Album Review: Weald & Woe – Far From The Light of Heaven
Artist: Weald & Woe
Title: Far From The Light of Heaven
Label: Fiadh Productions
Release date: July 4th, 2025
Country: USA
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording
Album Review: Weald & Woe – Far From The Light of Heaven via Fiadh Productions by Pegah
I don’t usually choose albums based on their cover art, but Weald & Woe’s newly released “Far From the Light of Heaven”caught me off guard. The artwork—taken from John William Waterhouse’s painting The Soul of the Rose—is gentle, bright, and romantic. It’s a world apart from the imagery typically associated with black metal and its subgenres. And yet, beneath this delicate visual lies a stark contradiction. That contrast intrigued me, and I couldn’t help but wonder: What kind of story unfolds beyond this paradox?
“Vale of Tears” opens the album with a melodic atmosphere that feels like the prelude to an epic. As the rhythm intensifies, it evokes the feeling of a desperate struggle—a clash between life and death. The lyrics seem to capture the final moments of a dying warrior, offering a glimpse into his fading thoughts as he slowly passes away. “Brought to Ruin” continues the medieval soundscapes, deepening the album’s epic tone. It narrates the duality of being both human and killer—a soul burdened by violence on the battlefield. One of the most evocative moments comes when the king, now dethroned and defeated, sits amidst the ruins, bidding farewell to his former glory. “Warchild”, despite its relentless rhythm, carries profound lyrical weight. It questions the nature of war, the loss of hope, and the absence of guidance in the chaos of battle. The standout guitar solo conjures the image of a never-ending conflict—soldiers trapped in an endless march, longing to meet their loved ones they left behind. “Radiant One” depicts a dream—a final, fleeting vision in the warrior’s mind. There’s a striking connection between the imagery in the lyrics and the album’s cover art. In these closing moments, everything becomes clear: he dreams of his beloved, yearning to see her one last time. But the dream fades, and with it, his life.
With “Breaking the Sword,” the second phase of the album begins— plunging us into a much darker, more aggressive soundscape. High-pitched vocals intertwine with dense, atmospheric soundscapes, signaling a shift to mourning. Here, we hear the lament of a fallen warrior whose share in the war was nothing but death. He grieves not only for his fate but for the loss of the guiding light that once led him—the fire in his heart now extinguished, leaving only darkness and regret. In much of art and myth, the sky represents freedom, transcendence, and the possibility of rising above suffering. In that light, “The Skyless World” evokes a place stripped of all hope—a realm where there’s no escape, only descent. The track mirrors this with a suffocating, dark soundscape that feels like being slowly pulled under. The atmosphere is thick with gloom, and the absence of the sky becomes symbolic of a world where light, direction, and liberation have vanished entirely.
As the album nears its end, “Blood Upon the Blade” erupts with raw intensity. Both the vocals and the soundscape embody the final desperate struggles and screams for salvation. It feels like a last stand—a furious cry against oblivion. But then comes “Stars That Guide the Slain,” offering a shift in tone. It feels more hopeful, as the star emerges as a symbol of guidance, eternity, and the promise of something beyond. Here, the album’s central theme—light—is summoned more powerfully than ever. The warrior bleeds, but not in vain, for the light is both his beginning and his end. Perhaps the last image the warrior saw before fading into darkness was that of his beloved—still waiting among the roses, day after day, hoping for his return… 8/10
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8/10 To Greatness and Glory!
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