Thirty-five years into their existence, Oslo Black Metal legends TULUS return with their eighth full-length studio offering, Morbid Desires. This is another superbly catchy slab of Norwegian darkness, delivering lyrics, as always, written in old Norwegian by the hugely talented Hildr, wife of vocalist/guitarist Blodstrup, and encompassing dark-folklore themes.
TULUS – Morbid Desires
Release Date: 27 March 2026
Words: Jools Green
The well-versed, nine-track Morbid Desires follows on from what TULUS achieved with their predecessor, 2023’s Fandens Kall and exceeds what they accomplished with that excellent release.
One of the things I love about every subsequent TULUS release is their bold desire to be a little more adventurous with each album. But with the sound shaped by Blodstrup’s raw, rugged vocal delivery and Crowbel’s somewhat unique approach to his bass work, this adds a unique quality to their sound.
Opening with Salme II, this features clean vocals from Lars Erik Westby and follows on from the original saga, Salme from the Evil 1999 album. It is a farewell hymn for The Collector, a morbid and mysterious figure of the forest. Seemingly loved, his passing is mourned by the woodland creatures, reflecting on his demise and subsequent otherworldly existence.
It is very much in the same vein as the first Salme, but with a more sophisticated edge. The addition of a haunting keyboard opener adds a reflective edge, and the return of the Spanish guitar builds on the otherworldly atmosphere, with the haunting clean vocals building on that reflective, mystical atmosphere.
Lars Erik Westby has done a superb job here, balancing perfectly with the raw main vocals and Black Metal riffs. As a result, it is a wonderfully quirky and uniquely TULUS piece which, despite these seemingly un-Black Metal inclusions, is black to the core, pushing the boundaries whilst being an engaging and moving listen.
Skabb melds a slower-paced, rolling black groove balanced against acidic vocals with bursts of piano popping up across the duration, adding a quirky edge to the sound. I love how, in the final twenty seconds, the pace builds, and a bizarre and deranged twist in the sound manifests alongside a deranged scream.
The next piece, the self-titled single Tulus, apparently contains “the essence of the band, from the darkness and soot to the pale dawn, the murky fog, the cold in your sweat, and the noise in your heart.”
It certainly epitomises the TULUS sound, and it is a hugely engaging pitch-black offering based around a catchy, raw, rolling groove and offset by a grim vocal delivery. The high point is the superb bluesy leadwork midway, which really elevates the piece.
Kistesmed bursts forth with an intense drive as it opens, which is melded with pounding but sharp rhythms alongside the raw, protracted, and very dramatic vocal delivery. Some bleak, cold swathes are unleashed amidst the ebbing and building. So, no surprise that this grippingly sombre yet pounding beast’s title translates as Coffinsmith.
The next piece, Vanvidd, is as catchy as it gets. You cannot help but get caught up in the “madness” of its grippingly engaging rhythms, with vocals that have a slightly deranged edge to their delivery, and the soaring burst of mid-point lead work elevates the piece superbly.
Upping the excitement is Hedengangen, a punchy driver with rapid vocal delivery that twists and writhes as it progresses and delivers Thrashy leadwork early into the first half of the track. The pace drops slightly midway, but the punch remains, allowing the vocals to deliver superbly expressive protraction before resuming the previous driving pace.
Fossegrimens Vakt, which translates as The Watch Of The Waterfall, is a magnificent piece. It is a sultry builder, opening with extended clean reflective guitar work, with the equally reflective but dark melody building in layers. Then the vocals arrive, raw with sinister protractions and accompanied by a subtle but darker groove.
The second half leadwork is reflective, sublime and with a hint of darkness. This is a superbly expressive piece and one of my favourites across this excellent album.
Harbouring a dark and sinister rolling and repeating groove that grabs your attention from the offset is Skauånd, a massively engaging piece that rolls along effortlessly. This also brings to the fore, more so than other pieces, Crowbel’s superb bass lines. Another big hit with me, it is pure Black Metal excellence.
Final piece Sabbat is the album’s longest track at a whopping eight and a half minutes. Said to have been created as a tribute to Black Sabbath, it has definitely got a Sabbath groove in there, whilst still being very much TULUS.
They throw everything into this piece, cowbells, harmonica, flamboyant drum bursts and multiple drum solos, the like I have never heard from drummer Sarke before. With wistfully eerie swathes harbouring distant vocals, a few riffs definitely have a bit of a Tony Iommi feel to their delivery and a sexy burst of blues/rock lead work.
It might be a long piece, but it is a well-filled time frame. Sometimes, you hear a piece, and you can just sense the enjoyment felt by a band when performing it, and this is one of those pieces.
TULUS release Morbid Desires on 287 March 2026, via Darkness Shall Rise Productions. It is a superbly engaging offering from end to end, their best to date.
Pre-orders are available from here as a CD, cassette, vinyl, in a choice of four colours or digital download, so go and give your ears a treat.
