Black Metal History Month -Hulder : "Verses in Oath"

 

You can always trust me to tell you if a project is just being hyped by the metal press or if it is left. When I reviewed this project's 2021 album, I gave it a 7.5, meaning it was well done, in fact better than the bulk of black metal out there in terms of production, presentation, and execution however it just did not feel dark enough for me. The vocals sit differently going into their new album, they are more convincing than what I have heard from them before, so can they maintain this momentum? The second has more pomp and circumstance to it. There is a darker feel to this so that works for me. The meat of the song is raw blasting with textured melodies, so run-of-the-mill black metal. 

"Verses in Oath" picked up where the last song left off. There are more blast beats but the mood is dark so that balances things out, but there is no new ground being broken here, which makes me wonder what artists like this think they are doing by adhering so slavishly to a formula that is so well worn. What you bring to the table should be the first question they ask. Atmospheric interludes break the album up. It would be more effective if they were working parts of the songs. This is done on "'An Offering ' which opens with a more ritualistic feel, but the actual song it sets the stage for is "Cast into the Well of Remembrance" which borders on being death metal.

This more-in-your-face aggression continues on the pummeling of "Vessel of Suffering".This does provide more structure to the songwriting. The overall mix is mx and cavernous.at the time which creates an effective overall ambiance to the album though coats the songs like a fog machine. It reminds me more of 'Altars of Madness' Morbid Angel than Darkthrone. However, the last three songs take on a rather uniform feel. They bleed together in the blur of reverberating riffage, with the last song holding more purpose than the more blurred blast of 'Enchatned Steel" . I will give this album an 8.5, putting it well above the previous one, as digging into the darker sonic places makes it more convincing. Still not the most original album, but creates a more appealing mood. 

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