Twilight-set summons from medieval minds incurs the revolt of the ancients as Washington state based black metal duo HULDER tap into the anger of the burning land they walk on this exceptional third full-length album. Though the band’s greater pool of inspiration yet finds its locus in mid-90’s Norwegian styled craft ‘Verbolgen‘ uses a specific primal idyll, a path less travelled by most, in achieving its stoically shot sojourn through folken melodicism, damaging flurries of hooves, and a vitriolic pagan sermon cast. The result is far less fragmented in tone than prior, accentuating the ‘epic’ solemnity and proud stride of their work unto a particularly fine listening experience front to back.

Hulder formed by way of vocalist/guitarist M.O. circa 2018 as a self-driven impulse to foster creative singularity. Upon choosing black metal as the correct philosophical medium to defy the global “erosion of tradition” in spirit a series of well-received raw ass demo tapes followed before pivoting to all-pro mid-to-late 90’s Scandinavian pagan black metal sheen on their first LP (‘Godslastering: Hymns Of A Forlorn Peasantry‘, 2021). Though it wasn’t shockingly tuneful it’d been a remarkably consistent debut, achieving a notable ratio of aggression versus folken melodic hand throughout its greater arc. Semblance to the early-peaking modii of Ancient, Satyricon and Aeternus fully struck my mind per the band’s second album (‘Verses in Oath‘, 2024), a marked improvement in channeling the oaken warmth of the late 90’s without reaching for the cheap and corny pop-metal bullshit of said era. Upon extensive review of said album I’d suggested a personae, or, taste level had fully surfaced “At this stage a viable personality, or, characteristic enough sound begins to develop within their well-realized craft” while still yearning for stronger character or ambition to be infused beyond rugged olden paganblack tones.

If, like me, the darker shades of ‘Beyond the Wandering Moon‘ in Hulder‘s sound had your head spinning for that second record’s developments then I don’t doubt ‘Verbolgen‘ will ping even more directly in its appreciation for those specific ancient gods. Not only do we get a sound with some of the foggy, folken robustness of the early days era of Aeternus herein but some of that auld history also arrives via direct aesthetic and musical contributions. Founding drummer Vrolok notably performs on four of the nine tracks here and bassist/artist Morrigan contributes a brilliantly moody cover painting, their collective efforts securing the right dark spiritual grime and atmospheric setting for reference without escaping relevance to the less busied atmospheric loft of Hulder‘s own approach. Don’t head in expecting an eclectic prog-pagan expanse a la ‘…and So the Night Became‘ but do expect a more ambitious, broadened resound from these folks on ‘Verbolgen‘.

“The Crowning” drags us into this realm like a hundred hands from the Dead Marshes with its trampling motion and dirging progression, conjuring seismic rumbling from below before the throaty snarl of the narrator takes ahold. A forlorn distance still exists in Hulder‘s work for the sake of atmosphere but the grand sauntering step of their movement here is rousing, Quorthonian and folken in its slow-dancing gait across the piece. Though ‘Verses in Oath‘ bore similar results here we find a slightly different, potentially more focused melodic voice guiding the opener. I’m not sure if this is the result of the band’s line-up expanding in authorship or simply a boon of different production values but ‘Verbolgen‘ appears bigger, more focused in directive out the gates; The first couple of songs here flow together brilliantly, carrying their new-found stoic gait beneath hymnal vocals (“Thy Binding Oath”) and keyboard-led meander.

The thrum-and-march of “…And We Shall Sing” might be my favorite piece here and not necessarily for its tonal semblance of one of my favorite black metal album’s work but the heavy metal apparatus it sports, a dramatic muscle being flexed within its riffcraft. Hitting that hard-shifted gear around ~1:48 minutes in rang in mind as one of the more satisfying (and referential) moves from Hulder on the album. I’d appreciated Side B single “View from Nemeton” for similar reasons, probably the best ratio of aggression to their folken ‘epic’ melodic hand and a crucial high point which upholds the momentum of the full listen to the very end. Though the pagan black traipse of “In Blood and In Earth” before it offers similar effect I’d felt the band were at their best overall here balancing the hymnal dread of their work with aggressive melodic black metal.

Compositions flow easier sans interruption as ‘Verbolgen‘ presents a seamless listening experience between its well spent shield-bashing action and ‘epic’ folken drift. The whole of Hulder‘s work here finds its most consistent tonal focus while demonstrating an increasingly vast landscape within their ouevre. Though I’d initially found the whole of the experience an incremental step beyond the last its finer melodic details, bounding movement and overall arcane yet gallant style (aesthetic curation incl.) would warm in mind over time, revealing the band’s vision for ‘dark metal’ as oaken and tuneful but still rooted in the ancient underground. The end result is an album which glows within its surety of self, confidently advancing a strongly held ideal that is still well in line with their steadily ramping discography. A high recommendation.

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