Release Date July 24th, 2026
Format CD/Vinyl/Digital
Genre Death/Thrash Metal
Origin Chile
Ripper formed in Chile in 2007, first circulating demos such as "Destroy The World" before issuing the debut album "Raising The Corpse" in 2014. "Experiment Of Existence" followed in 2016 and widened the band's death/thrash attack through busier arrangements and an unusually prominent bass presence. The "Sensory Stagnation" EP arrived in 2019, followed by the "Paranormal Waves" demo as the lineup changed around founding vocalist and guitarist Patricio Spalinger.
"Towards Rebirth" is the third full-length and the first in a decade. Spalinger now shares guitar duties with Nicolas Young, alongside bassist Tomas Barriga and drummer Javier Buzeta. Shows across Chile led to European dates and an appearance at Maryland Deathfest, widening the band's reach before the long album gap. This version of Ripper preserves the speed and extremity of the earlier releases while stripping much of their progressive detouring from the main assault.
"Towards Rebirth" was tracked, mixed and mastered by Pablo Clares at DM6 Studio. Its ten tracks are presented with high guitar definition, hard drum transients and bass that registers beneath the rapid riff changes. The production avoids vintage haze, placing the performances close to the listener while retaining a raw edge around the rhythm guitars and vocals; every cymbal strike has definition, and the low end remains firm during the fastest stretches.
Songwriting is compact and merciless, cycling through tremolo attacks, thrash gallops, sudden rhythmic pivots and lead exchanges at a rate that could become shapeless in lesser hands, while Ripper arrange the turns with surgical timing. The guitar pair dominates through serrated riffing and restless solos, the drums hammer through frequent tempo shifts, and the bass adds a mobile undercurrent. The thrashing vocal register is narrower, functioning as another percussive layer more than a source of melodic or emotional range. Lyrics circle death, rebirth, possible states beyond life, the extinction of the universe, dreams and human manipulation, connecting cosmic dread with present-day violence and technological control without spelling every idea into a fixed storyline.
Near-constant speed creates a narrow dynamic range, and several compositions blur at their edges, though the album contains enough rhythmic disruption and lead variation to stop the attack becoming anonymous. Compared with "Experiment of Existence", the new album is tighter, angrier and less interested in extended display. Its precision never drains the menace, and the playing remains feral even when the arrangements become intricate. "Towards Rebirth" is a vicious return, meticulously constructed and stripped of dead space, with minor sameness in the vocal attack and pacing holding it just short of the top tier.
|8.3
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