The past several years have been a trailblazing journey of growth for the one-woman black metal act known simply as Hulder. From the start, with the release of the 2018 demo Ascending the Raven Stone, it was clear she was an artist willing to confront themes of loss, sorrow, and overcoming while striking a unique musical balance between the melodic and frenetic; the gentle and brutal (here, think of stalwarts such as early Aeternus, Varathron, or Satyricon). 2021 saw the release of her first full-length, Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry and Hulder’s first-ever live performance in the woods of Olympia, Washington (I was lucky enough to be in attendance in the front row). Since then, she has toured the United States and Europe and released the highly praised The Eternal Fanfare EP. Now, with the dawn of 2024, we witness the release of her second album, Verses in Oath, a powerful step in the continued ascension of this rising star.
Tracking in at just over 40 minutes, the new album begins with ‘An Elegy’, a more contemplative and emotive soundscape that relieves yet discomforts the listener, hinting at the coming storm just over the horizon. ‘Boughs Ablaze’ is where the album truly begins to take shape. The song is both ferocious yet tempered, especially the melodic bridge section, and concludes with a beautiful segment that employs acoustic guitar. The song highlights the splendid mixing and mastering job done by Ahti Kortelainen (Tico Tico Studios in Finland).
Having been sufficiently primed by the first two pieces, the album then turns towards its pièce de résistance: ‘Hearken The End’. This song is not only peak Hulder, it’s peak songwriting, period. The longest song on the album, Hulder’s use of both clean and screamed vocals, separately and combined, leads to an incredible sense of depth and range. Not only is this the best song on the album but it hints at how broad Hulder’s range truly is and where she might go in the future. ‘Verses In Oath’, the album’s title track, proceeds to slam the listener straight in the face with its opening blast beats and ruthless riffs. Here, the use of keyboards not only adds a melodic element but serves to create a sense of discomfort bordering on confusion, where the path of the journey ahead is clear but only seen through the fog. The song also highlights the incredible drumming on this album, performed by the masterful Charlie Koryn (Ascended Dead, Chthonic Deity, Incantation, and more). The first side of the album ends with ‘Lamentation’, a brief yet moving instrumental/soundscape that weaves together vocal melodies with keyboards.
The album then turns to its third and final instrumental work, ‘An Offering’. This song contains even more rich vocal melodies and keyboards than its predecessor. Indeed, the song almost has the feel of Heilung or, dare I say, Enya. It hints at how vast the horizon is for Hulder as she embraces and shares an increasingly wider range of vocal approaches. ‘Cast Into The Well Of Remembrance’, the next song, returns us to more traditional black metal territory and explores the theme of desperation, amongst others. This is anthemic black metal that makes you want to raise your fist in the air. The song is another masterclass in ferocity tempered with melody and the use of variations in dynamics to take the material to another level.
‘Vessel Of Suffering’, the album’s first single, is another slice of black metal brutality. It is also a song that highlights how, despite often addressing themes of dispossession and bereavement, Hulder has always contained within her music a spark of possibilities and hope. As stated in the song, “Rise – a call to the forlorn souls, tortured and broken. For soon shall come a day of reckoning”. The album ends with the one-two punch of ‘Enchanted Steel’ and ‘Veil Of Penitence’, both solid extreme metal offerings. The final song even includes some samples from what sound like battles from the medieval period, with swords clashing together and screams heard in the distance.
With this album Hulder has thrown down the gauntlet, proving she is, without question, the real deal. While respecting the thematic and musical past of the genre, Hulder has also shown a willingness to take chances and explore her own vision of what black metal is. On this album, she demonstrates an increasingly broader vision, where melody is embraced as a way to articulate a full range of emotional themes. It is early in 2024, but clear that Verses in Oath will end up on many AOTY lists. Hulder is about to headline the Decibel Magazine Tour 2024. The tour, also featuring Worm, Devil Master, and Necrofier, starts in Roseville, California on February 21st and travels throughout the US.
