Seattle Sludge Metal band Witch Ripper are set to release their second studio album entitled The Flight After The Fall on March 3rd. The band’s frontman Curtis Parker took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about the band’s upcoming album, Witch Ripper’s plans for 2023, the Metal scene in Seattle, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Witch Ripper’s second full length album entitled The Flight After The Fall is set to be released on March 3rd, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?
Parker: It’s going to surprise a lot of people! I think that fans and people who are just now finding the band are going to be really surprised with The Flight After the Fall. It has a lot more musical depth than our previous albums and really dives into our melodic and prog influences. We hope people take the time to check out the album because we really think it delivers a lot of depth and is a really fun listen!
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being Witch Ripper’s second album?
Parker: The writing process is always pretty similar for Witch Ripper. Usually I will come to the band with a song idea or a couple riffs and then the band as a whole will shape the song into something cohesive. This time around was a little different once we were recording though. Our new guitarist Chad came into the band as we started the recording process so while the music was 99% written when he joined the band he helped shape the lyrics and vocals in a big way. Another big change was that we wanted the album to have a really big “wall of sound” production style similar to a lot of late 60s/70s pop music. We didn’t shy away from adding synths and strings where we wanted to flesh out the sound.
MER: How would you compare this to your band’s debut album entitled Homestead?
Parker: Homestead is a big angry beast of an album. Heavy riffs on top of heavy riffs. And we love it for that. The songs are really fun to play live. For the new album we wanted to do a lot more melodic music. So there are more big chordal moments. Big clean sections with strings and a lot more singing moments. The big proggy riffs that we are known for are still there but now there is more of a juxtaposition with melodic moments.
MER: You’ve released two different singles from The Flight After The Fall, what kind of feedback have you been able to receive?
Parker: The feedback has been amazing so far. We’ve definitely noticed a lot more interest from blogs and press wanting to do write ups about the album and the fan reaction has been killer! A lot of our fans are really digging the new music and have been sending us kind messages on social media. The first single “Enter the Loop” has already become our most played song on Spotify as well. We just can’t wait to get the whole album out there!
MER: What do you see as plans for the band for 2023?
Parker: We have a west coast tour planned for the end of March. Details available on our social media. After that we’ll play some regional shows during the summer and plan another trip most likely around September or October. In between shows we want to start planning the next album as well.
MER: Who do you hope to tour with that you haven’t yet and why?
Parker: There’s so many bands we’d love to tour with. We’ve had the chance to open for a lot of them when they come to Seattle but it would be great to play multiple dates with these bands. We always gravitate towards bands doing proggy, heavy melodic music so bands like Elder, Khemmis, High on Fire and many many others are always on our radar!
MER: For anyone that’s unfamiliar with the band, how would you describe your sound?
Parker: We always describe ourselves as progressive sludge. It’s hard to pin down though. We have big heavy riff moments. We’re tuned to Drop A so it gets pretty sludgey but at the same time there’s a ton of melody and clean sections. Soooo progressive sludge? Who knows.
MER: How would you describe the Metal scene in Seattle?
Parker: The Metal scene in Seattle is the best in the country. That’s just facts. We have amazing bands in every style of Metal from Death Metal, Grind and Black Metal to Trad Metal, Doom and Post Metal. There are killer bands representing each genre in the city. And the crowds show up for it. Just last weekend I was at a Death Metal show and there were two other shows the same night. All three were well attended. Seattle has become a hotbed for Metal bands and fans. It always feels like Seattle bands get ignored in the grand scheme of Metal publications and press ect but the scene here is amazing. People should check it out!
MER: What are your hopes for the band’s future?
Parker: Make a million dollars and stadium tour with Metallica. Hit us up Lars.
MER: Since the band’s formation in 2012, what have been some of your favorite memories?
Parker: Definitely releasing these albums are highlights for us. Just getting to show people our art is always a big deal. We’ve gotten to play some amazing shows. Opening for bands like Conan, Khemmis and Elder as well as playing a freakin’ stadium opening for Behemoth, Gojira and Slipknot.
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