Hulder – The Eternal Fanfare LP

With the release of her ‘Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry’ Hulder made it known that the pure traditional black metal of earlier releases could be classical, rich in detail and creatively novel once again. A triumphant debut that indicated much more to come.

On new Mini-LP ‘The Eternal Fanfare’ Hulder expands the scope laid out on the debut, taking the production value to new places with more low-end depth and forceful resonance . The songwriting capability continues to sharpen into a dense confluence of her disparate influences such as on the cinematically expansive ‘Burden of Flesh and Bone’ and ’Sylvan Awakening’ to the cold stormblast ferocity of the title track. A side opener ‘Curse From Beyond’ is a celestial atmospheric piece akin to Dead Can Dance at their most mysteriously plaintive while the pensive lament of closer ‘A Perilous Journey’ concludes ‘The Eternal Fanfare’ with an aura of melancholic finality.

‘The Eternal Fanfare’ presents a stark interlude between the ‘Godslastering…’ album and the forthcoming second full length. Yet on its own, a powerful statement of haunting new horizons and evolving mastery, ascendant and bottomless at once.