{"id":542178,"date":"2026-01-25T16:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T16:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/542178\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T16:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T16:34:10","slug":"weft-the-splintered-oar-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/542178\/","title":{"rendered":"Weft – The Splintered Oar Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Black metal and the violin go together like peanut butter and jelly, which makes it particularly exciting when an artist who is accomplished in both steps forward. Weft<\/strong> is the solo endeavor of Charlie Anderson, the live violinist for Panopticon<\/strong>. His debut album, The Splintered Oar, is one of two releases by Bindrune Recordings on the weekend before the beginning of Listurnalia 2025. Nevertheless, this is a record that should not go unnoticed during the time of year when many of us have adopted either a backward- or forward-looking mindset.<\/p>\n

Weft<\/strong> integrates the violin in a variety of clever ways that will sound comfortably familiar to fans of folk\/black metal. The obvious comparison is Panopticon<\/strong>, particularly in the sublime acoustic guitar and violin pairing of the intro track \u201cLeaves.\u201d It also dances with the electric guitar in a wild, rugged manner like unto Windfaerer<\/strong><\/a> and Saor<\/strong><\/a> (\u201cThe Hull\u201d). At the same time, Weft<\/strong> doesn\u2019t allow the violin to become too overwhelming or dominant. Rather than solely relying on the customary trem-picking, the fierce guitar riffs and chord progressions of The Splintered Oar often prefer to wander into progressive death metal territory. Another surprising musical influence is Americana, featured briefly in \u201cThe Hull\u201d and prominently in \u201cDream of Oaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\ufeffThe Splintered Oar by Weft<\/a><\/p>\n

Once things get going, the bulk of The Splintered Oar is quite exhilarating. \u201cFalse Kingdoms,\u201d the first full song, opens with a great buildup, facilitated by Austin Lunn\u2019s purposeful tom rhythms. After this point, the intensity ebbs and flows, but rarely lets up completely. The demonic violin lines and frenzied shrieks in \u201cRed Dawn\u201d cut through the listener\u2019s defenses like wind chill. Anderson\u2019s deep growls are usually effective as well, though they sometimes lack force and come across as more of a croak. Andrea Morgan\u2019s guest vocals in \u201cThe Hull\u201d help compensate for this, joining with the soothing strings in a manner reminiscent of Dz\u00f6-nga<\/strong><\/a>, which is a very good thing.<\/p>\n

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What holds The Splintered Oar back the most is a shaky beginning and ending. \u201cLeaves\u201d would have been a much more effective intro if it hadn\u2019t repeated itself and dragged out its runtime to 5 minutes. On the other hand, 12-minute closer \u201cDream of Oaks\u201d struggles to remain coherent. The entire first half is dreamy Americana, which later morphs into sleek Opeth<\/strong>ian prog and then death\/doom before finally resuming Weft<\/strong>\u2019s signature violin-driven black metal. These individual components are enjoyable enough on their own, but they become confusing when considered together. \u201cDream of Oaks\u201d might have been an epic conclusion if it had the same degree of cohesion between The Splintered Oar\u2019s disparate musical influences that the preceding tracks display.<\/p>\n

Weft<\/strong> is a rare example of what is possible when a violinist creates black metal. Charlie Anderson\u2019s compositional versatility is immediately obvious. While it doesn\u2019t quite stick the landing\u2014or the launch\u2014The Splintered Oar\u2019s midsection is very promising and even goosebump-inducing at times. If the less conventional musical genres can be consistently integrated in a potential sophomore record, Weft<\/strong> will be a force of nature to behold.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: 3.0\/5.0
DR:<\/strong> 7 | Format Reviewed:<\/strong> 320 kbps mp3
Label:<\/strong> Bindrune Recordings<\/a>
Websites:<\/strong> weftmusic.bandcamp.com<\/a> | instagram.com\/weft_music<\/a>
Releases Worldwide:<\/strong> December 19th, 2025<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:\n<\/p>\n