Band: Tulus
Album: Fandens Kall
Country: Norway
Genre: Black Metal
Release Date: February 17, 2023
Label: Soulseller Records
Author: Michael Litteral
Tulus should need no introduction in the black metal scene. These Norwegian veterans have been dishing out some of the tastiest riffs for thirty years! Tulus mixes many rock elements into their brand of Trve Norwegian Black Metal. Within this trio, they are all involved with bands like Sarke and Khold, which also carry this ‘Freebird’ style of black metal.
Earlier this year, in January, a month before the release of Fandans Kall, Soulseller Records released a thirty-five minute documentary on Tulus which talked about the thirty years as a band, the process of writing an album, some live footage, and moments in the studio recording their newest album.
It wasn’t until this late summer that I had an itch to check out the album when a friend shared it with me. It was fun and entertaining and showed the rock n’ roll side of black metal. Smiles, jamming, and shredding are offered to entice the audience, and with a band like Tulus, it worked like a charm.
I revisited the album afterward and was blown away, instantly connected with the music, and with a newfound understanding of how the band operates made this album turn into a somewhat regular play on my playlists. Tulus and affiliated bands really pack in the riffs. Sarke had some of my favorite riffs of 2021, and Tulus is here to give us some of the best riffs of 2023.
I’m a big instrumental person. I considered the vocalist’s screams and shrieks as an instrument. With that being said, Tulus is no stranger to giving us top-notch instrumentation across the board. Rock n’ roll experimentation with drum patterns that are never duplicated, everything in the studio is that of a jam session, which I find super cool. The bass is nice and audible, with an excellent tone that carries its torch into the forest. The guitar work switches moods and keys at will to keep the blackened spirit alive while switching from electric to acoustic to give this already top-notch musical album more of a spherical edge. It’s really that good!
With so many cookie-cutter bands nowadays, it is always nice to hear original compositions that incorporate different elements that aren’t re-envisioned Transylvanian Hunger worship. This is far from that, and the album/band will leave an impression on the listener, giving them so much more variety than some might be accustomed to, in the best way possible, of course.
Fandens Kall was released all the way back in February, the 17th to be exact, through Soulseller Records. It can be purchased digitally, or on CD or vinyl. The end of the year is coming, so I will be revisiting a lot of albums from earlier this year.
Biography: Michael Litteral is just your friendly neighborhood metalhead who can’t seem to find his way out of the black, and he’s just fine with that.
