Band:	Gaahls Wyrd
Album:	Braiding The Stories
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	June 06, 2025
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. The Dream
02. Braiding The Stories
03. Voices In My Head
04. Time And Timeless Timeline
05. And The Now
06. Through The Veil
07. Visions And Time
08. Root The Will
09. Flowing Starlight

Although Gaahls Wyrd is unbound by any specific genre, black metal is still at its beating heart; however, Braiding The Stories holds even more emotional weight and versatility than the band's previous offering, and with that more than what most traditional black metal is capable of.

Gaahls Wyrd are a Norwegian black metal band established by the legendary Gaahl (Trelldom, ex-Wardruna, ex-Gorgoroth) in 2015. The current line-up consists of guitarist Lust Kilman, bassist Eld and drummer Spektre, all known for their contributions to black metal through their respective bands Aeternus, Hellbutcher, and God Seed. This sounds like an impressive black metal supergroup capable of crafting some of the finest material in the modern scene, and in 2019 they did just that with their acclaimed full-length debut GastiR - Ghosts Invited. Six years later, they invite listeners to turn their attention towards their sophomore album, Braiding The Stories.

This latest offering is a journey of self-discovery, that delves into one's consciousness and dreams. Each of the 9 songs form a concept that traverses between what is reality and what is not, and what can be seen or not seen. The musical compositions twist between beautiful, enchanting melodies and ferocious dissonance, creating harsh but wonderfully immersive soundscapes. This is not black metal as most of us know it, and certainly not in the traditional sense; it's quite richly textured, crafted with many atmospheric and post-black passages that counteract the more extreme blackened parts. It's quite a long way from the raw, primal and truly blasphemous work of Gaahl's earlier material, especially from the likes of Gorgoroth, but then he's not the only musician from Norway's notorious black metal scene that decided to venture away from what is classed as trve, and instead towards a uniquely different direction (just look a Enslaved and Ihsahn for examples).

The album starts with "The Dream", a gentle and eerie intro that sounds more like the beginning of a nightmare to me, as it sets a dark atmospheric mood for what's presumably to come. What follows is the title track; at just less than 9 minutes in length, this song further develops the eerie hypnotizing atmosphere, giving a chilling and solitary feel. This is mostly constructed by repetitive, hypnotic, mostly mid-paced blackened tremolos, enchanted keys, and a few breathtaking guitar leads, driven by a pulsating rhythm section, and accompanied by Gaahl's haunting clean singing/chanting, which sends a shiver down one's spine. Gaal may have started his career off as the formidable shrieking demon of Gorgoroth, but he's a long way from that character now; here he instead resembles another demonic being altogether, one with a strangely unique range of emotions.

Whereas post-black and atmo-black are applicable genres for the style of the title track, "Time And Timeless Timeline" shows more ferocity, geared more towards traditional black metal (albeit with more progressive and complex structural patterns), while the symphonic-based cinematic "And The Now" offers a curve ball, sounding more like a dramatic soundtrack for a horror flick than anything else. "Flowing Starlight" then brings all these elements together, merging atmoblack and post-black with even a touch of the gothic, offering huge emotional weight through hypnotically driven rhythms, powerful wailing leads, and sweeping melancholic strings. The production also lives up to modern standards, far from raw and unpolished and instead refined and clean-sounding in a way that enables each element to shine, allowing for a more immersive and emotion-filled experience.

Braiding The Stories has a lot of interesting ideas and beautiful moments scattered throughout, and is a far cry from what each of these musicians has previously released through their other bands. Admittedly it's not the easiest album to fully digest in a single take; it's something you need to truly feel in order to fully understand, rather than something you can absorb simply by listening to it. It's driven by huge atmospheric and emotional weight, offering an experience that's cinematic rather than reminiscent of the traditional ways of black metal.