Founded in the north German city of Hildesheim in 2005 by then-students Christian Bröhenhorst and Jonathan Stenger, female-fronted, Hannover-based metal unit Cripper offers up a searing blend of vintage thrash and blackened death metal that's drawn comparisons to bands like Holy Moses, Arch Enemy, Kvelertak, and Spiders. The group reached its full potential upon enlisting the vocal services of Britta Görtz, whose feral scream and signature death metal rattle could be heard for the first time on the group's 2006 debut EP, Killer Escort Service. Cripper's debut studio long-player, Freak Inside, dropped the following year, with 2009's Devil Reveals not far behind; the latter helped to land the group a coveted slot at that year's Wacken Open Air heavy metal festival. Cripper's third studio album, Antagonist, arrived in 2012, followed by their Metal Blade debut, Hyena, in 2014. ~ James Christopher Monger