I went back and forth on whether I would be going to this one. Things have been crazy busy at work and the day of the concert, I was scheduled for a long day. The other issue was that when I first heard about this concert, I was under the impression that Devil Master would also be on the bill. Devil Master released the amazing album Satan Spits on Children of Light in 2019, which was a top five album for me that year. They also released another great one earlier this year. But upon further examination of the tour, I realized that Devil Master would not be at the show in Lincoln. So, it was just Skeleton, a band I had not yet heard, and Hulder. I do enjoy Hulder quite a bit though, so I decided to go after I got done in court a bit earlier than expected.
The venue was the 1867 Bar in Lincoln, which is located downtown. I had never even heard of that bar before. It is a fairly small venue, with a small bar area and a larger room for concerts. The stage, such as it was, was only a slightly elevated floor. That promised a rather close and cozy show.
Opening the night were a pair of local metal bands that I have seen several times now. First was Ungoliant. This is the third time I think that I have seen Ungoliant. They are always impressive and strike me as down-to-earth guys who just love to play at these shows. They need to release something though. Ezra was next. This was the fourth time seeing Ezra, I think. Ezra is sort of notable for being led by the brother of a former University of Nebraska football legend. Ezra has been around for a very long time and mentioned that they were playing mostly songs from the mid 1990's. Both bands were impressive for local bands.
Skeleton was on stage next. The power trio is from Austin, TX and, in something I do not see too often, their singer is their drummer. As such, rhythm is very important to the band's sound. Apparently the band started out as a punk band, before going in more of a black/death metal sound. They were able to really get the crowd moving with their no frills, bludgeoning riffs. The songs were all on the shorter side and got to the point quickly. It was a raw and primal sound and damn, was it impressive.
Hulder was the headliner. Hulder has been making noise in the metal underground for a few years now. The one-woman black metal band from Portland, by way of Belgium, first caught my attention with a two-song EP in 2019. Of course, being a solo project, a backing band had to accompany the band leader, who now goes by the name of Hulder. The sound was primarily amped-up, aggressive black metal, complete with tremolo riffing and shrieking vocals. Hulder has an extremely powerful voice and it hits hard in concert.
Hulder hit the stage and promptly bulldozed through an incredible set, then left. There was no talking between songs, or even after the set. Hulder came, Hulder saw, and Hulder conquered. I was blown away by the set though and set to picking up the rest of the band's releases. I was damn glad I decided to go to this one.
