Hulder - The Eternal Fanfare [CD]

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 her new mini-album 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 tormblast ferocity of the title track. 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 it's own, it's a powerful statement of haunting new horizons and evolving mastery, ascendent and bottomless at once.