According to the interwebz, “verbolgen” is a Dutch word that roughly translates to “angry” or “outraged,” most often intended for formal contexts. This definition fits nicely into the overall execution of Washington black metal duo Hulder’s music, especially remembering the visceral tear of 2024’s Verses in Oath. While my dear sharkfren Carcharodon originally highly rated Verses in Oath, he later softened to a more “reasonable” 3.5.¹ Personally, I’ve had quite the opposite development with Hulder’s last work. Over the past two years, I progressively aligned more closely with Sharky’s original score—and “Vessel of Suffering” is hands down one of the sickest tracks of the decade. This leaves follow-up Verbolgen in a tough spot now that it’s in my clutches and not Sharkboy’s. Can it live up to its name and fill Verses’ turnshoes?

One thing is certain: Verbolgen is not the same kind of Hulder record as Verses in Oath. What was once dense with riffs and scorched by a sinister blaze is now hoisted by majestic melodies and gentler arcs. The tones and textures that make Hulder instantly recognizable remain untarnished, and in fact find greater clarity in this mix. Hulder’s trademark rasps and howls are just as cutting as ever, but with better enunciation giving gravity to her swinging cadence. Husband and co-conspirator Necreon provides ample low end with his bass and his deeper growls to help anchor Hulder’s sweeping compositions with weight that is felt as well as heard. And while Verbolgen is a significantly longer affair at nearly 50 minutes (a full hour if you count the two excellent bonus tracks provided with my promo copy), its songwriting moves with such fluidity that time melts away.

Someone close to me lamented the loss of music that is willing to take its time, to let moments land, and to stretch its legs; Verbolgen is an ideal example of how to do this right. It beautifully renders its story through movements and moments that require songs of greater length and slower pace. However, that by no means indicates Hulder lost any fire, as barn burners “Verbolgen” and “View From Nemeton” aptly demonstrate. They aren’t riff monsters like “Verses in Oath” or “Enchanted Steel” in the traditional sense, but they offer a powerful ferocity and intimidating presence nonetheless. Verbolgen doubles down on Hulder’s penchant for medieval aesthetics and melodies, which helps tracks like “The Crowning,” “Thy Binding Oath,” and “The Glow of Dawn” shine with an almost whimsical quality even as double bass kicks pummel me into the mud and serrated tremolo buzzsaws shred my flesh asunder. Lacking any kind of interlude, Verbolgen creates an unbroken trajectory through its core, but wastes not a second as mid-album highlights “In Blood and In Earth” and “Den Nacht Zijn Lied” defy their protracted seven-minute runtimes relentlessly writhing between fiery measures and entrancing phrases. Above all, though, Verbolgen feels complete and refined. It’s a mature record that showcases Hulder’s growth and unflinching confidence as a songwriter and thereby hypnotizes its audience with an inexplicable ease.

It’s doubly frustrating, then, that I find myself missing the unchecked vitriol of Verses’ deadliest attacks. While Verbolgen offers huge, epic songs with tons of layering and dynamic guitar performances, it offers that oh-so-satisfying neck-snapping riff in a scant few locations. That stomping crush at the final quarter of “The Crowning;” the galloping push of the title track; the multiphase assault from the urgent “View from Nemeton;” these moments screw my face up well enough, but I crave MOAR. My greed knows no bounds when it comes to Hulder’s way around riffs or devastatingly heavy refrains, and Verbolgen can’t quite sate it. However, it clears in the category of entrancing melodies, lovely tones, and cohesive storytelling. Ultimately, Hulder writes so well I never leave wholly unsatisfied, but depending on the day I might walk away a bit wistful for a proper dressing-down as only Hulder can provide.

As the sun sets over this darkened horizon, I feel a great sense of relief that Hulder managed so well with Verbolgen. A softer, gentler record, but still gripping in its own hypnotic way, Verbolgen is a beautiful work of art that inherits a challenging position following a primal experience matched by few. Its grander scale and more relaxed tempo offer great value to a world of music obsessed with immediacy and relentless attack. And yet, it sometimes leaves me yearning for a showstopper riff offense all the same—only because I know what Hulder is capable of. Let that not stop you from blasting Verbolgen out of the castle walls at all hours. It is worthy!

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Websites: Bandcamp | Official
Releases Worldwide: August 7th, 2026

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