Album Review: Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Innern (Season of Mist)

Germany’s post black metal band, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, return with their 6th full length album, Innern, due out on the 12th of September via Season of Mist.

With Innern, Der Weg Einer Freiheit look to deliver their most introspective and compositionally expansive work to date. Innern is the German word for “inward” and that explains the band’s ambition with this album. A release that looks deep into the fragile thresholds of the human psyche. They look away from the external, instead focusing in on personal reckoning and renewal confronting the deep and contradictory nature of existence itself. An album full of fire, but shaped as much by introspection as it is by that rage.

In a genre often defined by spectacle, Der Weg Einer Freiheit remain committed to vulnerability, transformation, and truth.

Der Weg Einer Freiheit is Nikita Kamprad on vocals and guitars, Nicolas Rausch on guitars, Alan Noruspur on bass and Tobias Schuler on drums.

Innern is recorded, mixed & mastered in Würzburg, Germany by Nikita Kamprad and comes with cover art from Max Löffler.

Innern comes with 6 new tracks on it and around 43 minutes of music to get lost in starting with the album opener, Marter. It’s a song of immense quality on an album of immense quality. Strong, dark and moody atmospherics start with the  build up, layered guitars and echoing drums with an introspective melody. Intensity grows and grows, the weight crushes you as the drums and riffs explode into life. Packing dark and powerful vocals, it’s exceptionally well composed and the slightly brighter melody that carries you along through the darkness is stunning. This opener is nearly 10 minutes long and I found myself hypnotised within 2 minutes as the song passed by in seconds, delivering a flood of feeling and passion leaving me absolutely wowed.

That “wow” feeling doesn’t go away across the entirety of Innern as Der Weg Einer Freiheit deliver a masterclass in composition, atmosphere and modern black metal. Xibalba is about confronting the machinery that spreads fear in modern times like the media and propaganda while urging us to return to our collective essence. That feeling is delivered expertly in the music, lyrics and vocals. At over 10 minutes in length, the song moves through phases. Starting with a build up of atmosphere to bed you in, the anger and frustration becomes palpable as the drums and guitars blaze at hyper speed backed by roars and roared vocals. The melody, and pace changes add the urging moments, pulling you in and pulling us together.

Being able to so succinctly convey your message through your composition, and have it so clear to the listener is a real skill. The subtle slow down and stunning melodic section that follows it is nothing short of stunning. Mesmerising stuff, this!

The lead single, Eos, is up next and keeps the quality at the highest possible level with another masterclass in engaging music. It’s a little shorter at near 8 minutes but no less expansive. The heaviness really hits hard here with some extreme sections, some very technical beats, vicious vocals and a real sense of threat. As is Der Weg Einer Freiheit’s way though, different phases carry you along upon waves of emotion as the melody breaks through the darkness, piercing the threat and offering renewal. It’s beautiful, but dark, miserable at times, but not without hope.There is also a passage in here that comes with some unexpected cleaner vocals and lifts your spirits in another stunning track.

Fragment, no surprises, but it’s another mesmerising song. The clean vocals over a bed of post metal melody and thick bass lines is hypnotic to listen to. Despite me not knowing a single word of German, I feel like I fully understand exactly what they are saying through the feeling and atmosphere captured though. As the sad and introspective section fades away, intense riffing, speed drums and blackened roars underline the immense frustration the band are feeling here in Innern in brutal fashion. Bringing some clean vocals back in to the mix as well, while the instruments rain fire upon us is a clever touch, as it adds yet more depth and power.

Approaching the end, we have the penultimate track, Finisterre III which is 2 minutes of gorgeous piano that may be an interlude, but as it is tonally on point with the rest of the album, it keeps your mind firmly in that hypnotised state and kind of leads us into the final track, Forlorn. A song that demonstrates the openness and vulnerability Der Weg Einer Freiheit are putting out to the world with Innern. Forlorn is a delicate plea for emotional refuge. A cry for help for us all and is purposely sung in English to underscore the message’s universality.

It’s amazing – a gentle start with tapping drums and softened vocals lead us in. Subtle melody plays in the background and within a minute I found myself nearly brought to tears. The music grows in volume, before completely fading away leaving just the hypnotising tick tock of the tapping drums, like time passing all too quickly. The intensity grows as the drums unleash and the riffs add depth and power while vocals roar out passionately. Yet the melody remains and the feeling, the cry for help, the desire to be better still pours out of every note.

It’s a truly magical song on an album of such immense quality and it really feels like the perfect way to close out Innern. An album that is more like something you experience, than something you listen to. I can honestly say that I feel like a better version of myself having listened to Der Weg Einer Freiheit deliver such emotional and honest messages through masterful compositions like this. I feel cleansed, understood and ready to face the day and I think any band, any music, that can have such an immersive and profound impact on your emotional state and well being deserves the highest possible praise.

You have to check out Innern. Find yourself a corner, somewhere you won’t be disturbed, put your headphones in, close your eyes and experience the best post black metal album you are likely to hear this year.

You can pre-order or pre-save Innern by following this link to a link tree with all the usual streaming services, and physical purchase options on it.

Tracklist:

1. Marter (9:24)
2. Xibalba (10:07)
3. Eos (7:30)
4. Fragment (6:24)
5. Finisterre III (2:00)
6. Forlorn (7:44)

Der Weg Einer Freiheit Links

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