Self Released

Anhifohr – Condemned To Endless Sacrifice [US, Black] (2020)

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Self Released | 4-10-20

I feel this EP warrants a little patience. I say this because the whole of Condemned to Endless Sacrifice is ultimately worth the time it takes to get used to the sound. This EP is noisy and rough with its production to the point of abuse. Once one gets past the intro and the intro of the second son however, they are treated to the sounds of groovy black metal in the shape of concrete slabs which are lobbed at them. This is all for fun however as the experience conducted by Anhifohr can only be described as a symphony of psychological terror with monsters stalking in the shadows. There are few polished parts in this EP with songs beginning right away and fading out when they do not need to. Everything though about this EP is part and parcel to the experience of ultimate ruin and demise.

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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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Molder – Vanished Cadavers [US, Death / Thrash] (2020)

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Rotted Life | 5-20-20

It feels like ages ago when we were swimming in rotting death that was squirming with riffs. Sure we still have it but things have changed. Molder is here to remind us of the fun we had a few years ago with a debut that breathes a festive atmosphere and if your idea of a party is gravedigging and being spooky, you are in the right place. Vanished Cadavers comes after a very long line of demos, splits, and live records. Much like someone gathering up momentum before pouncing, Molder finally springs into action with teeth bared and arms flailing. While this sounds like it is going to be a vicious experience, there is an air of levity with a record of death / thrash that is enjoyable and perfect for a party you will eventually have when you can see people.

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Erreth-Akbe – If Not a Happy Ending, a True Joy [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released
1-8-20

I would like to thank Fableglade Records for breaking a streak of not purchasing dungeon synth tapes. Soemthing that always speaks to me is things released in series and the Spring Batch of fantasy synthscape tapes from this label was enough to get me back into the habit. It also helps that the first in the series is a remarkable dedication to Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea books which is both dramatic, personal, and immersive. If the quality of releases is even close to the first in the series, then Fableglade Records is going to be a delight for the rest of the year. Come forengaging soundscapes but stay for the mystery of story.

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Fratricide – Horrible Deformities [US, Death] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-19-20

This is perhaps one of the starkest examples of a demo whose music is the best thing about the presentation as the logo, band name, and album artwork fail to live up to the experience of the music. It is not that Fratricide has a terrible presentation rather the music goes beyond the confides presented by its cover. Where one would think you get mid shelf death metal that is sloppy but kind of fun, Fratricide presents winding journeys in rotting flesh. Heavy metal, like most music, is about musical and visual presentation and though I feel that one if severely lacking, I am glad for the other to be so strong.

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Forlorn Kingdom – Northern Spirits Call From Afar [Italy, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-15-120

Dungeon Synth has an air of mystery and sheltered presence. The act of uncovering recordings from the past seems to be part and parcel for a bedroom genre shrouded in cloaks and daggers. Northern Spirits Call From Afar is a rerelease of music made between 2013-2019 and limited to a handful of private cassettes. The music then made it to a compilation which was split, last year, between two releases Walking The Paths Of Old and Distant Apparitions. Now, Dungeons Deep Records presents almost the entire work of Forlorn Kingdom and the mysterious entity known as Grimroth on one record. All of this fanfare frames a wonderfully crafted array of icy castles, ghostly fog and lofi dungeon crawling which is both stately as well as haunted. As of writing this review, there are currently 24 of 150 copies of this tape left and I expect it not to last much longer.

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Spirit Possession – 2020 Demo [US, Black / Punk] (2020)

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Self Released | 1-21-20

Sometimes there is a release which comes along that affirms your dedication to an aesthetic. Spirit Possession has everything I could possibly hope for in a release — raw black / punk, blistering attitude, near zero internet presence. All of these combine into an 11 minute release which feels like clenched teeth and an image which makes you the coolest ghoul in the graveyard. If one is in the mood for a party where everyone has limbs falling off then you are in the right line.

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Wormreign – Wormreign [Canada, Black] (2020)

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Self Released | 1-14-20

Good morning, it is time to wake up and run straight into that opposing wall. Wormreign comes to us from Canada and with an album cover that is to be expected but most certainly welcome. What is surprising about this debut EP is the tenacious nature of the music and also the energy in which the band uses to, perhaps literally, throw themselves at the listeners. “Ad Vermiis” is nearly bursting at its seams and feels like it is bouncing against the door in order to get out. This ads to the frantic chaos of this EP and promises to make participants anxious if not brimming with feverish mania.

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Empyreal Forest – Divinations [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 1-4-20

I have had a long sordid history with dungeon synth which is both weird and amazing. I do not think I have covered any dungeon synth on this site since the first Erang record which sent me head first into the genre. At this moment I do not wish to cover the genre as extensively as I did but hearing Empyreal Forest ‘s 15 minute release not only dredges up foind memories but also aesthetically fits with some of the other records on this site also adorned in dismal black and white album covers. Dismal Ruin is a new label which specializes in dungeon synth, dark ambient, and second wave black metal which is varied across the label’s four releases. Empyreal Forest seems to be a new entity but is already entrenched in its worship of DS luminaries like Depressive Silence and Thangorodrim just cloaked in more atmospheric noise. The result is something that intimate but also cold in its wanderings through fog veiled forests. I do not think Ill ever get back into dungeon synth like I did but maybe perhaps there is room on this blog for more things like this.

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Hexerei – Oath [?, Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 4-19-19

I am going to be honest in saying finding this demo was happenstance as I was saw the German translation for Sorcery was Hexerei. Hexerei actually is more akin to witchery / witchcraft but Sorcery is one of the easiest connections. I may have been searching for it when seeing a German Magic the Gathering card and seeing the word “Hexerei” and finding it cool. Whatever the case, I stumbled upon a 2019 that is full of grief and grime that has an attitude from here to the dark woods it probably crawled out of. This drips with aesthetic and the fact I found it randomly makes me wonder what other hellish treats are scattered in those woods.

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