One of my favorite sounds to emerge from the metal underground in the past few years is that of “castle metal”, the term given to the highly melodic medieval-inspired black(-ish) metal pioneered by Obsequiae. Deriving itself from a myriad of influences this microgenre has slowly gained more and more acts under its sunlit banners, and Weald + Woe have been one of the first to lead the charge behind the aforementioned progenitor of this genre. Their third full-length Far from the Light of Heaven sees the band further develop their own identity within “castle metal” as well as give us another blast of an album in the process.

The work of Obsequiae holds such a unique and beautiful place within the dark, cold world of black metal that it’s no surprise other acts would eventually follow in their stead, inspired by their command of polyphonic melody, archaic atmosphere, and an overall sentiment of light and positivity. Weald + Woe’s sophomore album For the Good of the Realm was my introduction to the band in 2023, a powerhouse of crenellated riffs and beautifully harmonized leads alongside furious blackened metal (as well as the first realization that bands were now taking direct inspiration from Obsequiae… hell yes!). As great as that album is the Obsequinfluence was more than obvious, so I was eager to see how the band would further develop their own sound on future releases. They do it in a number of ways on Far from the Light of Heaven; the soaring folkish leads are far from abandoned, but a bit more restrained. In conjunction with this, both the black and more heavy metal inspired facets of Weald + Woe’s sound are given more time to shine on tracks like “Warchild” and its bounty of truly epic, anthemic riffs.

Elsewhere the glorious hymn that is “Radiant One” oozes trad metal bombast with its earworm melody and more standard rock beats, while “Breaking of the Sword” abruptly shifts things into second wave black metal territory with punishing blast beats and towering walls of chords. “The Skyless World” and “Blood Upon the Blade” even give us what may be the first ever castle metal breakdowns… make sure to don your armor before moshing to the battering ram assaults of these tracks. As lush and expansive as the sound historically is, Obsequiae nor any of the acts following their castellated path have ever sounded overproduced; often tending toward the opposite direction, in fact. Far from the Light of Heaven continues this trend with the melodic leads occupying the higher register battlements and the crisp, chunky rhythm guitars holding the ground. The rhythm section holds its own with a punchy drum sound and a bass that often shines through with melodic fills; the entire sound is wrapped up with the wraithlike screams of frontman (and ever wholesome social media presence) Jeff Young to remind us that this still extreme metal after all.

Dialing back some of the overt influence from their biggest inspiration has proven to be the right path in the continuing tale of Weald + Woe; with Far from the Light of Heaven the band have further established their own identity within the ever-growing realm of castle metal, and melodic black metal as a whole. Despite the title of the album and the recurring theme within of whether fighting for the good of the realm is worth the toll it takes in the end, there’s a brightness and light to the lilting, ascendant melodies to be found here that gives off nothing but positive energy. I think this is the defining feature of castle metal past, present, and hopefully future: to be a shimmering sword shining brightly in an otherwise dark realm of music. And that’s something I think we could all use a lot more of right now.

— Colin

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Far from the Light of Heaven will be available July 4 through Fiadh Productions. For more information on Weald + Woe, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.