photos by Liana Rakijian
“…a truly striking achievement.” 9/10” – Decibel Magazine
Verses In Oath, the acclaimed second album from US black metal outfit HULDER, is now streaming in its frigid entirety, preceding its worldwide release this Friday on 20 Buck Spin.
The hauntingly grandiose new HULDER album Verses In Oath, created during the dreariest cold months of the Northwest Winter, constitutes the most majestic, untamed manifestation thus far in the band’s journey of conquest, as new territory is put to flame and conquered by sword and shield. The result is both unsparingly savage and wistfully evocative; black blood on white snow. The ancient sorrow-filled melancholy and seething spirit that are the essence of “Hearken The End” permeate the entire album, by now a fundamental detail in HULDER’s identity where roots run deep in long forgotten soil. And whilst the slashing cruelty and torn flesh of “Vessel Of Suffering” and “Enchanted Steel” embrace a predatory barbarism, it is the joining of all those elements that places Verses In Oath in the timeless pantheon of black metal’s most strident lineage.
While black metal has evolved into myriad offshoots and subgenres to the point of incomprehension, HULDER is resolutely steeped in the genre’s destructive preeminence, rituals, and traditions, carrying the torch of its origins and heritage. And still Verses In Oath astonishes with the malevolent spirit of creative autonomy and individual freedom essential to reach the genre’s exalted heights.
Verses In Oath was tracked by HULDER in the Northwest – the drums recorded at The Underworld Studios and all other audio recorded at De Pestkerk Studios – and the mix and master were entrusted to cult legend Ahti Kortelainen of Tico Tico Studios in Finland, whose overwhelming list of credits stretch back decades to include Barathrum, Belial, Impaled Nazarene, and Moonsorrow, among countless others. The record was completed with photography by Liana Rakijian, illustrations by Mfaxii, logo by D. Andersson, and layout by Dan Fried. HULDER’s Verses In Oath is a must-hear for fans of Aeternus, Ancient, Satyricon, Hades, Enslaved, Warmoon Lord, Moonsorrow, and Tsjuder.
Listen to HULDER’s Verses In Oath from beginning to its smoldering end now at YouTube RIGHT HERE.
Verses In Oath will be released this Friday, February 9th on LP, CD, MC, and digital platforms. Find preorders and merch at the 20 Buck Spin webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE. Also watch the “Hearken The End” video HERE.
Having been featured on the cover of Decibel Magazine in late 2022, HULDER once again graces the current issue’s cover alongside Devil Master, Necrofier, and labelmates Worm as they prepare to embark on the Decibel Magazine Tour 2024. Headlined by HULDER, the tour will run from February 21st through March 18th, presented by 20 Buck Spin and sponsored by Pull The Plug Patches, Relapse Records, Night Shift Merch, Hell’s Heroes, and Magnanimous Brewing. See all confirmed dates below and stand by for additional HULDER announcements to post in the weeks ahead.
The Decibel Magazine Tour 2024 w/ Hulder, Worm, Devil Master, Necrofier [TICKETS]:
2/21/2024 Goldfield Trading Post — Roseville, CA
2/22/2024 Thee Stork Club — Oakland, CA
2/23/2024 Echoplex — Los Angeles, CA
2/24/2024 Brick by Brick — San Diego, CA
2/25/2024 The Nile — Mesa, AZ
2/27/2024 Empire Control Room — Austin, TX
2/28/2024 Trees — Dallas, TX
3/01/2024 The Masquerade — Atlanta, GA
3/02/2024 The Abbey — Orlando, FL
3/03/2024 Gramps — Miami, FL
3/05/2024 Hangar 1819 — Greensboro, NC
3/06/2024 Baltimore Soundstage — Baltimore, MD
3/08/2024 Underground Arts — Philadelphia, PA
3/09/2024 Brooklyn Monarch — Brooklyn, NY
3/10/2024 The Middle East — Boston, MA
3/12/2024 Preserving Underground — Pittsburgh, PA
3/13/2024 Grog Shop — Cleveland, OH
3/14/2024 Magic Stick — Detroit, MI
3/15/2024 Reggies — Chicago, IL
3/16/2024 Red Flag — St. Louis, MO
3/17/2024 The Bottleneck — Lawrence, KS
3/18/2024 HQ — Denver, CO
“There is a newfound poise, a resolute force, at the heart of HULDER’s new LP; it is equally nostalgic and forward-searching. The way this evolving phenom conveys emotion – from rage to sorrow – and does so through time-tested combinations of throttling raw riffs, blast-surges, mournful keys, and inhuman growls while still sounding singular, is a truly striking achievement.” 9/10” – Decibel Magazine
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The post HULDER: Second Album From US Black Metal Act, Verses In Oath, Now Streaming In Its Entirety; Album Out Friday On 20 Buck Spin + Band Prepares To Headline Decibel Magazine Tour first appeared on Earsplit Compound.