Seattle, Washington based Progressive Stoner/Sludge Metal band Witch Ripper have unveiled the official music video for the new single “The Portal” taken from their upcoming third album, “Through The Hourglass,” set for release on April 10, 2026 via Magnetic Eye Records.
Watch the music video for the first single “The Portal” via the YouTube player below:
Witch Ripper comment on “The Portal“: “We really wanted to set the tone of »Through The Hourglass« with a bang,” vocalist and guitarist Curtis Parker writes. “A pummeling drum intro, knuckle-dragger riffs and highlighting more evil melodies on the guitar. ‘The Portal’ kicks off an album with darker themes of loss, confusion, and dread while maintaining our love of big hooks and catchy riffs. Our story’s main character asks: ‘What have I woken up to?’ – and we’re all about to find out!”
On their third full-length, “Through The Hourglass,” Witch Ripper unleash the full potential of their stunning ability to deliver captivating melodies, catchy riffs, and merciless hooks in sheer droves.
The US Metal band perfectly combines melodic heaviness with pinches of Progressive, Sludge, and other styles with seeming ease. Witch Ripper can be generally located within the wider sonic realm that is inhabited by Mastodon, Baroness, and High On Fire, yet they also continue to channel the Rock bombast of Queen and David Bowie as well as the modern Prog of Coheed And Cambria and Muse.
While Witch Ripper’s songwriting has climbed to a new peak, they continue with their loving pastiche of the legendary pulp science fiction stories of old. “Through The Hourglass” extends the story that began on their sophomore full-length, “The Flight After The Fall” (2023), in which the central character’s search for peace in death by flying into a black hole proved futile. As “Through The Hourglass” begins, he awakens to a world without time and a familiar dark presence from his past…
Conceived in 2012 in the city of grey skies, lush vegetation and loud Rock, Seattle, Washington’s Witch Ripper garnered critical acclaim and a strong buzz in the underground scene with their sludgy self-titled EP (2012) and debut full-length “Homestead” (2018). The second album, “The Flight After The Fall,” made the band’s name on a global scale, as the band dramatically expanded the range of their sound in ways both catchy and progressive.
On stage, Witch Ripper have performed alongside Heavy Rock outfits such as Monolord, Conan, and Castle Rat as well as modern Metal acts including Slipknot, Gojira, and Khemmis among many others.
Witch Ripper are already at work planning for tour across the United States once more and hope for a first voyage to Europe in support of releasing “Through The Hourglass.” Metal is anything but dead, and this album is living proof of its vibrant present.
P.S.: Music aficionados will find a revelation hiding in the key of each song.
Pre-Order “Through The Hourglass” here: https://spkr.store/collections/witch-ripper
Tracklist:
01. Odyssey In Retrograde
02. The Portal
03. Symmetry Of The Hourglass
04. Echoes And Dust
05. The Clock Queen
06. Proxima Centuari
07. The Spiral Eye
Witch Ripper is:
Chad Fox – Guitar, Vocals
Brian Kim – Bass, Vocals
Curtis Parker – Guitar, Vocals
Joe Eck – Drums
Guest musician:
Irene Barber – vocals on »The Spiral Eye«