Is there really more that can be said with black metal?  Especially black metal that borrows from the foundational projects, the progenitors?  Is there still more that can be added by retreading the same old ground that’s been trod since the 90’s?  I think obviously, the answer is yes, but with an asterisk.  My cool uncles Fenriz and Ted are still going strong to this day, but even they have moved away from the sounds that continue to define their existence on earth.  But therein lies the quandary: it seems to move black metal forward, you have to make it less like itself.  Perhaps not so, in the case of Hulder.  On Verses in Oath, they bring the best of both worlds and add a modern shine over classic vibes.

Verses in Oath is technically only the second full-length release from Hulder, unless you count 2022’s The Eternal Fanfare, but the band has already been building up a frightening amount of momentum in their relatively short existence on this planet.  Spoiler alert: they are headlining 2024’s iteration of the Decibel Magazine Tour, and the spot is well deserved at that.  Hulder’s brand of bleak Pacific Northwest meets black metal’s black metal has been steadily taking the metal scene by storm, and Verses in Oath is the album that looks to make Hulder (the frontwoman from whom the project takes its name) a household staple.  Doubling down on “carrying the torch of its origins and heritage,” Hulder’s black metal is the black metal of yesteryear at its core, and she seems perfectly okay with that.  With “the malevolent spirit of creative autonomy and individual freedom essential to reach the genre’s exalted heights” in hand, Verses in Oath is the epitome of everything that makes black metal trve and kvlt without and of the kitsch and with just the right amount of pomp and circumstance.  

Okay, so maybe there’s a lot less pastiche going on in Verses in Oath than I let on, but Hulder herself is very insistent that this album is about championing the spirit of the old guard.  One thing the old guard probably will not be happy with is the quality production job throughout this release.  Recorded on an old headphone mic, this was not.  The guitars are crisp, clean and razor sharp, and the incredibly liberal use of keyboards is both an effective way to cut through the buzzsaw guitars, and also maybe my favorite part of this album.  They handle the heavy melodic duty necessary to add levity to these particularly brutal and punishing cuts, but they’re not overly cheesy or dramatic in the way that “melodic black metal” keyboards can sometimes be (although, who doesn’t love a little cheese now and then?).  Listen to the lead single “Hearken the End” and pay attention to the way the baroque, austere key melody sets the whole song up for greatness.  The other thing that the old guard might wrinkle their noses at is all the Morbid Angel type riffs peppered throughout this thing.  Me, though?  I’m loving it.  The riffs on Verses in Oath are insane, and when Hulder really takes off, she channels the best of Florida death metal via the Pacific Northwest.  “Veil of Suffering,” the highlight of the second half of the album, switches effortlessly between swampy, frenzy-inducing riffage and haunting, somber atmosphere without skipping a beat.  Especially considering Hulder’s rightful place in the black metal scene has come with a little bit of, shall we say, butthurtery, Verses in Oath will be the album that silences the haters and brings Hulder into a bright future.

So maybe there is something to be said for the old ways of black metal after all.  As long as you’re not a shithead, I don’t mind the tradition and ritual and all that.  And hey, as much as we talk about the future of black metal being in adulteration, sometimes you just want something that feels warm, cozy and familiar.  Or maybe, in this case, cold and frigid and melancholic.  But when it comes to black metal, tomato/tomato.

— Ian

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Verses in Oath will be available February 9 on 20 Buck Spin.  For more information on Hulder, visit their official website.