Spear of Tetua – Scorn [Croatia, Black / Post Punk] (2021)

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Self Released | 1-18-20

Even though I have a problem with artists calling a two song 11 minute release an EP, it is their prerogative so I can not complain. Scorn, as a release, is fleshed out enough to be considered an EP despite a demo being a better fit. Also the act’s 2020 demo was 18 minutes. All of this audited of time is only superficial criticism on a sound that is widely exciting and is thrown in the wheelhouse of anyone who enjoys grim dark post punk and doesn’t mind the vocals with a little bit more gravel. Through two tracks, Spear of Tetua wrestles with darkness in both a aesthetic fashion but also in the raw shambles of visceral reaction.

Siegecraft – Noble Infantry [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Moonworshipper Records | 12-25-20

I am currently going through my holiday purchases and trying to catalog all of the dungeon synth that was released in the waning hours of 2020. though it is 2021 and most of this material lies on the cusp of years, I am going to make a special designation for material released in December of a year and make considerations when discussing the end of the year. This has been something that I have wanted to do for a while and Noble Infantry is one of those records which I want to include in discussions of 2021. From the band of weirdo misfits at Moonworshipper comes a surprisingly tame record whose strangeness comes in blurred edges emanating from a core of classic sounding dungeon synth. There are dungeons and dark shapes which moves through shows. At points, it sounds calm and at other times, it looms over you as a proper ghoul should. This is Mortiis worship but only in the spirt as Noble Infantry attempts to being medieval grimness back into the cusp of 2021.

Wyndcrawler – Obsidian Swords For The Heavendwellers [US, Dungeon Synth / Dark Ambient] (2021)

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Stench Ov Death Prod | 1-23-21

This is wonderful. Stench Ov Death is a Washington based tape label that seems to specialize in black metal and dark ambient. Wyndcrawler is a dark ambient act which invokes the spirits of old and new in a record that is textural and understated. Obsidian Swords For The Heavendwellers ( cool album name) is a tribute to both acts like Neptune Towers as well ads the newer dark ambient inspired acts like Old Tower. Wyndcrawler’s embrace of both melody and darkness results in a release that is less apart of the dark dungeons than it is the cold forest floor in the deep of winter. There is ancient magic which runs through the middle of this release which is something that could be missed due to its raw production. I look forward to more from this label and artist as there is something potent in this sound.

Sewermeister – Subterranean Ceremony [?, Raw Black Metal] (2021)

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Self Released | 1-25-21

Well, this is certainly wonderful with morning coffee. there are some releases which feel like they shouldn’t exist or at least try their very best to be repellent to the mind and ear. Subterranean Ceremony is one one of them and I hope it stays on Bandcamp throughout the year as these types of releases tend to disappear after I write about them. Sewermeister is steeped in ritual and this under ten minute offering is less a demo than it is a pastiche of noise and texture which resembles black metal. To some that feels like a negative but to others, it is exactly what they need. Through darkness the heat of chaos pours through this demo offering clarity or just wild abandon for all that seek its wisdom. This might sound grandiose yet this type of raw black metal is wonderful for anyone that is into its sound as the mystery and violence of it aligns with black metal’s history and ultimate mythos. That or it is just a cool sound that scares the locals. Your choice.

Ferhðfriðende – Deruenta [UK, Dungeon Synth / Folk] (2021)

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Self Released | 12-30-20

For purposes of actual cataloging, this was released in the final days of 2020. For purposes of talking about new dungeon synth, I am considering this a 2021 release. Ferhðfriðende is one part (or a separate entity) of Fyrngeflita, a UK based dungeon synth folk project that is dedicated to trees. Both Fyrngeflita and Ferhðfriðende are making demos which combine the easy melodies of guitar based folk with the atmosphere of dungeon synth. The Bandcamp release is accompanied by the description of

“Deruenta is a Brythonic word, translated to where the Oak trees grow”, from which the word Dart is derived. From the head to the mouth, along many a stretch of the peat rich waters, springs the sacred tree of Albion. Amongst which dwell many creatures, some friendly spirits others seldom seen, some so fragile they are found nowhere else and others as hardy as the Granite bedrock itself. This is the delight of the Native Ponies company, or watching the Grey Wagtail’s and Dippers at play. The reward of a long cold night beside the Otter’s den for a chance appearance, or meeting the watchful eye of the Heron patrolling the banks.“

..as well as a promise that money from this demo will be donated to the Devon Wildlife Trust. This dedication to nature as well as a marriage of folk instrumentation is a brave step into a new arena of dungeon synth that steps towards a sound that is transcendental and eternally reflective. I am considering this a 2021 release since I most certainly will be talking about it over the course of this year.

Porcha – III [Russia, Raw Black / Dark Ambient] (2021)

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Self Released | 1-15-21

as we head into the new year, I would like to thank everyone who followed this site throughout 2020. I would also like to thanks acts like Porcha for putting out these types of releases, as this is the sound in which I created this blog for. Somewhere in the catacombs of eternity lies a demo which boasts both soul scaring black metal as well as dark ambient interludes. Porcha (“Curse” in Russian) is a project dedicated to the invocation of death and diseases as it blights the land. Between the raw black are generous passages of dark ambient in the vein of Neptune towers which makes this release even more appealing to the near 100 people who would be excited for this release. I am one of them.

Dosanjos – Heterogeneous Hieratic Areopagus [Brazil, Black / Death / Noise] (2021)

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Self Released | 1-13-21

Welcome the new year. Welcome horror and dismay. Dosanjos does not have a Metal Archives nor can I really find any information related to the band which leads me to beleive they are just demons from Brazil that vomit forth noise. I am fine with this. Heterogeneous Hieratic Areopagus is not an easy listen and for a fan of raw black, this album is one of the more soul scraping releases in recent memory. With a soundscape which evokes unease and an atmosphere riddled with anxiety, Dosanjos exists to promotes distress and Heterogeneous Hieratic Areopagus is a thesis in misery. I know for some this tone of music is everything they could possibly hope for as this type of weirdness is magnetic.

Marsyas Zskin – Flight of Icarus [Greece, Dungeon Synth] (2021)

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Realm and Ritual | 1-10-21

As we turn our hearts and minds to 2021, I think I can speak for most that we are collectively excited for new experiences in the coming year. Most of all we are excited for new releases from a handful of excellent labels. Realm and Ritual is preparing for a dazzling year and one of the first releases is the mind shattering world of Marsyas Zskin. This 90 minute epic invokes the Greek mythology with neoclassical dungeon synth that is not content to guide on passive sound. This is the second release from the artist who is continuing a layered journey through mythology that succeeds due to craftsmanship as well as a daring notion to push the sound in new directions. From the first few notes of “Visions of Bright Aether,” the tone of Flight of Icarus is one of active challenge. Make no mistake, there are melodic moment akin to dungeon synth most are used to yet those lay on top of cliff faces and up winding passages on rock crags that urge the listener to scale this improbably steep mountain. Flight of Icarus marches along the same road as a growing number of progressive minded artists that are carrying dungeon synth into a wild and unpredictable realm. This is a place where the colors are blinding and nothing is predictable. What is certain though its the level of excitement one will experience.