RIPPER – Towards Rebirth

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8.0

• Bands:
  RIPPER (CHILE)
• Duration: 00:41:39
• Available from: 07/24/2026
• Label:

• Dark Descent

For the Rippers, the last ten years have been a continuous chase. Published ten years ago now, “Experiment of Existence”, the second album by the Chileans, had given a glimpse of a formation ready to carve out a stable space for itself among the most interesting realities of contemporary death-thrash. Instead, the following decade proved to be anything but linear: lineup changes, long breaks, projects that remained suspended and an inevitably discontinuous presence on international markets, an almost physiological condition for a band that operates far from the main nerve centers of the metal scene. In the meantime, the EP “Sensory Stagnation” and the demo “Paranormal Waves” arrived, both valid indications of a creativity that was never truly exhausted, but the feeling was that the decisive piece was still missing. That album capable of gathering together what has been sown in the past and finally giving continuity to a story that has too often remained on standby. “Towards Rebirth” was born precisely with this task: it is the work through which the guitarist/singer Patricio Spalinger – now the last survivor of the original line-up and today the authentic driving force of the band – tries to restore order in a bumpy path, without denying the coordinates that have always defined the sound of Ripper.

A few minutes are enough to understand that the connection with the past is still strong, but equally evident is the desire to shift the overall balance towards slightly different territories. The quartet's death-thrash retains speed and ferocity, but loses something in terms of technical restlessness to gain specific weight. The sound is denser, tighter, almost barbaric in some situations; Spalinger's voice digs deeper than in the past and contributes to giving the whole a darker character. If “Experiment of Existence” often seemed to run in multiple directions at the same time, alternating accelerations, changes of perspective and continuous details capable of emerging from the sound mix, “Towards Rebirth”, all in all, prefers to keep the pressure constant. There is no lack of instrumental expertise – it would be impossible for musicians of this caliber – but it is put at the service of songs that are a little more compact and less inclined to show off.

Even the thrash side seems to have taken on a slightly different role: in some passages riffs with an almost classic flavor emerge, with a shadow of vintage Kreator stretching behind some guitar solutions, but always immersed in that more extreme context that continues to recall Sadus and old Pestilence. Instead, those more agile and nuanced openings that in the past had suggested comparisons with Death of the “Human” and “Individual Thought Patterns” period remain more in the background, above all for the ability to intertwine poisonousness and technical refinement. A choice that might surprise those who were waiting for a direct sequel to its predecessor, but which ends up having its own logic. After years of slowing down and starting again, Rippers seem to have favored impact and solidity, focusing more on building songs that strike with a little more immediacy, despite being literally full of (great) riffs. “The Secular Awakening”, the title track and “The Source Exterminator” represent this approach well: various themes that fit together naturally, constant tension and a feeling of urgency that runs through the entire structure.

The surprise effect of 2016 inevitably belongs to the past, but “Towards Rebirth” didn't necessarily need to chase it. Rather, it was meant to demonstrate that the Rippers still exist as a credible and determined creative entity. Mission accomplished. Now the real challenge will be to give continuity to this newfound stability and prevent the album title from remaining just a promise.