A few months ago, Norwegian eccentrics ULVER announced a new album, entitled “Neverland,” released on the New Year’s Eve of all dates. Yeah, it figures. That particular day is something like a sacred threshold where old patterns are released, and new energies can be invited into our lives. Ironically, ULVER has never been a band to release albums that sound the same, what with their discography boasting anything from black metal to post-rock to dark-ambient-ish electronica – even synth pop! Okay, 2020’s “Flowers of Evil” did traverse a somewhat similar, New Wave-tinted trajectory to 2017’s “The Assassination of Julius Caesar,” but only slightly. Otherwise, the diversity of their back catalog is mind-boggling. Now, albeit being synth-driven like their most recent couple of releases, the new album is out on the relatively new British label, House of Mythology, and, once again, it is something very different (if not entirely, then, at least, to a remarkable degree). In terms of atmosphere, these eleven new tracks bridge some of their most haunting past endeavors, such as “Perdition City” (2000) and “Shadows of the Sun” (2007), as well as these latter-day synth-pop excursions. Had this haunting selection been released a bit earlier, it sure would have made its way to my Best Albums of 2025 list. I guess I’m going have to include it in this year’s list, then, because it damn well IS that great.
One thing that did strike me as something rather out of the ordinary, after the first couple of spins, was the fact that the songs did not feature much vocals from Kristoffer Krygg. With the songs stepping quite boldly out of the band’s comfort zone, you might actually forget that you’re listening to ULVER. I mean, a couple of tracks resonate with an almost psybient-like air, recalling acts such as HALLUCINOGEN and OTT – most notably the songs, “Elephant Trunk,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” and “Pandora’s Box.” Of course, ULVER would not be ULVER if they didn’t hide a good few darker twists and turns in these bangers. The dissonant elements add a delicious, dark-ambient vibe, probably deeming this album unfit for providing the soundtrack for cooling down from a psychedelic trip like some of those psybient classics. The flashbacks might turn a bit sour.
“Weeping Stone” was released as a teaser ahead of the album, and its “Shadows of the Sun” vibes sure got me hyped up for the main treat. When the album finally came out, I gladly realized that “Horses of the Plough” offered an even more haunting sonic banquet of this variety. Yeah, the track is basically just ambient synth porn, vamping around a few chords, but it’s a highly evocative endeavor altogether – like a cross between Brian Eno and the dark ambient act, CORONA BARATHRI. It’s actually weird that this selection slaps so hard, given that there is some dubby psybient at the other end of the spectrum and haunting ambient of this caliber at the other.
Speaking of which, the two most haunting sonic explorations in this selection plunge even further into the dark ambient realm. First, “Quivers in the Marrow” does it by echoing the most blood-churning moments of ULVER‘s 2005 masterpiece “Blood Inside.” Then, the closer, “Fire in the End,” does exactly what the title promised – it fires on all cylinders. The song harkens back to the synth-pop of those recent full-length endeavors, but adds another, deeper layer of melancholy to the mix – what an ingenious way to wrap up this sonic journey! So, all things considered, “Neverland” does not offer really THAT much by way of novelty – they have pulled most of these tricks in the past; the way ULVER incorporates these familiar building blocks into the songs resonates with a new vigor, though. Additionally, the novel elements that can be spotted are rather unorthodox, considering this is ULVER we’re talking about. I must admit that I wasn’t exactly thrilled when “Flowers of Evil” came out, because I thought the songs didn’t pack as much punch as those on the previous album. Since then, the album has grown on me, sure. This new album, however, got me excited right off the bat, just like those aforementioned high points in their catalog did back in the day. The songwriting is top-notch, once again, so I guess this is the beginning of yet another beautiful friendship.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Fear in a Handful of Dust
- Elephant Trunk
- Weeping Stone
- People of the Hills
- They’re Coming! The Birds!
- Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark
- Horses of the Plough
- Pandora’s Box
- Quivers in the Marrow
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Fire in the End
Lineup
Kristoffer Rygg – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, electronics
Jørn H. Sværen – keyboards
Ole Aleksander Halstengård – keyboards, electronics, programming
Label
House of Mythology
Links
https://www.jester-records.com/ulver
