One to slip straight into my "Dungeon Synth Focus" playlist, Hoardlegend revels in a deep rumbling mystery of epic stoic ambiguity. Lofty ambiences flood the foundations, a fog of unshakable presence murmuring from the depths below. From it arises distant smatterings of percussion, the thuds of doom drums echo upwards with a temporal sluggishness to rid it of any groove or tempo. Aligned with occasional strikes of cymbals and gongs, it outfits a rather simplistic set of ideas into a grandiose tension.
These eight chapters simmer in stature. Resting on a slow yet unmovable iceberg-like drift. Its as if one watches the space between heaven and hell from a empowered distance. Angels and demons at endless war among eternal clouds of the afterlife. Equally, ones imagination could venture on similar scales to a vast underground setting. Barbarian Mines clearly suggests a cavernous might of Dwarven proportions, its increased tempo and droning thuds certainly have a work-like rhythm about them.
The following Crystalline Flame ditches its low foreboding rumble for an airy shimmering excursion, a mysterious ascension devoid of destination, guided by an elongated flute melody and swelling synths. Its a rare moment of variety among steady temperament, fixated on a visualized settings, explored thoroughly in lengthy stays. Wonderful for conjuring a focused frame of mind with a Dungeon Synth tint.
On closer analysis, Hoardlegend is rather simplistic, lacking complexity with slow drawn out melodies, housed in chords that shift in a disconnected movement. Its brilliant at achieving an aesthetic experience, reveling in a Wagner-like militant tension, but one wont be taking away melodies from the experience. For all its mighty stature, no theater, event or progression is to be found. This is simply a collection of well built scenery sets for one to indulge in, if it happens to spark your imagination in the same way.
Rating: 6/10