After the acclaim of Verses In Oath (90/100 in 2024), Verbolgen comes back down to earth: 76/100 across four reviews. Not that the quality fled — Blabbermouth (8.5/10) flat-out calls it « not just her finest work to date » but an album fit to « sit comfortably alongside this year’s other prominent black metal triumphs ». But the turn is sharp: Hulder softens, melodizes, hypnotizes, and not everyone is buying.
The consensus describes the same metamorphosis: a traditional black metal that is clearer, more majestic, more narrative. Pitchfork (7.6/10) hails « fresh inspiration » drawn from « the bleak, enduring, and ever-emotive sound of traditional black metal »; Angry Metal Guy (3.5/5) calls it « a beautiful work of art », « a softer, gentler record, but still gripping in its own hypnotic way ».
Which is exactly where it chafes for the less convinced. AMG admits missing « the unchecked vitriol » of the predecessor and « yearning for a showstopper riff offense »; Sputnikmusic (7.4/10) tallies the changes as « for the better and some for the worst ». Verdict at 76/100, public at 74: the maturity is confirmed — and so is the nostalgia for the venom.