) and company for six years.
Their patience finally paid off with the debut LP, Homestead, in 2018, and with a stabilized lineup, Witch Ripper kept building momentum with their acclaimed second album, The Flight After the Fall. Where Witch Ripper and Homestead mastered the quartet at its heaviest and sludgiest, Through the Hourglass finds Witch Ripper finally hitting their stride, continuing their evolution toward melody, atmosphere and emotional contour.
Continuing the narrative threads of The Flight After the Fall, Through the Hourglass turns toward more hooks and musicality rather than sheer weight, while still remaining in relatively traditional song structures. Operating at the touchpoint between modern Mastodon, Baroness and Anciients, the guitars of Chad Fox and Curtis Parker shift from rock chugs to swirling melodicism (“Echoes and Dust”), sparkling arpeggios (“The Portal”), bluesy choruses and expressive solos (“The Spiral Eye”) as the duo takes on shared vocal duties with bassist Brian Kim. There’s a classic rock warmth woven through the riffs, and the four-piece have trimmed some of the fat from previous releases in favor of tracks with tighter runtimes and more focused, targeted songwriting. Drummer Joe Eck is a force, adding fluorescents battle-toms (“Symmetry of the Hourglass”), shifting snare rolls and polyrhythmic accents (“Echoes and Dust”) that elevate even the simplest riffs. Through the Hourglass doesn’t so much reinvent Witch Ripper’s sound as refine the characteristics they’ve cultivated from the start.
Naturally extending the lineage that first appeared on The Flight After the Fall, Through the Hourglass continues similar melodic instincts and structural tendencies, while also nodding to the heavier, riff-based roots of their early days. Once the superfluous intro “Odyssey in Retrograde” fades, the first single “The Portal” sets the tone with the familiar blend of rock riffs and melodies, serving as a foundational bridge between the records and setting the stage for “Symmetry of the Hourglass”, a stunning track that showcases every strength Witch Ripper bring to the table. Its anthemic chorus, soulful, bluesy solo and fully structured songwriting keep returning to its best ideas. Even a messy instrumental passage in the second verse doesn’t stop me from moving throughout. “Echoes and Dust” pushes those components even further, combining a thick modern rock groove with arpeggiated heaviness and high-energy drumming at the top of the record to drive the quartet’s best song to date. The album’s more experimental turns, like the melancholy ballad «Proxima Centauri» of Alice in Chains, or the ethereal choral melodies of Irene Barber (Dust Moth) on «The Spiral Eye», feel like natural extensions of the spacey, post-rock textures they’ve flirted with in the past, even if the latter and «The Clock Queen» occasionally drift into repetition.
Fox’s singing and Parker’s extended growls sound more assured on Through the Hourglass, balancing each other deftly while shaping the album’s expressive landscape. On previous records, clean vocals were sparse to nonexistent, acting more as atmospheric color than a defining feature. Through the Hourglass puts them front and center, taking control of Witch Ripper’s modern identity. Fox’s bright, emotionally charged vocal lines set the stage, with heavily vibratoed phrases that sound impressively expressive – especially on tracks like “Proxima Centauri” and “Symmetry of the Hourglass” – but they also tend to strain occasionally on higher notes (“The Clock Queen”, “The Portal”). Even so, it’s an apt choice given how it elevates the material. And when combined with Parker’s corroded roars, the combination creates a striking contrast that lifts the airy choruses higher, even as the harsher tones periodically threaten to overpower them.
Witch Ripper have come a long way since they first grabbed the bull by the horns. Despite some uneven moments, “Through the Hourglass” shows that Witch Ripper have become more confident, more expressive and more capable of balancing intensity with melody in ways that feel both natural and earned. It confirms the band’s arrival after years of growth and readjustment, distilling the band’s evolution into a thrilling, emotionally charged chapter that signals these Northwesterners have fully embraced their identity. It’s a milestone that suggests the Witch Ripper era has only just begun.
Rating: Very good
DR: 6 | Format reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Websites: witchripper.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Witchripper
Releases worldwide: April 10, 2026
