Old Sorcery "Realms Of Magickal Sorrow" (2017)

 

Dungeon Synth can almost seem like a cliche of itself at times. With the similarly Old Tower fresh in ones memory, the haunting grayscale cover, a gloomy castle and cryptic band logo sparked my amusement, especially the name. It was as if a "starter pack" meme had been taken to heart. This is no fault of the Finnish musician but having consumed an abundance of this music, its tropes are often laid all to bare. I'm glad I didn't pass it over, Old Sorcery does indeed have a magic worthy of attention.

Opening with its decrepit lurching synth and lonely washes of airy ambience drifting from its piano chords, the slow paced drawl of decaying nostalgia unfolds without surprise. Its atmosphere holds majesty and wonder, a sense of lost grandeur, magic and might, buried by time and dust. Its at eight minutes that the artists flair comes to light and a new dimension is steadily pried open with a deepening sense of wonder.

Reminiscent of Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre and the likes of early electronic acts, the hypnotic whirl of a lopping oscillating synth seemingly rises from the ashes. Although standing at odds with its stereo panning, heightened pace and differing melodic intent, its steadily gains a foothold with the contrasting sound. At this point a psychedelic journey has begun. Realms Of Magickal Sorrow makes its distinction as a record with something different to offer the Dungeon Synth scene.

It would be quite straightforward to deploy this technique of swirling synths, wavering in pitch and volume, to induce an entrancing temperament. Old Sorcery however redeploys the power of oscillated synth tones with powerful subtlety that clings so frailly to this hallucinogenic vibration. One can envision secrets kept in keeps of cold stone as plants and herbs, guarded secrets of an esoteric cult.

The second track, Vaikerruksen Portti, uses a similar synth setup to the first track but with laser zaps and more electronic instrument design accompanying it. Both halves go strong, the Dungeon Synth side toys with mischievous melodies in the forefront, backed by dark organs and deep choral voicings. Its a loud and powerful outing to play up the unique union. A Lost Soul Amid The Listening Trees finds eruptions of gleam and glory, horns and glistening synths dazzle between the long and yearning stretches of shadowy ambience. It has a foreboding presence devoid of electronics.

In A Forest Trapped, those glistening synths return for a sleepy track of yawning pace with a dreamy persuasion. It builds to playful melodies before we arrive at the final track, possibly my favorite. Further Beyond The Melancholic Horizon opens like an Old Tower track, deep drones of devilish dreariness, lost in the distances. One can hear the deep gong strikes and an eerie fuzz of ambiguity. Suddenly it gives way to a different composition, then taking a few minutes to arrive at the final destination.

The next few minutes ponder the infinite, the synths ripple into the void, minimalism and subtlety slip into madness. Its a glorious moment in a song that goes through some vivid transitions that work masterfully. I did not expect to find such a rich experience within this genre I feel can so easily be overplayed. Old Sorcery has brought a sequence of deeply curious ideas that play into the dark, spiritual, meditative flows I just love. With another two albums, there is more to discover now.

Rating: 8/10

Taurwen "A Wind Blows From The Mountain Of Death" (2020)

Never before have I felt the chills of resemblance to my own musical output, Forgotten Conquest. In composition and temperament there may be some similarities but the distinction is virtual instruments. The luscious deep bellowing horns, serine yet sorrowful strings and especially the crisp, immaculate bright pianos. There tone and delivery so close to its intended form, catches my ear as the same set of tools I once used. This, Taurwen's debut album, suffers the same follys I too encountered in my amateurish pursuit of manifesting the music in my mind to something tangible.

Flirting with the lost, pale and bleak, its minimalism of lone instruments lay stark and bare, converging on occasions. Its rooted in repetitions stripped of charm by the virtual instruments cold, mechanic precision each string, elongated chord and piano note brings. Pitch perfect and identical in sequence, its atmosphere is cut by the sterility, barely blemished by soft reverberations and echos. The music rotates with such perfection that its meaning, inspiration and emotion feels lost without a human touch.

It is however clear whats aimed for here, a pry into a world of beauty and sorrow held in mother natures cold cruelty and majestic wonder. Its melodies stray and meander, forever wandering alone on the back of this illustrious sound of beautiful instruments with a glossy finish. Its songs open like windows into a moment of inconsequential scenic melodies, with a human presence, one of carved stone and overgrown vines. Some of the music is lone and linear, others richer with multiple layers of composition that too, together, feel naked and bare like a lost poem or faded picture.

Deep pounded drums are struck to muster the oomph for upheaval and building masked crescendos that never quite culminate. Its bells too are an interesting choice, cutting like a knife and often suddenly signifying the end as if a spell had been broken. Its hard to put a finger on this particular place. Caught somewhere between Dungeon Synth and the medieval Fantasy of Fief it certainly has a potential but I can't get past the image of notation on the piano roll, perfectly executed. Its best moment might just be Hum Of The Forest where things get muddied up in its layers of foggy ambience. That human wear and tear is what much of this record needs.

Rating: 4/10

Anna Von Hausswolff "All Thoughts Fly" (2020)

 

Her previous ambition, Dead Magic, was a riveting record upon discovery. Since then its been a frequent return, always delivering its beautiful sorrow and engulfing esoteric spookiness. I brought All Thoughts Fly in the blink of an eye, not knowing it was not a typical release. Devoid of her captivating voice, the record is an instrumental piece, recorded entirely on a pipe organ. The initial disappointment soured my first few listens as I yearned for the music to give way to other elements. Having now grown accustom to its dimension, I hear the foundational building blocks of her "normal" music being deeply explored in the various moody temperaments this record offers.

Three to four of these seven songs explore a cold, glum macabreness. Funeral sadness and crushing sorrow permeates the room in the rich bellowing fog of a dense, burdensome organ tone. Its dark, lonely and tearful in its most penetrating moments. Sacro Bosco acts a bridge between halves. Initially mysterious, Anna uses stereo panned low notes over ambiguous fuzzy noise to build the song into a magical realm. Its quite impressive how this was done with just the pipe organ, however one can imagine reverberations, loop pedals and other processing tools may have come into play to forge such a layered and dense sound the music wanders into often.

This magical, esoteric side is better explored in the opening number. Whirling sounds of sparkles flutter by prodding instruments, bursts of notation climbing from rumbling lows to spectral highs in a cyclical nature. Its ambiguous and entrancing, yet its later spells, including the lengthy title track, tend to lull into a drone as its swirling, looping nature becomes jaded in its own shadow. It may move through phases but the unrelenting spiral of notes ends up becoming a heavy wash of background radiation.

There is an impressive quality to this record with knowledge of how all the mysterious, atmospheric and ambiguous sounds that emanate, came from a lone instrument. It sparks my curiosity. How many layers and plugins where used for each song? The depressive church organ songs clearly used less yet in some of the musics build ups there is a lot going on to digest. All Thoughts Fly possess some spellbinding compositions yet in its duration frequently becomes dull and droning in its final stretch. One can clearly hear the foundations of her unique music, the scope of which is greatly elevated by her voice and accompanying instruments. There is of course no reason not to pursue an ambition like this, however it didn't feel like it could yield anything being the normative scope.

Rating: 6/10

Backxwash "Stigmata" (2020)

Fantastic timing! Having just digested the dizzying and grim God Has Nothing To Do With This, this new Stigmata EP drops another three tracks in the same vein, along with an instrumental piece to see it out. Backxwash has been one of the more remarkable discoveries this year and more of her darkly Hip Hop sound is very welcome. With these three tracks on continual rotation the hook on Stigma and the various evil incarnations of sound lurking in these instrumentals have drilled in like ear worms. Most noticeable are the voices, each number bringing on guests to flesh out the tone alongside Backxwash's potent flows and shadowy production. It comes with a similar flow and consistency to the album, as to be expected I guess.

The title track grabs attention with a releaving tone as bright pianos bring a sense of uplift to rather dark and repressive slabs of guitar distortion weighing it down in tension. Its like a lone light escaping from the bleak abyss! The final instrumental too peaks my interest with samples from the classic Doom game distinguishing although its a rather uneventful stint in mild darkly noises. Reminded me of A Silhouette In Splinters by Leviathan. Great EP, just more from an exciting sound, possibly leftovers. Definitely an artist to keep a close eye on.

Rating: 5/10

Backxwash "God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It" (2020)

I have an absolute adoration for Hip Hop music, however diversity is something lacking in its first decades. The 90s, for example, many would consider the pinnacle of both artistic creativity and success. But in comparison to the world of Metal and its stylistic divergences, its obvious the genre is narrower and closely knit. When records like this come along its a firm sign of progression, barriers collapsing and diversity in this age of musical cross pollination Internet culture.

God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It is a short concise plunge into the uneasy. A cathartic release of repented energy. A self administered therapy with an undercurrent of religiosity feeding into its themes of sin, abuse and guilt. Kicking off a sample of Ozzy Osbourne crying for help with an air of despair to his voice, a tone is set for the slow drums to drill in the dark subjects this album will tackle. The transition into Black Sabbath's Self Titled track a nice touch to see it off.

The instrumentals set out a harrowing tone of internal struggles and paranoia. The sampling and beat arrangements are dark, gloomy and ghostly with enough groove in their to keep it from feeling burdensome on the listener. Reading over the lyrics, a lot of pain and personal anguish is exorcised across these tight and direct verses. With a motioned rhythm in flow and Canadian cadence flavoring annunciation, backxwash has a firm command over the narrative where the two elements come together.

The vocabulary and linking of rhymes is frequent and often entrancing. The hooks and between parts embellishes each tracks depth. As the album plays on, its somewhat ambiguous tie to religion grows, suggesting an arc as the finial songs shift in tone. Redemption lifts the mood but its wording shows a person doing right by them self in the face of intolerance. The final vocal sample from some form of spiritual speech indicates forgiveness for all those who do you wrong. A solid conclusion.

Everything about this record speaks to vision and execution. Every line and wording feeling relevant, a grouping of short tracks offering no fluff. Interlude tracks flesh out the musical theme and its dark atmosphere carries between each track wonderfully, letting the album play like one big track in the bigger track. Its not taken many listens to appreciate its greatness. I've got a feeling this one to frequent back to in the future of the never ending musical journey!

Favorite Tracks:

Rating: 8/10

Old Tower "The Last Eidolon" (2020)

The evolution of Old Tower has been a fascinating journey to follow. Always showing much promise the Dutch musician know as The Scepter has reached a peak. After the wondrous and deathly "dark alchemy" trilogy of mini records, the Last Eidolon arrives as a natural extension to those dark temporal and meditative sounds previously explored. Its three tracks, all lengthy epics feel like a mastery of structure, scale and aesthetic molded to command a chilling immersion within the listener.

The sense of scale and grandeur gets of to an almighty start. Lonely cries of a desolate synth call out across the vastness. Thunderous quakes and rumbles, gong strikes with an utterly devastating reverbs paint a impending sense of might and mystery. It steadily calms across the minutes to suddenly erupt with a deep pounding drum and ceremonial melody of ritualistic fever. Its swaying between these ideas in the closing stage will let the imagination run wild as this baron world finds density.

Reading the albums footnotes, one can see this vision of a world set ablaze by the corruption of mysterious magics and ancient rituals really come to life in the music. The minimalism in composure is oozing in this depth of tone and the mystique that comes with it is simply a dark delight. It revels and embellishes these lonely, ancient alluring synths and gothic choir voicing with a timeless quality as its long passages meander and break down the sense of forward momentum. It is a world unraveling.

Most of these record have been immersive in the moment but I have not frequented one like this. The experience is engulfing and I think the producer may of had a hand. I was surprised to read The Scepter had teamed up with talent Arthur Rizk, producer of Cavalera Conspiracy, Code Orange and Power Trip. To what extent he played a roll in bringing this incredibly deep and foreboding sound to the table, I don't know but this has been a giant leap forward for the Old Tower project and the best album to date.

Rating: 8/10

Old Tower "Seelenasche" (2020)

Alongside Drachenblut and Finsterströmung, the Dutch musician and Dungeon Synth master Old Tower completes the "dark alchemy" trilogy with this newest release. Once again its three songs of dark, spiritual, meditative music with an eerie and unsettled quality. My immediate enjoyment of Seelenasche had me pondering on my complaints around musicians or bands getting stuck on a sound, failing to progress. In this case the premise of a trilogy has firmly set expectation and they have been met. This was purposefully the musical experience I wanted, however it is the weaker of the three.

Seelenasche sounds rather reserved and less adventurous in comparison. The mystique and tension is loosened as its commonly reverberated instruments are paced at a slow tempo with soft, inviting melodies gracing the rather welcoming droning of base horns that make up the atmospheric backdrop. The Chasm Within plays out a more mysterious tone with its lead instrument sounding lost and lonely in the beginning as the song builds up its layers to then meander back into isolation. Its all fair however the sense of lurking evil or a coming event simply isn't in these tracks, they are far more pleasant, relaxed and inviting, which is fine of course.

As the final, title track, rolls around the tempo and spirit picks up, ushering in triumphant horns over a smiling base line. With a couple more layers its denser tone feels as if the sun has touched it. A sense of gleam and wonder arises, perhaps in the wake of light flooding the deep dungeons this music so often conjures. Maybe this warmer climate creates a nice conclusion for the trilogy, a final resting place. Either way I have enjoyed all thirds. I'm excited to see what Old Tower comes up with next!

Favorite Track: Seelenasche

Rating: 5/10

Hexenkraft "Deep Space Invocations: Volume I" (2019)

With an album titled Permadeath looming in the distance, actually to be released the day the masses storm Area 51, this Dark Ambient two track record caught me by surprise. It is reminiscent of both the Starcraft and Diablo OST's, which Matt Uelman had a hand in both. Its janky spacecraft industrial noises and synths mixed alongside sinister strings, foreboding horns and eerily plucked acoustic guitars sounds like a natural allegiance of the game themes. The two eight minute songs share a brilliant aesthetic pallet primed with complimenting instruments that bridge classical sounds of isolated pianos and warning strings with gaunt bursts of electronic buzzing and mechanical whirling synths. Its held together with spacious percussive sounds, often lingering in reverb and leaning into Industrial smashes and strikes as spurs of tempo muster up brief and claustrophobic surges of rhythmic pounding, mostly dispelling back into uneasy temperament.

The songs are lengthy, slow in pace and forever brooding, usually on a sense of dread or void drifting loneliness. The songs progress swaying from one moment to the next with no arching conclusion or consequence. These are snapshots of time, danger lurking, sometimes growing to close for comfort but never arriving. Its underlying tone setter, the strings, sometimes pianos and guitars too, tend to linger on a few musical themes that lack a sense of evolution. As backing music this undoubtedly sets a vivid atmosphere to be indulged in. At the forefront these instruments lack of progression or movement into an expressive phase becomes quite frustrating. There are many moments and opportunities for the swells of mysterious sound to bust into life with a melody or chord progression. That however is what made the aforementioned soundtracks so fantastic. This doesn't have to be that, but it certainly broods a particular atmosphere ripe for deployment.

Rating: 5/10

Kate Tempest "The Book Of Traps And Lessons" (2019)

I was dead excited for this release, Everybody Down and Let Them Eat Chaos made quite the impact. Kate's heavy and burdensome poetry paired with impoverished Hip Hop instrumentals made quite a unique potion of the classic formula. This time around there is a clear shift in tone, the limelight lands firmly on Kate as the pace and foundation of drum beats are far between one another. The subtlety of dark ambience pianos, strings and atmospheric keys softly shade the space around her words.

It plays like a poetry piece mustering winds of momentum as the instruments occasionally pick up the musky tone and carry it along. Kate is otherwise quite the smothering ache of your attention. The bleak and quiet despair of mundane existence grasps her words as details of failed relationships, social pressure and societal observations manifest into spiraling thought worms. Occasional flickers of wisdom, conclusion or relief linger but the majority of this record is quite a weight on the listener.

The tenderness and vulnerability captured in her voice seals the authenticity of this expression. Wordplay, narrative and innuendo interweave as trains of consciousness collide with thawed out thoughts, articulated to an exhibit. Its undoubtedly deep and comes in waves of topics, feeling like a linear narrative that seems to fly all over the place. There is much to chew through here however its not quite for me.

The problem I have with this record is how doom and gloom the tone is. Both introspection and outwards reflection finds no light between the clouds. It becomes a downtrodden journey sucking away mood when the already quite instrumentals strip to a silence. Kate's words are inescapable in these moments and her words ring the alarms a degree to paranoid for my taste. These big topics tackled are done so with a bias for the depressing and despite a beauty in her language its path is one that brings you with it. The uplift and conclusion it ends with too feels in too much contrast to all that came before. Its an unsatisfying and forceful look into the shadows.

Favorite Track: Firesmoke

Rating: 5/10

Old Tower "Finsterströmung" (2019)

From disappointment to delight, today we have a release Id been anticipating for some time. In the few days since its released Ive binged and enjoyed every moment of the mysterious and esoteric experience. It is the first new project from Old Tower this year and the second of the "grim alchemy trilogy"... Ill admit that made me chuckle for some time. The first chapter was Drachenblut and like it, three dark and meditative tracks are assembled for a short plunge into a conspiratorial loneliness of abandoned hallways and crumbling ruins where mischief lurks beyond the shadows.

There is a clearer sense of voicing than I remember, as the artist moves further away from the core styling of Dungeon Synth. Once again choral synths are woven in with deep reverberations and atmospheric vibrations. In the mix a monk like voice sounds lost in between layers of foggy sound on Saturn's Essence. It has a menacing pace as strikes of drums echoing from the deep create an unsettling presence lurking in the beyond, keeping one on edge. The following title track is my favorite, the construct is similar but a lighter tone dominates as bells and star like synth glisten with a dark magical energy. Given the trilogy name, it is this track I can most envision some musky robed magician hunched over a messy workbench of chemicals and jars of animal parts. Its not a striking image but it would suit the musics pallet.

Moonchamber sees out the short project on the most minimal of tracks. It builds slowly to the mid point where more voicing come into play as the monk returns. They are now cries from the depth lingering on a collapse into the darkness. The ambiguity here plays a fantastic roll in capturing a moment not fully immeresed in darkness and that is what I like most about Old Tower. How the evil in the music isn't overplayed, its used to explore a wider sense of mystery in darkness. This progression more towards Dark Ambient is fantastic and these three new songs are too, can't wait for the final chapter now!

Rating: 6/10

Violet Cold "Magic Night" (2016)

Hailing from Azerbaijan and claiming to be an "AI simulated music project", this beautifully bleak and tranquil take on Atmospheric Black Metal doesn't gain any special quality from its claimed origins. The aesthetic no doubt is a work of human ear. The shrill tremolo guitar, gently cushioned by reverb, is mixed sweetly alongside deeply uplifting choral synths of awe and wonder. The drums push blast beats on occasion but mostly fall back on half paces with lots of pedal work, holding down a driving tempo for the synths and guitars to create a wash of astral, serene noise to indulge in. Accompanying pianos and glossy synthetic instruments cut through wall of buffering sound to add lead melodies and thematic progressions through rather minimal use of melody as the songs repeat many sections over and over.

Despite its highly repetitive nature and a lack of vocals to shape up passageways, its aesthetic construct is so luscious and intoxicating one will simply drift into the blissful existential beauty. Where does the AI come into this? I suspect that many melodies and drum patterns may have been generated through music tools and stitched together where appropriate. At its core this is very simple and repetitive music but its keen aesthetic design and concepts, like breaking up its wall of sound with piano, interludes keep the music interesting as that uplifting state is returned to after respites. For Amelie may be an exception, a classical piano piece reminding me of VNV Nation melodies and a hint of Chopin too, its hard to think of this song as composed by AI.

The record sustains this blissful construct throughout. Despite a lack of diversity in progression, its shifts in synth tone and varying assembly of the same formula work. The question for me now is how long does this hold up? And where do I find more? This has a similar tone to Saor and Kauan, it could even signal a sub-sub genre within Post-Black Metal. Superb record, almost meditative at times, toning back the aggression from the drums would probably serve it wells as its best passing moments are always on the half beats when the music mellows out and cruises along.

Favorite Tracks: Everything You Can Imagine Is Real, Sea, Silver Moon, Last Day On Earth

Rating: 7/10

Arkhtinn "VI" (2018)

This sixth installment in the Arkhtinn series is another two halves of blisteringly nihilistic Black Metal and creepy ambiguous Dark Ambient noise. Chapters IV and V both steadily progressed in opening up the aesthetic clarity, or dampening the lack off it. VI follows in this trend, sounding a fraction clearer but most notably hits an impressive stride in its opening segment. Pummeling monotonous blast beats and astral synths play with the perpetual epic scaling foundational to the music. Its another race to the depths of the cold, lonely void and with a sweet succession of stake raising atmosphere through annihilating rapid pedal work, the track soars to new heights.

The pace thickens as slews of monstrous, howling screams of agony play up the inklings of melody and tune that crescendo this surging start. It then hits a pivot point with the typical Darkspace dominant guitar chug smothering the musics tone. From this point onward its a progressive maze of ideas with recurring themes. A hard hitting and sinister guitar riffs that take center stage at first, then shifts tone as hauntings of astral melodies fall into rotation. The song fails to lock back into a sense of linage, although some of the sections around the sixteen minute mark rescue a sense of direction and conclusion but it too falls to sudden shifts that feel unconnected.

Its Ambient counterpart has been the least interesting so far. Its a lengthy slog of ambiguous noises. Hums and drones of bells clatter in a dungeon like atmosphere. One can feel the fog drifting through unlit and dank corridors, chambers and rooms. Unsavory whispering voices can be heard rumbling under the fog and as the echos bounce around, the song slowly musters up intensity as groans turn into rumbling growls and screams build up into intense swells. It breaths and contracts but nether reaches a shift it tone or an event, it just drones on and on. Some progression and direction would of made it far more interesting, once you decipher whats going on that's about it. The track just lingers on its main idea. This chapter has some of their best but also suffers stagnating song design of perpetual shifts worse than before.

Rating: 6/10

Arkhtinn "V" (2017)

Back for another plunge into the cosmic abyss we plunder V, the fifth Arkhtinn chapter. Although structured with the same two track format, both the shivery cold Black Metal onslaught and its complimenting Dark Ambient piece make their distinctions. Opening with an astral gleam of shimmering distant stars, its mysterious synths get to breath and make themselves known between the angular walls of sound we shall be battered with. When the blast beat thunders and the ferocity engulfs, slow and steady guitar chords let the synths flicker through in an epic delight. It opens up to a true sense of ascension and the drums switch into a double pedal blitz that rolls too its own groove.

As a rare moment of suspended calm takes hold, the fractured nature of the songs design reveals before the flick of a switch plunges us again into peril-less void only illuminated by the flickering astral synths. The guitars again offer elongated power chords showing a wider range of temperaments, eventually leading into more chunky palm muted guitar grooves. It furthers its descent with a break of unsettled bleakness, a psychedelic guitar lead shimmers from the shadows with a touch of Oranssi Pazuzu black magic! The song finds its way back to shrill pummeling and howling roars as an enchanting lead guitar climaxes the music around the thirteen minute mark.

From that point the song again shifts through similar phases, meandering through an extended section of unsettling synths that give one last burst of horror as a final blast of black noise surprises the listener. Its a far more diverse song with clear and stronger influences from traditional Symphonic Black Metal taking hold, yet its progression and structure do not birth more than the momentary arrangements. They do however dazzle in the spectacular darkness of low-fidelity mysteria. It makes for a far more memorable song but strays from the formula, probably for the best.

Its eighteen minute counterpart is more of a freight than the last Ambient piece. Its slew of mysterious and esoteric synths are complimented by howls and screams that lurk in the shadows and ride cold winds into focus. Its melodies elude and plenty of ambiguous rumblings create an atmosphere of wonder suspended before the arrival of dreaded horrors. An illuminating track keen to liven any imagination for the darker side. Overall this is a much better record, maybe the band show signs of developing a more refined and unique approach to the Darkspace motif. Lets see where they go!

Rating: 7/10

Arkhtinn "IV" (2017)

It felt like a blessing to have finally stumbled upon another band emulating the shivering abyss of existential dread Darkspace once conjured. It immediately caught my ear once I heard the distinct lack of high range frequency and a claustrophobic aesthetic. The same tropes are deployed, bass and distortion guitars meld with relentless blast beats to form a nauseating force of ambiguous dark pummeling. Its discernible nature is its mystique, setting the tone for synths to rise from the deathly depths and plunge the listener through a sense of cascading epic that I simply adore.

This mysterious French bands albums are all free to devour on bandcamp. I decided to start here at the forth installment because the first free have raw and ropy production, too much for my tastes. This record, like all the others, comprises of two similar length songs. The first twenty minutes are the evil ecstasy and the second half a Dark Ambient piece of droning sounds relishing in their ambiguous form. Tension is mounted and sustained as an atmosphere of unease gets conjured by these soft and eerie drones that creek and groan over the soft underlying organ alike synth tone. Its brooding, frightful and slightly dystopian.

The Black Metal song is mainly kicked along by its underbelly of rising synth that queues all the musical shifts. Its chord changes feel like a revelation as the suspense of the unending pummeling is pivoted to new heights without changing its onslaught. The guitar work finds its roll in tremolo picking scaling melodies that rise and fall with menace. Towards the latter stages the song breaks up the flow with chunky rhythm guitar chugging, much like Darkspace do. After that point the darkness seems to ponder on the same intensity and lacks a gratifying conclusion.

The vocals are a treat too, mean beastly growls and shrill harrowing screams are elongated consistently. They have a traditional edge but the reverberations and low fidelity capturing lets them slip right into the sound design as another layer of despair. The record is a real pleasure, to finally have something new from a niche I adore. I particularly love the astral, spacial feel of the music. With a keen ear one can hear the glistening of stars flickering as glimmers of glossy synth barely peaking through the wall of utterly ferocious sound. Great record, can't wait for the next installment.

Rating: 6/10

Steve Roach "Eclipse Mix" (2017)

In the mood for more meditative music I stumbled onto a free, hour long release from Ambient master Steve Roach! It is initially quite the uneventful and hard to pin down record as its soft alluring drones of calmness continuously perpetuate the stillness of space. The spacial humming murmurs illusive creaks of notes that fall like a blanket, one big blur of rising sound that makes a moment feel eternal. The knobs and dials of Steve's synthesizers are tweaked to that magic tone where the reverberations ooze into one another as gleaming synths seem to turn over each other without collision. It grows in intensity, its repeating elements building up and then unwind.

The calm, inviting space carved in the beginning of the track gives way to a darker shift as the twenty minute mark passes. Eerie, uneasy synths bring disharmony to the forefront with buried, disjointed melodies and reverberations that sound reversed to unsettle the listener. Whenever enjoy the relaxing music in the background, it doesn't take long to notice this shift in tone as one feels on edge in its presence. Beyond this phase the music rears itself on an icy path, the warmth and fire of the two opening phases seem distant, the tone is of limbo, as the new setting holds hints of these differing dynamics yet is suspended between them all.

It lacks the distinct and consistent tone of the opening, always unsettled by subtly shifting and allowing for big, glacial synth tones to rise, melt and flood the soundscape. It may be devoid of obvious melody but it becomes quite eventful in the final phases as big brooding sounds revolve around each other and cut the stillness like passing monoliths, inanimate but massive in scope and presence. All in all its a really enjoyable hour when in the right mood. I sought something out and got exactly what I was looking for! Best of all it was free on Steve's bandcamp page!

Rating: 6/10

Old Tower "Keepers Of The Ancient Flame" (2015)

Mistakenly I thought this was Old Tower's first release that I had selected to enjoy next. I learn now this is actually the second. It has the expectant inklings of an early form, music yet to mature to its distinction and baring the more common tropes of the genre. As one eighteen minute track uniting five individual songs it has some charm however its production is yet to allure to those deep and foggy reverberations that bring about meditative states. Its final song does make use of the organ we often hear this paired with but at this stage the music usually focuses around a single, isolated instrument, forming dull and lonesome atmospheres of degradation and decay.

In its opening tracks a forlorn world is envisioned. Sounds of ambiguous destitute create eerie rumblings as winds of secluded whispering voices dance around a solitary instrument. The atmosphere is decrepit and ruined, only echos remain of the horrors once held. The arrival of bright synths turn the tone away from ambiguity only to be interrupted by the growing presence of bothersome rumblings and a crashing strike of lightning unleashes a spooky horn like voice, murmuring, communicating from the depths under the soft pattering of rain. 

From that point we don't return, the punchy, colorful synths glisten us through a simplistic fantasy realm of gleaming horns echoing softly into themselves. Its cloudy and scenic but quite the departure from the gloom and mystique before it. After that the organ signs the record off on a lull after some owl hoots and creepy sound design but its doesn't flow. For a listener a handful of different ideas are put together with not much cohesion however they are all of similar realms which the song names hint at. Its a fair record and I did enjoy my listening.

Rating: 4/10

Old Tower "Ruination" (2017)

In the age of ever changing release formats we have Ruination, The New Darn Cometh, simply a lone nine minute track of meditative Dungeon Synth, the defining style of Dutch musician Old Tower. Its another gloomy and atmospheric piece of brooding, darkly synth that could be placed right alongside The Rise Of The Scepter, released earlier that year. Its pallet and range of events are limited in scope but its sense power to conjure rural visions of dark, foreboding medieval times are on form.

Horns and trumpets of isolated glory sound of the song as a familiar vale of deep foggy synths mystifies its leading melodies, one can see a stoic castle being consumed by heavenly clouds sweeping in over cold and unforgiving moors of a harder time for man. Its crawling pace steadily brews its way towards a break of soft choral choirs that allure in gong strikes and a sense of epic that drifts gently out of focus without a peak. At its end a murmurous melody of lonely mischief winds out the last minutes of the song on a whimper. As a reasonable song packaged within a short project, the music yearns to be part of something bigger but is lonesome. Old Tower has a spell bounding and wondrous sound that I wish to indulge in for far longer.

Rating: 2/10

Lycia "In Flickers" (2018)

I'll always be interested in some Ethereal Darkwave from Lycia. If its their classic Cold or the more recent A Line That Connects, it conjures a meditative mood Ive truly grown to love. They were one of a handful of bands to drew me to this cold, soothing and introspective sound that tinges on psychedelia. In Flickers has the experience I expected, forty three minutes of bleak, gloomy and forever drifting music. Its gentle and sombre in its pacing, soothing and indulgent with its reverb soaked instruments. We float precariously in a stasis of limbo, with purgatory just beyond our vision. Its a beautiful place that does not need anything happy or upbeat to be so.

For a moment the record surprised me as its second song, A Failure, includes the use of bold buzz saw synths and a punchier precussive beat that gives it a little feet moving dance and gusto. This shaped up my expectation to potentially hear an unleashing of a potent twist on the bands well defined sound. Unfortunately it wasn't so. Another one, Mist, returns to the idea for its almost five minute duration but two out of ten tracks leaves a musical idea that clearly works thoroughly unexplored. The chemistry only seems to give another dimension without taking anything away.

Through its shades of intensity and reworkings of the slow, dreary gothic soundscapes each song possesses, Rewrite stands out for its embracing of of a thick, distant and haunting sound at the heart of the song. Possibly a distortion guitar, the sound is lavished in effect pedals and comes through dense wall of ambiguous shadows. Its climatic melody soars with an unsettling darkness. Its forever marching baseline drives the song stride forward through this darkness in epic wonder.

In Flickers has all the hallmarks, slow and soft drums patter at humble pacing. Reverberated synths build snowy, chilling atmospheres and the singing of duo Mike and Tara bring arcane chorals and deeply spoken words to the fold within the composition style. Its very enjoyable and suited to its particular mood, with only a few sparks that transcend expectation Id say its a fair record, one for fans of the sound and a great introduction for those curios in Darkwave and Ethereal music.

Favorite Tracks: A Failure, Mist, 34 Palms, Rewrite, Autumn Into Winter

Rating: 6/10

Old Tower "Drachenblut" (2018)

Short but sweet and very welcome, this three track release from Old Tower casts a familiar spell of meditative mysticism from dungeon ruins and forbidden lands. Its opening track is a spark of its own. Devoid of melody and even progression, this dreary drone of moody, spooky, esoteric sounds murmur repetitiously as the airy creaking of breath creates a state of suspension, as if one stumbled into the chambers of a hideous beast, safely locked in an eternal sleep. The soundscape oozes like an organic mess locked in the same loop, little creaks of volume shifts play out before it reaches a conclusion led by what sound like laser blasts. It forges a feeling of false reality that I adore. I very peculiar and unique song, one to experience.

The accompanying numbers are both two and a half minutes, not quite the epic format of ten or more minute tracks I had come to know. Storms Of The Dragon's Spells throws me back to the empirical vibes of Spectral Horizons. Deep bellowing, mystic and arcane choral synths builds a mighty atmosphere, the deep thundering of steeply reverberated but barely audible rumbling noises set the tone for the song to erupt in an evil triumph as gongs crash, thunders roar and a stoic melody reigns supreme.

Drachenblut adorns the spooky realm with eerie, unsettling organs and broken piano melodies that play like a percussive line. Once again a thick layer of foggy synths collide to make a rich and spell bounding atmosphere that's over a little to soon for my taste. Its first song is a gem of its own but the following two feel like sections out of the previous formula of lengthy songs that shift through several phases. I can't complain though, I am really enjoying this musician and reminded there is more in the back catalog.

Favorite Track: The Silence Beneath The Ancient Grounds

Rating: 5/10

Old Tower "Stellary Wisdom" (2018)

Stellary Wisdom is another two track release from the Dutch Dungeon Synth composer Old Tower. Both of the songs that make up this release clock in at fifteen minutes, both traversing their individual phases with fade outs and blunt transitions yet this time they blur the lines as the mood is held firmly together in its couple of angular shifts. This release is distinctly different from the low-fi and dingy realm of Spectral Horizons. It deploys the same grandiose strikes of gongs and has a similar compositional attributes yet Its clearer production and aesthetics lets the wave forms of synthetic instruments strike their own mystery and intrigue with soft reverbs and sweeping transformations of oscillation in lengthy notes.

Its minimalism is far more obvious as much of the record is propped up on one or two synths. It always seems to have the right texture to evoke a much deeper atmosphere than one might presume. The first track closes its quarter hour duration with an oddly airy, knife like synth cutting through the silence with its bleak and metallic tone that whirls like a mechanized wind, yet created by no one. The value of craft is not to be understated as the aesthetics play a huge role.

A shift in tone is felt as the following title track opens with softer wave forms and light chorals. It finds its way to a lengthy passage of minimalism where once again just two instruments resonate of one another with a spiritual meditative state that embraces its bleak loneliness. One can envision themselves as a sole conscious entity, roaming the endless beauty of mother nature in the peril of this unending burden.

This is quite possibly my favorite Old Tower release, its spell seems to be far more encompassing and with every spin I find a meditative state in the wake of its softly droning synths and slow atmospheric brooding. It comes close to tapping into some of the minimalist magic I first heard by Burzum with his tracks Tomhet and Rundgang Um Die Transzendentale Saule Der Singularitat. Its a particular spell I rarely hear musicians come close to. They may have the charm of bonds formed with firsts and youthful freshness but I do hear creaks of that charm in the lengthy passageways of minimal construct on this record. That is a positive thing to say the least.

Rating: 7/10