Hellripper was formed by McBain in 2014 and released the
extended play The Manifestation of Evil shortly afterwards. They released a 16-minute
split album with Philadelphia artist Batsheva in 2015. In 2017, they released the full-length album
Coagulating Darkness through Barbarian Wrath. According to McBain, it was recorded at his house, and his parents were among the guest vocalists on the album. In an interview, he stated that he "focused on incorporating a lot more of a speed/thrash sound into the mix."
Metal Hammer praised the album, labelling Hellripper as "Scotland's king of the arcane mosh" and writing that the songs "stab and slash like newly minted classics beamed in from the mid-80s underground, but laden with contemporary oomph". Kim Kelly, writing for
Vice, wrote that
Coagulating Darkness "feels as much a homage as it does an original creation", and called it "bloody good black/speed metal". The EP
Black Arts & Alchemy was released on 5 April 2019. McBain stated in an interview that the album's four songs were "more punk-influenced" compared to
Coagulating Darkness, and that Joel Grind of
Toxic Holocaust helped with the mastering. Hellripper's second full-length album,
The Affair of the Poisons, was released on 9 October 2020 through
Peaceville Records. In an interview, McBain described his intention behind the album: "For this album, the primary goal was just to write eight good songs. I wanted fast songs with good riffs, catchy choruses, and plenty of guitar solos."
The Affair of the Poisons was well-received by critics. Nick Ruskell, writing for
Kerrang!, gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and praised the energetic tempo of the songs, calling it "a speedy, Satanic delight that exhumes the corpse of early-'80s thrash and black metal". Dean Brown of
The Quietus similarly said that the album was "all about manic energy and forbidden enticement", and Dom Lawson of
Louder Sound called it "one of the most unrelentingly balls-out metal albums of the year".
Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, Hellripper's third full-length album, was released through
Peaceville Records on 17 February 2023. McBain stated in an interview that the central theme of the album was the dark side of Scottish folklore, which is shown in songs like The Nuckelavee (based on the
Orcadian legend of the same name) and the album's title track which takes its name from a
Robert Burns poem.
Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags gained positive reviews and debuted at 11th place on the UK Official Rock & Metal Album Charts. In January 2026, Hellripper released a new single, "Hunderprest" from the forthcoming fourth album,
Coronach, set for release on 27 March. The album was released to positive reviews. == Live performances ==