Tulus

 

Norwegian band TULUS is one of the hidden gems of the Norwegian scene. Many people might know them as the band that led to the formation of Khold, but they're an important band in their own right.

Formed in 1991 by Sarke and Blodstrup, Tulus are known for their unique sound. After an untitled demo in 1993, they put out the demos Samlerens kammer in '94 and Midvintermåne in '95. Even on these demos, Tulus's unique sound was evident. 

Here is the complete 1994 demo, Samlerens kammer

Tulus's first full-length album, 1996's Pure Black Energy, was an album that contained mostly re-recorded versions of their demo tracks. But, as I said above, even on such early songs, Tulus's creative approach to black metal was apparent. They found ways to incorporate stringed instruments and female choir vocals in ways that set them apart even from symphonic black metal.

"Søstre av natten" is off of their first album

Another unique aspect of Tulus's black metal was that many of their songs didn't fit into the mold established by other Norwegian masters like Darkthrone or Mayhem. Instead they, by their own admission, borrowed from bands like Mötorhead. As a result, they had many guitar passages that were structured more like hard rock than traditional black metal. In this way, Tulus can be seen as the true forerunners of black'n'roll.

From their 1997 album, Mysterion, this is "Skuggeskip"

After the release of three now-classic albums in the 1990s, Sarke and Blodstrup felt like they wanted to create darker, harsher music--something that didn't fit with what Tulus was doing. They recruited a couple of new musicians, and Khold was born as, in their own words, "the reincarnation of Tulus." Tulus was put on hold while Khold was getting off the ground. 

From Evil 1999, this is "Salme"

After some success as Khold, the core of the band (Sarke and Blodstrup--who had gone by 'Gard' during his time in Khold) decided they needed to express themselves musically in a more unlimited way, so they set about recording new material under the Tulus banner again. 2007's Biography Obscene was the result. And since that year, both bands have continued to churn out music. Khold is an important enough band that they will get their own post at a later date. 

Select Discography:

Demo I (1993)

Samlerens kammer (demo) (1994)

Midvintermåne (demo) (1995)

Pure Black Energy (full-length) (1996)

Mysterion (full-length) (1998)

Evil 1999 (full-length) (1999)

Cold Core Collection (compilation) (2000)

Biography Obscene (full-length) (2007)

Next time:  BELPHEGOR