REVIEW: Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Innern

Something in der weg

43:08 // September 12, 2025 // Season of Mist

Cards on the table: I’m a big fan of Der Weg Einer Freiheit. Indeed, if I had to choose the greatest discography in all of metal for the 21st Century so far, I’d probably hand that prestigious title to this German band. Such a statement might be a little odd, given most of DWEF’s output fits solidly within the contemporary black metal continuum without standing out as fully unique, but by the same token, each of their albums scratches a different itch, and they’re all pretty sublime.

2021’s Noktvrn was the moment that DWEF went from steadily churning out standout records in a saturated scene to truly feeling like innovators. That record had healthy infusions of post-rock and prog to the group’s standard formula, sure, but more than anything, it was the complete mastery of tone and mood which was revelatory - DWEF took the project’s nocturnal themes seriously, and not only indulged the requisite dark (!) and scary (!!!) feelings of a metal album, but also wider sentiments like contemplation and romance, while molding it all into a cohesive whole. And their sense of melody was impeccable as well - I’ve often found melodic forms of metal a bit lacking, mainly because even the use of mediocre melodies can feel sufficient in a genre typically defined by brutality and heaviness - but with Noktvrn, the melodies are truly noteworthy, consistently sweeping and majestic.

That’s a lot of words to say that, while I think every DWEF release absolutely rules, their last offering was one of the best records of the decade so far. And so the group’s sixth LP, Innern, has a hell of a lot to live up to. It’s easy to envision the band either blazing a trail back towards more conventional black metal territory, or following in the footsteps of Noktvrn with another outside-the-box project. Either path has a high bar to measure up to. As it turns out, the band takes your tut-tutting thoughts about choosing a direction and laughs in the face of such mundane concerns. Innern marks a move back towards metallic ferocity, sure, but at the same time it also demonstrates a newfound commitment to epic grandiosity underlain by notable melodies, all the while incorporating industrial and blackgaze influences.

That last sentence probably sounds pretty fucking cool, and, hey, you’d be right. At six tracks and just over forty-three minutes, this is (narrowly) the shortest full-length in the stacked DWEF discography, and comes pretty near all-killer no-filler. Opener “Marter” suffers a little from what I call ”When the Levee Breaks” syndrome, AKA having an absolutely amazing introductory segment which no full song in the history of humanity could live up to, but taken as a whole it’s an incredible track, and displays the lofty grandiosity DWEF aims for with this release. “Xibalba”, too, is utterly monumental, utilizing a stately presentation and plenty of melody to stand out. “Eos”, meanwhile, sees a touch of melodeath stylings creep into the vocal department.

If this album has any weaknesses, it’s on the second half of the tracklist, with “Fragment”, while still great, the closest to rote of any of the songs here, while “Finisterre III” is lovely yet inessential as a brief instrumental number. Closer “Forlorn” redeems it all though, bursts of furious energy and soundscapes of beautifully ghostly ambience dancing with each other. It’s a distinctive track with the DWEF catalog, feeling oddly close in sound to Infinite Granite-era Deafheaven, but the band pulls it off exceedingly well.

This review has been full of waxing praise both for DWEF at large and for the songs on this album in particular, so it’s no surprise that I find Innern to be quite successful. That said, my assessment falters a bit when compared to Noktvrn and even Finisterre - my main gripe being that this time around, the tracks have a bit less of a binding character or identity. It’s clear that this LP aspires to a vast, jaw-dropping sound, bringing heaviness and beauty together in an epic format, but what ties it all together feels looser than it has in the last few album cycles, ultimately to its slight detriment. Regardless, Innern comfortably slates in among the best metal records of 2025 so far. Have I mentioned I’m a big fan of this band?

8.5/10