-DS Reviews-

Sunken Grove – Precious Solitude [Wales, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 4-10-20

I feel if we are going to take away anything from dungeon synth, it is the resurgence of hand drawn covers. Precious Solitude is the first offering from a Welsh (?) composer who is using this time to make a very quiet introduction. The cover is indicative of a release that is teeming with intimate moments a wash with dreamy lo fi synth. The tags for this release range from “forest ambient” to “winter synth” to “minimalist” and for once, I feel all of these descriptions are accurate for a record that is introspective and escapist for the artist and their audience.

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Sidereal Fortress – The Hermit’s Hole [Italy, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 4-11-20

Probally one of the most interesting aspects about this record is the Angelo Branduardi cover which nestles itself within a magical record of dungeon synth. Angelo Branduardi is an Italian folk singer who saw moderate success in the 1970’s but has since developed a following among woodfolk and like minded people. The instrumental cover of “The Stolen Bride” is transcendental and arcane as it feels apart of the original compositions yet highlighted as the centerpiece of the record. Sidereal Fortress has been releasing music since 2017 yet for anyone like me who is first encountering this woodsy patch of mushrooms, it maybe a great place to start.

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Werendia – Folkvandringen [Sweden, Atmospheric Black / Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 4-10-20

Well, here it is. Years of searching through dungeon synth I am starting to stumble on the mixture between it and its parent genre of black metal. This is not the first black metal / dungeon synth combination ever made nor even one in recent memory. There has been a dizzying array of experimentation either with dungeon synth being used as mood intros or even as distant atmosphere. Werendia pays tribute dungeon synth’s history with a record worshiping the structure of bands like Summoning and Caladan Brood. With the black metal vocals pushed to the past and the synth march up front, the music constructs a stage for a deeply folkloric record concerned with Scandinavian tales and history. This commitment to the theme makes up for the album’s shortcomings which include long meandering songs that nail an aesthetic but doesn’t travel much out of their own kingdom. For all its faults, Folkvandringen is a stellar record which pleases both black metal fans and dungeon synth dabblers with marching music across strange lands.

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Nan Morlith – Âdhûn & Fangorn [Ireland, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Gondolin Records | 4-6-20

It is fun when I find artists from a few years. Nan Morlith contributed a song for the Dungeon Synth Compilation I curated in 2017. “Of Mim, Last of the Petty Dwarves” was a playful synthscape of Tolkien lore and deep escapism and initally got me interested in this Irish artist. Âdhûn & Fangorn is not new rather a compilation of two 2016 releases now on Gondolin Records. Though the artist has been quiet for a few years since the releases of 2017, Âdhûn & Fangorn is still a wonderful chance to revisit or introduce yourself to the brassy tones of a world very far away.

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Various Artists – The Longing Soundtrack [ Various, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Studio Seufz | 4-3-20

The Longing is a recent video game which has garnered a bit of attention from major reviewers. Currently on Steam, it is an idle exploration game based on a character who spends 400 days underground. What is interesting about this whole affair is the soundtrack which is a smattering of dungeon synth artists who contributed music to the game. Dungeon synth and games have never been that far apart as the nature of the music lends itself to atmosphere. The majority of The Longing is created by Lord Redstone, who seems to be a composer taking on a dungeon synth persona. Scattered among the soundtrack is previous work from Erang, Erdstall, Spectral Kingdom, and dungeontroll. I would be a little bit more critical about dropping in tracks from 7 years ago into a new video game had it not been for the effectivness of this soundtrack. The mood and atmosphere exuded by its composer and guest stars make for an exciting time where dungeon synth crosses over and introduces themselves to people who never expected such a thing.

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Utred – Citadel ◊ Forest ◊ Sovereign [Russia, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Gondolin Records | 4-6-20

This is a compilation collecting the early work from Russian artist Utred. The span of material in this compilation ranges from 2016 into 2017 with various unrleeased material. I remeber when Firest was released in 2016 and I became aquaninted with Utred. Now as we enter into 2020, Gondolin Records has collected a majority of work and segemented the releases with unreleased and remastered material. Regardless of your familiriaty with this artist, this current compilation is a wonderul journey from lo fi court music to majestic romps in magical woods and even to kingdoms far beyond the mountains. Forest was one of my favorite releases from Utred, aside from the 2017 cover album, and now I get to experience that memeory collected in one place. Take up your arms once more brave knight.

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Kobold – The Village In The Frozen mountains [Italy?, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Heimat Der Katastrophe | 4-3-19

I can remember Kobold’s first release on HDK in 2017 as the weirdo OSR dungeon synth release on a seemingly experimental Italian label. Now as HDK enters into the 50’s in terms of release number, my view on this label has not swayed as it is an anomaly of outsider music and niche interest groups. Kobold is apart of a legion of 16 bit focused DS that makes music centered around imaginary adventures that sound like soundtracks to computer games that never existed. Actually, this release, like others, comes with a complete adventure inside the tape as each release is an OSr adventure. TI do not know how developed the system is but Kobold’s releases would not be the first time a game was incorporated into a DS release. Even outside the durability of the game as tape release, the landscape created by Kobold is deserving of attention just with the other three releases on HDK. This release is made for a specific audience on a label that seems odd but you know what, it all seems to be working out.

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Dungeontroll – Into the Castle of the Forbidden Twilight [ ? , Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Serpent’s Sword Records | 4-3-20

I am usually wary of releases that look like this. It is not from anything particular rather I thought this was going to be a black metal record tagged as dungeon synth. This is funny since the rest of Dungeontroll’s music and their respected covers look like Dungeon Synth. This does not. Into the Castle of the Forbidden Twilight has many surprises and the first one is an album full of haunted melody which stalks around empty castles where one was expecting lo fi vampiric black. Into the Castle of the Forbidden Twilight also has the distinction of having the lowest number of physical copies at 5 sold exclusively at North East Dungeon Siege, a live DS festival which actually is no longer happening due to the Quarantine. this makes Into the Castle of the Forbidden Twilight perhaps the most rare physical release of all time. With this sort of lore and mystery built around a release, it is difficult not to get excited and fall for the magic.

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The Harbinger – The Consecrated Barrow [US, Dungeon Synth] (2019)

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Self Released | 8-27-19

This review is going to encompass the three released by The Harbinger from August 27th of 2019 to September 10th of 2019. The three releases which spanned those few weeks make up the entirty of work from The Harbinger. It is strange to highlight such a limited collection of work but the three releases from this artist show such promise and ability, it is difficult not to get excited. Through awkwardly designed album covers and cryptic veils of flowery text, these three releases (The Consecrated Barrow, The Convocation of Forgotten Gods, The Absolution of The Blind God) are masterful in their silent declaration in a world that seems crafted for the artist but has space for the listener to observe.

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Skogsgudinnan – Skogsgudinnan [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-24-20

Sometimes finding small and pleasant things gives me the reason to go searching everyday. Skogsgudinnan is a US based artist who has produced 10 tracks of quiet and humble dungeon synth / new age that is seemingly for anyone who wants to listen. Without fanfare or bluster, this artist has quietly placed something in a garden for anyone to pick up and experience. Though these tracks are sometimes sketches and others incomplete, the world and experience each one constructs is enough to give pause. Add to that the goofy Bandcamp greeting of “Leave reality for a bit, just take it easy! Take Care!” shows an artist who is making music for whimsy and just wants you to have a good time. I do not know about you but I certainly am.

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