Witch Ripper - Through the Hourglass
Through The Hourglass is Witch Ripper operating at full power—a crushing, ambitious record that pushes the band’s blend of progressive metal, sludge, stoner rock, and classic heavy metal into a massive cinematic scale. The Seattle-based group’s third full-length album finds them refining the heavy, psychedelic foundation of their earlier work while embracing more complex arrangements, dynamic songwriting, and a larger sense of atmosphere.
The album sits comfortably alongside the legacy of bands like Mastodon, Baroness, and High on Fire, combining crushing low-end riffs with melodic hooks, shifting time signatures, and expansive progressive passages. But Witch Ripper also bring a more classic-rock sense of drama to the table—the kind of adventurous songwriting that recalls the ambition of bands like Queen, David Bowie, and ’70s progressive rock while remaining firmly rooted in modern heavy music.
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Matt Bayles, Through The Hourglass benefits from a huge but organic sound. The guitars swing between fuzz-drenched doom riffs and soaring melodic leads, while the rhythm section creates the kind of grooves that feel equally suited for headbanging and deep listening.
Conceptually, the album feels like a journey through time, memory, and transformation. The title itself suggests cycles, reflection, and the passage of experience—the idea that looking backward can reveal new paths forward. The songs move like chapters in a larger story, shifting between crushing heaviness and moments of space and atmosphere.
🎶 Track Listing — Through The Hourglass
- Odyssey in Retrograde
- The Portal
- Symmetry of the Hourglass
- Echoes and Dust
- The Clock Queen
- Proxima Centauri
- The Spiral Eye