Metal has a very storied history at this point, and it’s funny to think of the people who, when I was much younger, telling me the music would never survive and it would be laughed at in the future. Of course, we know that’s nonsense, and things have only grown in leaps and bounds, and the possibilities are endless.

Take for example Charlie Anderson, a violinist most people in our audience would know best for his string work with Panopticon and Waldgeflüster, where he added even more atmosphere and dramatics to those projects’ sprawling black metal. I was surprised to learn of Weft, his new black metal project where he handles vocals, bass, guitar, strings, electric violin, synth, piano, and additional percussion. What, no Wurlitzer? Lazy! Joking aside, the project’s debut record “The Splintered Oar” is a goddamn revelation, an inspiring, mind swelling collection that is an incredibly bright star in black metal’s crowded sky. Accompanied by Panopticon’s Austin Lunn on drums and other guests we will discuss later, Anderson steps into a world he had a smaller, albeit crucial, part in before and made this place his own. It’s a stunning debut, one that I cannot get over no many how many visits I make.

“Leaves” opens awash in acoustics and strings, and on first listen not knowing what to expect (I never read the bio before initial spins), I figured a whole album of this would be quite stirring. Man, was I pleasantly surprised nonetheless. This one picks up, adding extra layers on top of emotions, sweeping and glazing, mournful melodies falling, piercing the night. Then, things change. “False Kingdoms” begins ominously, strings moving  and drums encircling, setting up a Western vibe, and then the blade hits your abdomen, the whole thing opening in full bore, howls crushing, black metal fury enveloping every inch of this song. Orchestral fires spread as the speed injects further madness, atmospheric crunching breaks sticks beneath heavy boots, and then things return to calm, fleeing on a murmur.

“The Hull” launches heartfully, violin scarring, the playing feeling like red streaks across an evening sky. The power storms as throaty wails flex, smashing harder as the guitars take off for the clouds, echoes swimming in the storm, acoustics landing and adding a breezy cool. Harmonized singing melds, calls of, “All that remains are empty hands,” riveting as the power combusts and a dramatic, smearing force exits. “Red Dawn” tears open, the vocals marring as clean notes drip through soot, shrieks lashing and wrenching along the way. The playing is burly and spacious, feeling like you’re entering into the dream realm before being rocked awake by raw howls and streaking strings. Calm arrives as notes stretch into eternity, reaching for far-off sections of sky. Closer “Dream of Oaks” is a stunner, basking in folkish melodies as Jordan Day’s singing reminds of a mix of Sturgill Simpson and Lawrence Peters, violin aching in the spacey echo. Andrea Morgan’s voice enters the fray and brings ghostly beauty before the power ruptures, blasts ravaging, everything spiraling into a smoldering fire and back toward dusk. Growls echo as the playing spills over, drilling heavily as the harshness multiplies, burly tones add more grit, and a breeze of choral calls and rushing water take everything home.

Anderson’s direction and artistic dreams are far loftier and volcanic than many of us had realized, and “The Splintered Oar” gives a deep look into just what he’s capable of accomplishing. Even with a team behind him helping him bring this record to life, it’s clear that it is Anderson’s blood flowing through these veins, revealing a more advanced beast than we’d met before. I didn’t know what to expect when taking this on, and it turns out it is one of more promising projects to emerge in some time, one that hopefully has a long, volatile life ahead of itself.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/weft_music

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bindrunerecordings.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://bindrunerecordings.bandcamp.com/

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/weft_music

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bindrunerecordings.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://bindrunerecordings.bandcamp.com/