Echoed in both faintly lit shapes and broad-outlined traditions the sensorial experience of late second wave black metal atmospherics and the folken knot which came with advancing musicianship in the late 90’s we find the work of Washington-state based black metal band HULDER recreating from memory an impressionistic yet brilliantly rendered sophomore full-length album for their love of the old ways. Nowhere near as exacting (or, literal) as the current underground fever-pitched treatments of old glories ‘Verses in Oath‘ aims for personalized taste-driven choices in delivering its burl-devoid form of easily read yet satisfyingly deep-enough sometimes folken, other times hymnal black metal forms. At this stage a viable personality, or, characteristic enough sound begins to develop within their well-realized craft yet the distance from any centrally fixated voice still demands the music, rather than the performance of it, speak for itself. This creates a brilliantly tensile, often beautiful cinematic experience and an admirably hewn result but not yet a vitally ambitious attack upon the populace.

The themes found within ‘Verses in Oath‘ are presented as fairly vague dark fantasy epithets which rely upon the listener who would witness their craft knowingly, reading between the lines that this is essentially unspoken as “retro” black metal aiming for something like ’94-’96 Scandinavian black metal, for effect. This is of course no real replacement or substitution for the real thing and shares none of the blade-wielding ambition and self-curated identity of the originals. Granted, select focus within the umbrella of so-called ‘old school’ black metal changed to suit the size of Hulder‘s own abilities early on as their perceived audience shifted per the progression of their work. Starting with a lo-fi step into the (then) current USBM obsession with the gristle of LLN-a-likes the first two years (2018-2019) from the project were indistinct faltering between stark Norse-fed ideas, vague suggestions of Belgium’s folklore and traditions, and intentionally raw sounds I’d had no real interest in the band ’til they’d signed to Iron Bonehead and produced the mostly convincing but surprisingly different ‘Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry‘ (2021), a calculated and highly referential leap into the fanciful side of Norwegian black metal with a folken tinge which’d been deeply entertaining upon review.

As you’ll find plenty of bands discussed in parsing that first album, perhaps the most ‘fun’ part of its experience, by the time they’d signed to 20 Buck Spin and released ‘The Eternal Fanfare‘ mLP in 2022 it was clear Hulder‘d honed in on a less myriad approach to this level of worship, excising the raw simplicity of their rhythms down to something more feasible in a live setting without a crew of ten but still related to the glom of folk inspired ex-death metallic riffs a la earlier Aeternus, choral keyboards beset with light Bathory-tinged melodic purpose a la Hades and Ancient. The shred on the one song didn’t fit, the production still hadn’t quite decided on the right level for the keys but it’d rated as an improvement when I’d reviewed it at the time; While possessing next to none of the formative education or muscle memory in the eras of thrash and death that many of the ‘old school’ black metal bands I’m mentioned in review of Hulder‘s output we find their work generating returns on the expected third-gen era result of “black metal inspired black metal” wherein the folk melodies of Bergen and Oslo-based groups are the key connection to the past beyond aesthetic modus. In this sense we can’t necessarily compare this work to a record like Satyricon‘s ‘Nemesis Divina‘ but see the spiritus of that era in ‘Verses in Oath‘ and less of a dryly gathered set of notions from such artists per their past works. That said, expect this album to fully deliver upon the promise of ‘The Eternal Fanfare‘ and even recycle some of its most effective melodic ideas (“Sylvan Awakening”) to the point that the two releases read as of the same hand, from the same point of view. If you’d felt like the steps taken by the artist beyond the first LP found focus but lost some of its unstable, erratic charm I’d say this album will only reinforce that sensation as Hulder takes a deeper stab at the same rhythmic identity.

Serious, severe, and modestly riffed. — The best songs on ‘Verses in Oath‘ introduce themselves with rousing, hall-storming folk/heavy metal gloom wherein pieces like “Boughs Ablaze” and the extremely ‘Beyond the Wandering Moon‘ traipse into “Vessel of Suffering” (among others) are clear points of mastery which skip over the Emperor-alike side of Norwegian black metal and instead bring warm-black hum and hammer down upon the senses. Puked into a metal bucket and growled in steadied verse the simple riff arrangements and meandering variations available to these pieces are dark and impactful but not so intricate as the old guard they are representing on the battlefield, in this sense Hulder are still brandishing medieval tools with scant and plain melodies which reach for an early hymnal peak with “Hearken the End”. This seven minute opus is patient in developing its allure, starting with a funereal slow-counted gait one naturally expects to be shattered by a punch of speed early on but rather we get clean, hummed along reinforcement for the core melody presented. Though this is not as outright bold in its stride as say, early 2000’s Falkenbach, the constancy of the movement throughout the first half of the song is rousing in its presentation as a rumbling beast and a grand scene depicted. There is some cinematic efficiency hinted at here which has been well-developed beyond the previous mLP.

Crafted specifically for a two-sided vinyl experience there is a clear separation between the two halves of ‘Verses in Oath‘ for the sake of each being bookended by short introductory pieces and an outro which sets us beyond Side A. In this sense the listening experience is patient yet transfixing as plenty of space is provided between the moderate density of each half and there is some admirable parity between the two sides wherein they’ve not shoved all of their best material on Side A, and in fact the second half is arguably all the more enchanting per my own taste as the primacy and peak of the album “Cast Into the Well of Remembrance” and the ethereal gliding of “Vessel of Suffering” grant an aggressive tilt to Side B. If there is an under-thought dud here it is probably the half finished feeling “Enchanted Steel” which dances in an simple four-step motion for its duration and merely fills space with its movement.

Letting the aging belly of geekdom flop over the (bullet) belt, so to speak. — While “carrying the torch of the old guard” is admirable in terms of reintroducing and (essentially) repurposing the past for future generations this was never the intent of the early 90’s teenaged ’til twentysomething sub-culture that inspired this notion. In this sense it’d be refreshing if projects in this vein were less sheepish about speaking truth to nostalgia as a viable artistic path to notoriety within the conservative mindset of extreme metal’s limited fandom, the reality is obviate enough otherwise. This is less a criticism of the band and their modus and moreso a glare at the quickly diminishing returns of 90’s black metal (re-)revisited of late, seeing the cycle repeat sans any feasible ah-ha moment or path beyond revisiting and recontextualizing the tones and textures of the past. In this case Hulder‘ve more musical value and a careful hand applied beyond the usual participation points earned yet their purpose feels no less “retro” from my point of view.

There is yet blissful enjoyment and pleasurable fixation to be found in the throes of ‘Verses in Oath‘, particularly for those seeking this specific sound. A twine-textural noose of folken warmth, snarling vocal cadence, and layers-thick growl of magisterial yet simply composed black metal is granted quick and welcoming access by way of richly realized production values. No doubt their swaying rhythms, increasingly hymnal voice and clattering-along pace should prove entertaining for the average black metal fan. Where I think I’d lodge my biggest challenge to a project sporting such loft and cleanly presented render is the lack of bombast, direct personae and a focal point with a voice of its own. The style and grit of Hulder is now recognizable between their three major releases thus far yet there is no sense of frontispiece or outright leadership staring the listener in the eye just yet and this may or may not arrive on record as the touring experience continues to intensify. As is, the experience is righteously immersive and tuneful in a memorable, notably oaken strand which I’ve enjoyed quite a bit more as it has expanded beyond the prior release. A high recommendation.

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