Editor's note: My pal and dedicated concert traveler Josh Burke was in Austin, Texas recently and caught a small chunk of the 2026 edition of Ripplefest while he was there. Below is his recap of the Magnetic Eye label showcase. You can read some of his previous Ripplefest coverage here. 

By Josh Burke

Music labels in 2026 can be a strange proposition. A couple of decades ago, having the backing of a label (and the finances and the reach that came with that) was the only way the vast majority of bands could ever hope to get their music into people’s hands. The ability to record and distribute music is now in everyone’s pocket. Artists go viral for reasons we can’t explain. Word of mouth is currency for Gen Alpha. So why should any band affiliate itself with a label? In some cases, that label has carefully developed a roster of artists such that it becomes shorthand and listeners know that any band on that label is worth a listen. Amphetamine Reptile is one such label. Hydra Head was another one. For fans of stoner rock and adjacent genres, Magnetic Eye is the premiere label, consistently putting out great records from great bands.

One such band is Witch Ripper, a heavy progressive metal band from Seattle. Their recent release, Through The Hourglass, is a concept album and a sequel to their brilliant 2023 album The Flight After The Fall. The two albums are a tale of love, death and a black hole, each told from the perspective of one of the protagonists. Witch Ripper exercise masterful creativity in weaving both lyrical and musical themes and motifs from the first album into the second in a way that is more reminiscent of musical theater than contemporary heavy music and this album is in heavy rotation for me. While that could come off as pretentious, the band does not take itself too seriously. Indeed, when talking about recording a sci-fi space opera, bassist Brian Kim referred to himself and the band as “goobers” (for Exhibit A, check out the video for "Enter The Loop").

Although Witch Ripper have ties to Minneapolis primarily through singer/guitarist Curtis Parker’s tenure as the bass player in one of my favorite Twin Cities bands, the long-defunct Iron Thrones, they have not been to the Twin Cities since before The Flight After The Fall. Despite my persistent pleas on their social media, every new tour announcement led to my crushing disappointment. So while circumstances kept me from attending the entirety of Ripplefest this year (a festival I love and have reviewed previously), it was a no-brainer for me to head to Austin for the Magnetic Eye showcase on the last night of the festival to finally see Witch Ripper.

With this kind of anticipation, I think it’s pretty common to worry about expectations being met. Witch Ripper create intricate, challenging music and I wasn’t sure they’d be able to fully replicate it live. That concern was swiftly annihilated. My frame of reference for Parker as a bass player did not prepare me for his ability to shred. Singer/guitarist Chad Fox told me that playing in Witch Ripper has definitely upped his guitar skills and joked that he has to practice before band practice so that he doesn’t suck. All four of the guys are fantastic musicians and the level of skill was evident throughout their set. All the little flourishes drummer Joe Eck added to the songs were perfect accents rather than annoying overplaying. Sometimes seeing a band play their music note-for-note live can feel a little sterile, but that was not the case at all. Parker frequently moved to the front of the small stage at the Sagebrush to take leads, and the overall energy of the band really made this a top-notch performance. Parker also shared repeatedly his appreciation for the crowd and the folks at the label that made this night happen in a way that I found very endearing. The set was as good as I was hoping it would be. They played four songs from the new record, closing with the 17-minute final track from the previous album, which was a great way to cap off the saga. Brian mentioned that they are toying with the idea of a playthrough of both albums and I’ll be on a plane to Seattle if that happens.

While Witch Ripper was my highlight of the night, the bill was solid from top to bottom. I’ve seen Howling Giant many times and love their tongue-in-cheek brand of what I would call "D&D metal". The songs lean heavily on traditional metal in a vein similar to NWOBHM bands, a combination of technical ability and energy with great vocal harmonies. Singer/guitarist Tom Polzine and drummer/singer Zach Wheeler are some of my favorite people in the scene and Howling Giant shows are always a ton of fun. The addition of second guitarist Adrian Lee Zambrano really enhances their live performance. The songs are fuller and somehow the band has even more energy than before. While I didn’t initially love their most recent album, Crucible and Ruin, as much as some of their previous work (The Obelisk pegged the album at #1 last year, so what do I know), seeing the songs live got them to click for me in a way they hadn’t before. I’ll be seeing them again a couple of times in the next few weeks and I can’t wait.

Headlining the show was the debut US performance for Greenleaf, a desert rock supergroup from Sweden with 25 years of history. The band was founded by guitarist Tommi Holappa, also of Dozer, but what truly sets them apart is singer Arvid Hällagård. His soulful vocals and wit demand your attention. A bluesier take than many bands in the genre, anchored by a solid rhythm section and the constant smile of bassist Hans Fröhlich, Greenleaf had the Sagebrush dancing. Rounding out the bill were desert rock band Blue Heron (vocalist Jadd Strickler is the director of operations at Magnetic Eye), and loud-as-hell duo Friendship Commanders.

Great shows leave me wanting just a little bit more, and with the insane amount of high caliber bands in the Magnetic Eye stable, I hope the showcase becomes a regular feature of Ripplefest. If any of these bands are coming to your town, I strongly suggest you check them out.