Final month we reported that Thorns mastermind Snorre W. Ruch and Slagmaur guitarist and bassist Rune “Normal Gribbsphiiser” Røstad had been missing in the mountains near Tjønnstua, Norway. That information was reposted by Dagur Gíslason of Misþyrming, which added a degree of legitimacy to the entire thing.
Some readers reached out to say that the report was very doubtless AI-generated on a faux web site, although personally I felt just like the story ought to keep up till somebody within the band really commented on the scenario… and now they’ve.
Slagmaur has simply introduced a brand new document known as Hulders Ritual due out on February 27, 2026 that includes Gíslason, Hoest of Taake, Maria Charlotte Lund, and Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir on visitor vocals plus Ruch contributing extra manufacturing.
On the disappearance, Slagmaur‘s label Prophecy wrote of their press launch: “When Gribbsphiiser and Snorre Ruch staged their a lot debated disappearance previous to the announcement of the album, this motion was removed from a easy media stunt however straight tied to the tales of abduction and disappearance attributable to supernatural beings on Hulders Ritual.
“It additionally served as a reminder that the mechanics by which the orally transmitted people tales, youngsters’s rhymes, and native tales of outdated that encourage Slagmaur nonetheless work within the digital age – with the marked distinction that the circulation occurs radically quicker and globally.
“Slagmaur have by no means meant their lyrics as a easy retelling of outdated stuff, however slightly as a defiant problem of conventions or as unsettling and confrontational provocation. Gribbsphiiser often assumes the position of a black jester, who dares to carry up a mirror to society and doesn’t care, if producing a narrative that goes viral regardless of a plethora of intentionally planted clues and stuffed with holes causes opposition.”
So there you go – edgy black steel shit. Hulders Ritual is available for pre-order here and you’ll take a look at the primary single “Huldergeist” beneath.
On the only, Gribbsphiiser stated: “The primary single from our new album Hulders Ritual is predicated on a historic occasion at Fosen, when somebody went ‘bergtatt’, which implies an individual that was taken by the hidden people and has vanished and not using a hint. The occasion is effectively attested in native village chronicles.
“Darkish rituals, paranormal phenomena, and deep-rooted folklore don’t simply construct the core of this observe but additionally kind the idea behind Hulders Ritual. On this observe, I’m joined on vocals by D.G. from Misþyrming and the climatic finale is completely delivered by Taake‘s Hoest. The tune closes with the Hulder‘s reply, which is fantastically carried out by the vocalist Maria Charlotte Lund. The music video was filmed by Håkon Settemsdal, who is among the world’s main drone pilots and a two-time award winner with the drone producer DJI.”
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