Hulder? I don’t even know her…

Now that I have that joke out of the way and you’re recovering from squirting vodka through your nose (burns, doesn’t it), let’s talk about BM. USBM, to be specific. I purchased and somewhat recently finished reading Decibel’s USBM book. To my dismay, the book itself was not about bowel movements in the United States. After my disappointment faded, I found some cool bands I hadn’t previously heard, but it also got me thinking about my reviewing habits. I’m not sure I’ve reviewed any black metal yet for the site. So, here we go…

Hulder is one-person black metal. One-woman black metal, to be specific, and this is her debut full length titled Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry. It begins with some choral vocals in the first track, which is called “Upon Frigid Winds.” That’s definitely a tease, though because it only lasts a matter of a couple of seconds before the music kicks in. It has a certain lo-fi production reminiscent of the second wave of black metal, but the synths behind everything certainly make you think of early Dimmu Borgir.

That second wave black metal vibe continues through the next two tracks, minus the synths. There’s nothing to deviate from this until track 4, which is called “De Dilje.” Referring back to my previous paragraph about the USBM book, this reminds me of a band I heard based on a recommendation from that book called Wind of the Black Mountains. It’s an atmospheric track with a background of synths, black metal rasps, and cleanly picked guitar.

All of the previous influences come together quite well on track 5, which is called “Purgations of Bodily Corruptions.” You have your black metal rasps, synths, and some appropriate riffing. The synths and guitar intertwined carry this track quite well, despite its abrupt ending.

The next track is called “Lowland Famine.” While it is one of the longer tracks on the album, it’s mostly carried by a blast beat throughout the beginning. The great part about this is that the song is carried in the latter part by a weeping guitar melody, which is the only music audible as the track finally ends. It’s the best one on here and worth a listen just by itself.

The vocals which come in and carry the title track “A Forlorn Peasant’s Hymn,” are the first and only time I ever thinking of another female fronted black metal band, namely Myrkur. These vocals with only synths in the background last for a little over 2 minutes before we’re into some serious BM territory again and this vibe lasts throughout the rest of the track.

I was going to mention the final track in a little more detail, but you’re likely already weary, so let’s make like a responsible teen and wrap this up. The truth is that you’ve heard this done before. That’s okay because music doesn’t always have to reinvent the wheel. When it’s done with heart, it’s still good. That’s the case here with Hulder’s debut. There’s quite a bit of variation within the songs themselves and the album as a whole to keep it interesting during its nearly 40-minute runtime. It has quite a charm to it and if this type of symphonic/atmospheric black metal is up your alley, I’d highly suggest giving this one a spin… or whatever the equivalent of a “spin” is on your iPod.

[Visit the band's website]

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