Colombia’s underground has produced its share of metal firebrands, but few strike with the precision and velocity of RIPPER. Born in Popayán and forged in pure speed heavy metal spirit, the band has carved out a reputation built on conviction rather than compromise. In this interview, the band offers a glimpse into the steel, the attitude, and the drive behind one of the scene’s most relentless forces, without giving away the whole storm.

Interview

TheNwothm: For those just discovering you, how would you introduce Ripper in one sentence?

RIPPER:  An unstoppable steel projectile: fast, hard and accurate.

TheNwothm: Going back to the start of the band how did you guys form?

Ripper: RIPPER was born in 2015 in Popayán, Colombia, from an almost instinctive need: to make real, fast, and unfiltered Speed ​​Heavy Metal. Juan David Ripper started the project driven by the urgent need to channel rage, energy, and passion for old-school metal in a city where this sound wasn’t commonplace. What began as an obsession with speed, razor-sharp riffs, and the spirit of classic metal attracted other musicians with the same hunger, eventually becoming a band with a clear, direct, and uncompromising identity, naturally aligned with the speed heavy metal movement.

TheNwothm: You started out as Napalm before becoming Ripper. What’s the story behind the name change, and how did you settle on “Ripper”?

Ripper: Initially, the band was called Napalm, a name that directly reflected our thrash roots. We were heavily influenced by that raw and violent sound, especially by songs like Sodom’s “Napalm in the Morning,” which profoundly marked that early period. In fact, Ripper was also born thanks to Sodom and the figure of Tom Angelripper, a key influence in both attitude and vision.

Over time, we felt the need to go further. We wanted to explore more things on a vocal, melodic, and structural level, and little by little, the focus shifted from thrash to speed heavy metal. Although we grew up listening to tons of thrash metal, speed metal was always there from the beginning. When we understood that this was the path we should take, the name Ripper emerged naturally: sharper, more direct, and totally aligned with the energy we wanted to convey.

TheNwothm: Colombia has a rich musical culture beyond metal. Has any local tradition or sound ever found its way into your riffs or lyrics?

Ripper: Colombia has an enormous and highly respectable musical heritage, but in Ripper’s case, there has never been any intention of incorporating traditional sounds or local genres into our music. Our language has always been classic heavy metal.

Our influences come directly from bands like Agent Steel, Judas Priest, Oz, Metallica, and the entire spirit of the NWOTHM. That’s where we feel at home. We prefer to remain true to that lineage: sharp riffs, speed, melody, and a purely heavy attitude, without disguises or forced fusions. Ripper is metal made in Colombia, but with its sights set on the classic and universal sound of heavy metal.

TheNwothm: Popayán, Cauca is your home base. What’s the spirit of that city, and how does it show up in your music?

Ripper: Popayán is a city with deeply conservative roots, an imposing historic center, streets steeped in colonial architecture, and a strong cultural identity. Its people and cuisine are part of that charm that transports you to another era. Ripper was born as a direct hit against that conservative line: we are the complete opposite, and we embrace it with pride.

Our music doesn’t seek to fit in, it seeks to break. We deeply respect the cultural identity of our city, but artistically we decided to go in a different direction—rawer, freer, and more aggressive. Ripper is the clash between stagnant tradition and the need for speed, noise, and rebellion.

TheNwothm: Growing up, did you have a musical idol or band that made you say “I want to do this”?

Ripper: Absolutely. I grew up listening to classic bands like anyone who falls in love with metal as a kid. Metallica and Megadeth had a profound impact on me, as did Judas Priest. But more than any single band, it was the figures behind the noise who ignited the spark. Dave Mustaine, Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, and James Hetfield weren’t just musicians to me: they were symbols of character, attitude, and conviction. It wasn’t just about making songs, but about standing firm, sounding authentic, and defending an identity. That’s when I understood that I didn’t just want to listen to metal… I wanted to live it and make it my own.

TheNwothm: Your earliest known release was the two-song CD Hellishwitchcraft: The Ritual. What do you remember about pressing those 20 copies and sharing them?

Ripper: Hellishwitchcraft: The Ritual was a very raw and honest step. The recordings were completely unprofessional, made by a band that was just starting out and learning as they went. We only pressed 20 copies, more as a symbolic act: to document that Ripper existed and was getting started. There was no formal distribution; those copies stayed with close friends, people in our inner circle who believed in the band from the beginning. Over time, we understood that it was better to wait, grow, and work more carefully on our sound before releasing something that truly represented what we wanted to be. That first CD was the seed, not the final result.

TheNwothm: In 2018 you released Power of Speed. How did that track set the tone for Ripper’s sound?

Ripper: Power of Speed ​​was the turning point. I remember when we released Speed ​​and Violence, the first song I posted on Facebook was Power of Speed, and the reaction was immediate: it was a smash hit.

People told us it sounded unlike anything else, that it was technical but at the same time brutal, without losing any speed or aggression. It wasn’t an easy song to write; it took me time because I was very clear about what I wanted: something well-made, solid, uncompromising.

The intro came about out of nowhere, in a rehearsal, almost instinctively. From there, everything started to flow, and we understood that the path was speed heavy metal. That song definitively shaped the direction we wanted to take. When we played it, we literally felt like steel was burning through our veins. That’s when we knew that was the Ripper sound.

TheNwothm: Hammer of the Gods and Eternal Fire followed quickly. What inspired those songs back-to-back?

Ripper: Hammer of the Gods was initially conceived with lyrics, but during the process, I felt the song spoke better on its own. I decided to leave it instrumental, as a purely heavy metal manifesto: melodic, laden with guitar harmonies, and designed to let the music carry all the emotional and epic weight. It’s a piece born from the most direct musical inspiration, unfiltered.

Eternal Fire, on the other hand, comes from a different place. I’ve always been drawn to classical guitar, and especially Celtic guitar. That ancient, dark, and mystical sound connected me deeply to the medieval era. I wanted to capture that atmosphere of fire, steel, and shadows, and that’s how the song was born. Both reflect two sides of Ripper: the raw power of heavy metal and the historical epic that has always been at the heart of our sound.