Old Tower "Portrait Of A Medieval Presence " (2024)

On form, like its impressive predecessor Draconic Synthesis, Old Tower continues in a chilling stride, painting eight unnamed portraits of meditative Dark Ambience. Set in Medieval times, these soundscapes yolk an esoteric mythos from embellished nostalgia of ancient, eerie times. These lonely atmospheres linger on delicate aesthetics, chiming ambiguity with soft instrumentation and scenic sound design. Whispering voices in the distance, unsettled fire crackling, ritualistic chants of worship and mysterious murmurs all lurch within these shadowy slices of lost time.

Mostly subdued and one dimensional upon inspection, the mastery emerges when attention is split. A powerful current of persuasion shapes ones mood as the rhythm of each picture settles in. Portrait V is the most animation, a rattle of perverse church bells call out over the cold countryside. Each eruption of bells is jarring. Portrait I opens the record with a beautifully chilling organ climaxing the short songs conclusion with drama. These moments of instrument augmentation are often a key delight.

Portrait VIII was my favorite. The arrival of percussion pivots the song into a mystical stride, its shimmering synths conjuring the sense of a cryptic presence. It rides these feeling well, as do many songs, establishing an aching ambience with nightly terror and occult suggestion lurking safely at a distance. Another impressive effort, perhaps constrained a little by these notions of Portraits. They feel perfectly suited as soundtrack moments for a horror film or evil themed video game.

 Rating: 6/10

Soley "HEX" (2024)

 

Its been a minute since we've heard from Soley. This short movie soundtrack lures us back into her creepy side. The opening theme conspires a soft whirl of 60s sci-fi horror synth with haunting layers eerie voices. It has just enough strangled percussion to muster a Victorian freak show theatrical charm. Powerful but brief. After a stint of tense dark ambience, Entering Of The Witches reignites this flame, a spaghetti western guitar spangle soured by mischievous choral voices floating through limbo. It to is halted by short duration not looking to flesh out the experience into a full song.

Desert is different, starting out a quirky oddity of childlike innocence, colliding with thee obscure. Soley's voice enters tame and gentle, getting lost as atmospheric ambiguities melt into the forefront with cursed shapeless intensities. As crescendo approaches, never arriving, she disappears, only for the cackle of crows to cry through the eerie ether. Her return brings harmony to this restlessness, a powerful resolve.

Nostalgia briefly dabbles in spooky de-tuned piano melodies but ambles back into the shadows swiftly. The nature of this format forces Soley into brief compositions, complimenting the cinema setting. Even with those limitations, flashes of brilliance still arise, a reminder she has much to offer. A craft still strong from chilling inspirations.

Rating: 4/10

Tineidae & Sole Massif "Remnants Of War" (2024)

 

Although Remnants Of War is themed around the aftermath of AI fulled armageddon, I could not escape its dramatic cover art. Reminiscent of the cult Japanese Cyberpunk flick Tetsuo, I've absorbed this one with metallic body horror in mind. Learning now of its true intention, the cinematic vision locks into place. These desolate soundscapes paint dystopian terror as the unease of soft synths collide with ghostly mechanical buzzes and whirling sparks, echoing on through tainted winds. Worbling electronic voices churn from automated warfare wreckage, a poisoned landscape, terrain now littered with cybernetic corpses. As far as eyes see, an endless sprawl of technological annihilation claims mother nature herself as collateral damage.

Its only tuneful moments stem from brief surges of soulless arpeggio saw-wave cycling. It births intense motion out of lifeless scenery. The tension derived suggests the presence of a surviving robotic killing machine, scanning the area for life, a dangerous prospect for us observers. Otherwise its charm resides in dense atmospheric dark ambience, littered with sound effect design to paint maddening scenarios in the mind of the listener. My favorite moments are the subtle whirls and buzzes, hints of wrecked machines with robotic systems attempting to function. So too, distorted voices add mystery. Seeming like scrambled recordings they possibly hint human life is transmitting from somewhere... or are simply remnants of the war.

Rating: 6/10

Steve Roach, Kevin Braheny & Michael Stearns "Desert Solitaire" (1987)

 

Mesmerized by opening track Flatlands, my morning walks exploring the cliffy sandstone shores of southern Portugal were elevated by its meditative qualities. Fit for the sunny Mediterranean climate, a rhythmic trance of exotic percussion guides us through unforgettable swells of dense soothing tone. Cycling through several stellar synths, blushes of warmth arrive on the heels of the prior rescinding surge. Emotions stir through apt chord selections on occasion too. Its a remarkable track, one I've returned to often, however this time, I was reminded that its appearance on Journeys To The Infinite, which I've covered previously, was a hand picked compilation of works.

I'm sadden to report, Desert Solitaire does not expand its opening majesty. More so, it picks apart its pieces, rearranging them into lengthy stints, sharing those initial aesthetic suggestions. With a theme of solitude in desolate regions, scorn by the heat of our sun in daytime, the record quietly picks through temperaments, moments of grandeur and scenic suggestions all laid bare through competent track titling.

A handful of songs try too cut the mold, Knowledge & Dust deploys an irritating stereo-pan, attempting trippy disorientation. Shiprock shifts its instrumental drone with a shrill cutting synth to usher in eerie nightly sounds. Empty Time returns this high pitched whine to conjure in baron horns and percussion on a lifeless wandering that seems to leads nowhere. These three are also the weaker pieces on the record.

Labyrinth feels completely out of place, a nightly spell of bleak, cloud swept skies converging on imitate dusk. A lurch of conspiracy and lonely unease wrestles with its subtle reliefs of tension that dissipate like waves on a beach. Its a stunning piece of darkly atmosphere but more fitting of a Dungeon Synth record to these ears.

The other remaining songs flesh out the tones heard on Flatlands. Those swells of tone, now elongated into soothing drones to transform your imaginations. Its all to typical of this genre to comment on deeper but a handful of them merit return for conjuring these meditative moods, this time with a warmer climate than usual.

Rating: 6/10

Caldon Glover "Metrophagy" (2024)

Here's one from the Dark Ambient vaults, a cinematic venture that's clearly driven by world building through its devastating atmospheres. This is no musical affair but a craft of sound design terror. Devoid of melody and rhythm, a textured layering of sounds brood unsettled tensions that tremor and quake with abandon. Hellishly cold and unforgiving, gentle swells of airy synths breed ambiguity over the creeks, groans and aches of its many murmuring lifeless voices. These are forlorn ghosts, desolate noises wandering an urban graveyard. Visions of an apocalyptic nightmare manifest in a post-life state, a technological nihilism of self-annihilation that's stripped this world of its habitability, leaving behind a scared wasteland of concrete, metal and electronics.

At least, that is the vision that arises for me, perhaps its cover art planted the seed of suggestion for a such a vision to manifest. I see a futuristic cyberpunk metropolis laid to ruins, with the sense of something evil lurking within but the evil is the place itself, like a densely radiated city-scape hostile to life itself, where a gush of wind could yield fatality. This one is hard to assess, enjoyment depends a lot on mood, Accelerated Decay and Liber Spiralis where the most powerful cuts. Paired with a visual movie matching this theme would be utterly intense! One can only dream of such shuddering cinematics.

Rating: 7/10

Moutain Realm "Frostfall" (2024)

 

A soft, recent fondness for Greyshadow Ruins had initial excitements lulled by the subdued nature of this tempered beast. Mountain Realm caught my ear for a shapely craft of Dungeon Synth venturing into the darker leanings of Fantasy themes with a meditative quality. Frostfall aptly achieves this again, yet to less fanfare with familiarity taking hold. This similarly structured set of short synth pieces is the quieter of the pair. Routinely drifting into glacial strides devoid of any urgency, a glum dankness steadies as its main thematic feeling, fit for the damp dark dungeon realms it clearly aspires to.

Stripped out are the moments of reprieve from a gloomy yet meditative nature. On the prior record, sparkly melodies would flux from ambiguities into focus, creating a sense of spectacle among these sullen tones. Here they are suppressed, present but drawn further into retreat. We trudge through fuzzy murmuring of ambling bass. Organ like synths drone with sombreness, even choral chants seems burdensome and lonely.

The whole record dials into its own shadow. Seemingly a negative, yet only when trying to focus on its present merits. Leave this on in the background and calmly, without notice, will it delicately transcend your surroundings, ascending to somewhere sequestered, cloudy and dead yet spiritually soothing and serine. Its an odd record to enjoy, brilliant in its own peculiar way, yet tired on these old ears for now.

Rating: 4/10

Paths Of The Eternal "Search Of True Ascendance" (2019)

 

The allure of Dungeon Synth has sunk in its claws again! Bestowed by the Spotify shuffle, Hidden Scriptures caught my ear. An esoteric passing spell, dream swept and hazy, its layering of mystic melodies keenly reminiscent of classic Trolldom had sucked me in for more. I'd actually passed on Paths Of The Eternal's first demo years back. I'm here now and adoring its meditative qualities, an ancient spooky synth with spiritual qualities that warmly arise from its nostalgic foundations. I have a particular fondness for its opening A Mystic Premonition that deploys virtual instruments distinctly similar to that used on my own Dungeon Synth project, Forgotten Conquest.

Bone Guardians toys with castly medieval magic. Horns shout triumphant, strong and proud, its clattering percussion hinting at the wheels of war yet retaining this cheerful warmth in its grasp. This animated, uplifting start gently gives way to esoteric magics and droning ambiences. The music mulls on its dulled mood, seeking solitary atmospheres over the flushes of melodies that defined its bright opening stint.

Its closing track, The Highest Chamber, seems to unite these ideas, returning elements of its colorful start to this secluded, lonesome stretch. Culminating with human voices, it lands its lengthy voyage with some finality. Search Of True Ascendance has been a riveting return to some classic Dungeon Synth vibes mixed with entrancing meditative qualities. That excitement wore off swiftly tho, the shift in tone and pace midway sadly not as enduring as its opening four songs were.

Rating: 6/10

Mountain Realm "Greyshadow Ruins" (2023)

Imbued by the powers of thematic suggestion, Greyshadow Ruins' sleeve artwork and track titling aptly fits the dusky, seldom mood that awaits within. An array of Casio and Korg akin keyboard synths greets us, whispering cautious tales of what once lurked in this now abandoned place. Dressed in glum, dusty aesthetics, each of these brief stints ventures upon forgotten tales and mythic settings to fulfill its titles promise.

Mountain Realm takes an even handed approach, an acute balance of mystic synth tones, edging towards a minimalist design at times. I most adored this eerie, curious magical glistening sound that emerged from blurry shadows on tracks like Crystal Pool, Goblin Cave, Pyre & Mana Flask. Its other half, a more traditional castly vibe, conjures familiar nostalgia's with a smidge of Wizzards and Orcs battle fever.

Dungeon Synth has been thoroughly explored by this traveler, not much surprises me now. Competent executions of familiar inspirations like this are enjoyable but leaves me stumped when it comes to finding words. I end up repeating myself, as does a fair bit of this record in terms of retreading territory. There is potential here, yet currently it fits well within the confines of expectation from a genre I adore but lacks progression.

Rating: 5/10

Darkspace "-II" (2024)

 

Surprise evaporates into disappointment. After a decade long hiatus, Darkspace mysteriously re-emerge from the void armed with negative two, a singular forty seven minute epic that adds little to their repitour. With a particular breed of cosmic Black Metal, this trio forge dense, unforgiving walls of bleak sound. A droning masquerade of astral oddities channeled through unsettling grimace. Condensed guitars thrum and whir in discontent, bleed with subtle stellar synths to brood an aesthetic mesmerizing an eerie embrace of the vast measureless void. From endless shadows, beastly groans and guttural howls malign themselves with steely tremolo plucked melodies, descending with a sinister stance. Powered on by shuddering, thudding sub kicks, the music groans, burdened by its union with the abandon of an infinite nothing.

The track is suited to ambient appreciations of its darkly flavor, maneuvering between mellowed lurches and impending brevity in bleak lengthy passages. The album feels like three distinct sections with intentional retreats from its darkest plunges. Despite this, the crawling pace didn't birth a sense of reaching anything climatic or conclusive. It simply arises, then sinks back into the black. Not to suggest the ride was sluggish, more of a suspended astonishment that never arrives. I recall being enthralled by their prior effort III I. After ten years hoping a return might one day occur, this record felt as if no time had passed at all, a very familiar sound reignited without a sniff of evolution.

Rating: 6/10

Ziggurath "True North" (2024)

 
With a swift and sudden departure from their prior Jungle Synth effort, Ziggurath pivots again. Now venturing on a chilly expedition, True North tentatively explores desolate atmosphere from a sullen, lone perspective. Glacial pace sets tone as broody bass synths, howling winds and distant gulls guide lonesome melodies on its journey. Pace is sparse, its ninety minutes frequently linger, drawing out its main sound design. The album sleeve feels fitting, a ghostly ship on a lost voyage, the lingering presence of icy death incarnate through a menacing skulls gaze.

Aptly named Hearthfire Inn, fire-crackles and lutes warm the bones, a refuge from the relentless frost that awaits. From here on, only glimmers of cultural instrumentation echo in the distant fog. Howling dogs, swirling winds and rehashes of its brooding atmosphere drag on. Through Halls Of Ruined Splendour offers shimmering sounds of wonder over the backdrop of crashing waves and the creaks of aged floor boards.

From here, iterations on the established sound design intensify, shying away from anything vivid, only offering glimpses of music to latch onto. Then Someone Dies offers a passing funeral dirge, a glum, drained march of sadness. The final track, True North, goes all in, attempting to offer a gratifying conclusion but coming up short. A surge of melodies underpinned by choral synths and soft organ hum doesn't quite land as intended, given the lack of build up to this final concluding moment.

Its obvious to see the intention here, to really lean into this chilling abandon. When giving True North little attention, its somewhat achieves this. Its sparse moments of melody and scenic sounds perk the ears but its sluggish pace and lack of animation doesn't carry much gravitas in the forefront of ones attention. Curation and more musicality could of elevated its presence. Otherwise, this is a soft miss to my ears.

Rating: 4/10

Këkht Aräkh "Night & Love" (2019)

 

Another early 90s Black Metal love letter! Unlike its predecessor Pale Swordsman, Këkht Aräkh's first full length seems a fraction too generic among the many who try to capture that era. Its gritty aesthetics are harsh, a crisp coldness splattered with clattering percussion over blurry rumbling baselines. Shriek howls, throaty cries and noisy distortion guitars paint a familiar sight of unrelenting Norwegian darkness.

On this debut outing, an arsenal of all to typical arrangements fail to muster excitement in the wake of all that came before. Despite its competency and mastery of the grim aesthetic, the aggressive stints of loose blast beats, shrill tremolo guitar and beastly shouts from the shadows fail to add to the conversation. It left the project feeling like a typical cast iron clone from an era that many have tried to recreate.

Night & Love, however, is littered with lonely interludes, sullen moments of reclusive beauty. Hints of nature intruding on soft folkish lullabies and ethereal acoustic guitars. They play as a treat of their own between the hard shadowy onslaughts. On occasion accompanied by a tender clean male voice, these sometimes eerie and often melancholic tunes swiftly became the most intriguing aspects of the record.

Its no place for me to say what an artist should do with their music but hearing this tandem of a unique voice, wedged between a clear and shared obsession with early Norwegian Black Metal, has me feeling as if their talents are misguided. Këkht Aräkh has caught my attention with an impressionable nostalgic venture yet they clearly have something else to offer. The two are yet to merge in a fruitful way as I hear it.

Old Tower "Draconic Synthesis" (2023)

Esoteric, arcane and obscure, Draconic Synthesis engulfs us on a mystic venture the marvels of sound design. Tinkering and experimentation has led to fruitful explorations of ambiguous wonder, found in gaps between occult voicings, astral synths and ghostly reverberations. This new terrain still stems from foundations of old castly Dungeon Synth, Old Tower continues an intriguing evolution into dark ambience and soundscapes, while fluctuating to familiar footings on this entrancing forty minutes.

Heard through a candles flickering flame, wildlife sounds of night accompany a subtle tropical flavor on its lingering melody. A dusky opener signaling new sounds, Draconis Arcanum has beautiful balance. One could imagine it as the backdrop to a Diablo theme alike game. Ruins and Horned Glossolia ressurects this direction with its lonely steel acoustic guitar, followed then by Sacred Carvings. This song leans fully into this cultural resonance superbly, akin to Dead Can Dance's transformative magic.

Spirit Vessel has a similar incarnation, evoking forbidden spirits from the graves with classic dungeon dweller magics. Its a more "traditional" piece for this artists however the closing Crafting The Symmetry Of Aeons feels like their most ambitious work to date. With many distant clanks, rattles, drips and drops, ghostly voices breeze by forgotten corridors as the music strides into foreboding chambers of sequestered darkness. The emerging synths and percussion give one a sense of tainted triumph over what lingered before its arrival. The strike of a gong bringing it to a sudden close.

Rating: 8/10

Annihilation Of Self "First Orbit" (2021)

 

In search of more meditative astral ambiences, Annihilation Of Self caught my ear with an eerie, uncanny familiarity. The culprit? Song two, Condensate, one of Spotify's algorithmically inserted tracks. It had weaved itself into the unconscious musical map. A curious encounter with this new venture into unintentional listening behaviors. Either way, the full album merited a go, yet didn't yield quite the magic I was hoping for.

First Orbit checks all the spacey boxes. Airy, atmosphere dawning synths and a whirling array of buzz saw VSTs are present. They build a dark, technologically inhabited environment, on cosmic scales. A dynamic flow of intensities weaves the glittering melodies of stars between harsher tones of endless void. Its scales against itself, keeping moderate tempos and ushering a songs feel through many apt shifts.

Its darker moments felt more captivating. The buzzing oscillations brooded a tense yet distant distress. Brighter melodies and upbeat motifs felt off in comparison. One notable balance between the two sung personal inspirations. Emma weaves in a bright yet mournful piano melody to ascend the stars with a beautiful sorrow. It seemed deeply personal to me, perhaps the name hinting at a story behind the tune.

Despite a plentiful amount of listens, I've found myself lukewarm on the record yet writing up a "review" of my experience has highlighted its merits with greater intensity. The issue feels like a lack of distinct melodies or moments to cling too, yet the overall tone has the spacey drifting feel I adore. Perhaps I needed more time with it. First Orbit has been placed on my "temporal focus" playlist. Maybe it will grow on me.

Rating: 6/10

Örnatorpet "Evigt Fr​ä​mmande, Evigt Fj​ä​rran" (2023)

  

A passing listen sparked limited curiosity. Another ruinous bout of mystic woes? Örnatorpet caught my ear in the past but this latest release doesn't quite distinguish itself. Wedged between an ensemble of broody eerie synths, mysterious murmurings, cryptic voices and rustling ambiguities toy, as soft touches of Berlin School emerge infrequently... a strong whiff of Old Sorcery influence is in the air perhaps.

Its a competent execution of ideals, atmospheres built through steadily layering simple melodies, instruments treated to carefully crafted sound design, imbuing scale and distance between more intimate imaginations. The chemistry slants from creepy shadows to fantastical weirdness as brighter compositions create curious settings.

Sadly, among its nine tracks, none were able to leap of the page. For all its interesting sound design and zany Dungeon Synth vibes, the whole project remained in the background, unable to command ones attention. Although mostly appealing and capable of conjuring the mystic moods I love, this latest effort was either too reminiscent of a genre I've explored extensively, or just rather average.

Rating: 5/10

Crag Forge "Hoardlegend" (2021)

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

Backxwash "His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering" (2022)

Traversing deeper into painful themes that have defined Backxwash's raw, hopeless expressions, this newest installment of darkness suffers familiarity. Scarcely making ground on I Lie Here Buried With My Rings And My Dresses, an unhinged rattle of caustic demonic beats accompany now accustomed flows. They run formulaic as the Canadian rapper settles on her flat tone and biting cadence for another round lyrically battling her demons. Its plays as a war siren of distress, simmering in a difficult intersection of ignorance and bigotry. Select samples of pastors preaching illuminate these struggles aptly, focusing the records somewhat conceptual scope to a degree.

 His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering sums itself up well. A tale of religiosity preaching division and judgement. Although not a sole focus, it fits a discomforting darkness felt through its rough instrumental abrasion, a continual unease suited to the evils parading as morals highlighted. When on point, a potent chemistry. Yet a lack of subtle bombast, groove or sensible musical appeals bounds it tightly to a thorny bed of pain. Weaving layers of disorienting noise, soft distortions and broody bass, gospel samples and estranged companions stir a wild atmosphere. These instruments peak curiosity but lack command of simple pleasures to sway one.

Almost brilliant yet a spark is missing, or just all too familiar. An issue becoming stark in Backxwash's cadences, especially later in the record, Juju a prime example. The hard rhyme inflection and pacing of words becomes repetitive and stale, adding to a sense of stagnating style. The albums ambient feeling one retreading horrors expressed before with an interchangeable nature. One distinction apparent this outing were a select few songs hiding uplifting or beautiful instruments within its mix, burying them a dense darkness, occasionally surfacing them for false relief.

Rating: 7/10

Matt Uelmen "Torchlight II OST" (2012)

Rejoice! A gift from the heavens, a FREE original soundtrack! If like me, you grew up on the music of Matt Uelmen's Blizzard classics Starcraft and Diablo II, then this is for you! Spellbound by his earthly incarnations of weathered stone age lands and the lurching mischief of a corrupt evil, the D2 soundtracks became frequent listening beyond the game itself. The broody, engrossing atmospheres Matt conjured stuck with me over the decades. Catching wind of his work on this soundtrack, released by the games published for free, peaked my interest. Bar its title theme track, Torchlight II is essentially another half to the classic D2 soundtrack that's so dear to me.

Its no understatement, the instrumental pallet is identical. Shades of all five chapters of the game intermingle. The cinematic orchestration unlocked with the Lord Of Destruction expansion pack a prominent feature too. Not just aesthetics and texture but the musical approach musters that timeless magic. Certain passageways bear a sparkling resemblance. Others seemingly direct incarnations or alternate takes. Once again we get to experience the mesmerizing layers of acoustic guitar Tristram blazed so brightly in Diablo's opening track. A song worthy of any curious listener.

Its a lengthy soundtrack, eighty minutes where new crevasses of his earthly musics are explored, always tumbling back into familiar feelings and arrangements, then to vanish again into something new. Its a delight. A literal dream come true. Too often have I wished for more and finally it is here, or should I say unbeknown to me for ten years! Nestled at the end, Camp Dawn is my favorite track, essentially the closest you'll get to another Tristram. Beautiful! I'm so thankful to have found this.

Rating: 9/10

Old Sorcery "Dragon Citadel Elegies" (2022)

 

In concluding the "castle trilogy", Finnish composer Old Sorcery masters their mysterious craft. Perhaps one to be labeled a modern Dungeon Synth classic, Dragon Citadel Elegies culminates its finest aesthetics for an epic adventure. Woven with elements of Fantasy, Dark Ambience and soft touches of Berlin School electronics, a diverse arsenal of instruments converge on glowing visions. Both its lurches into foreboding darkness and deliriously majestic daydreams find cohesion. Across five mighty songs we explore the peculiar crevasse of an imagination so rich and lucid.

In spellbinding fashion, the grandeur of its themes smother the listener, a fine craft of composition and execution where very minute detail of design seems articulated with brilliance. The balance of intensities, reverberations and tonality of its instruments illuminate otherworldly tunes. This elevation of components seems steeped in unbounded inspirations. The quirkier, playful melodies seem almost Harry Potter akin, as magical bells jostle and chime in nightly gusts of wizardly winds.

Either lurching in cold shadows or bustling through night skies, a zest is always in the air. These paths are well walked as the music bestows a clear vision of fantastical realms home to magics that don't lean into the atypical moods this genre has become accustom with. This has always been a part of what sets Old Sorcery aside. Still growing as a musician, these stunning forty minutes gets at the essence of its identity.

The final song, A Haven, does linger somewhat on its lengthy exit. An intriguing start drifts into its most subdued passageway, however a transition to a final majestic curiosity seems intentional in design. Perhaps leaving us with an appetite for more? Its clear we have been treated to the best offering yet. Who knows what could follow?

Rating: 9/10

Mortiis "Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør" (1995)

 

Enjoying a spontaneous plunge into Dungeon Synth origins, we conclude for now with Mortiis' sophomore record. Released earlier in the same year as Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent, it seems substantially maturer of the two. Mortiis, now professing himself as a Tolkein troll on the albums cover, takes a darker route with the music. Stoic, castly vibes permeate its mellow enchantment, as the former fantasy flutes give way to dusky winds and morose organ tones that lurch with a lingering gloom.

On this outing, the instrument selection is ripe, often dense with brooding strings that overlap, its tones have a crowded space to hide the blemishes of its electronic origins under its fidelity lacking production. The low end is thickened out dramatically and when Orkish militant parades pound their unruly drums, a grand mystique is unearthed, a wondrous mix where the performance's inadequacies embellish its spirit.

This is at least true of En Mørk Horisont, Its five chapters traverse vivid soundscapes of darkly fantasy realms, ushered on by the weighty gravitas of deep gong strikes. Visjoner Av En Eldgammel Fremtid experiments initially. More spoken dialog and breaks in tone has its direction muddied before settling into a predictable pace. It gradually builds grandiosity to a victorious trumpet fanfare in its final three parts.

Of all the Dungeon Synth precursors Ive encountered, this felt the most emblematic of what was to come. Mortiis, clearly inspired by Fantasy and Tolkein, lay down rich foundations for others to build from, that would eventually transform into a scene fifteen years later. I had not studied his works attentively before. Now the link is all to obvious but best of all, his music strides boldly into the imagination with stunning vividness. This is no embryonic endeavor but a fully expressed vision.

Rating: 8/10

Mortiis "Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent" (1995)

Reviving his past aspirations with the recent Spirit Of Rebelion, I sought out a piece of the origin story that inspired so many within the Dungeon Synth scene. As one of the Norwegian musicians earliest incarnations, Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent has strong similarities. Comprised of two twenty minute lengthy halves, split into lesser parts, the pairing adventures journey through naturalist, nostalgic imaginations. A breezy spirit for magical adventure and gentle mystique guide the listener along is pleasantries.

The glimmer of yearning strings and playful flute melodies glides over broodish bass warmth. Occasionally bumbling into gustos of castled might and sampled bellowing voices, the title track sails sweetly in the uplift of its welcoming tone. Mischief is beyond sight, however Reisene Til Grotter Og Odemarker finds a devilish grandeur as mysterious choir tones and rumbling percussive strikes chance a little unease.

Eventually circling back around to its brighter persona, part three embarks on a classic, triumphant deceleration of Orkish nature. Freshly unveiled trumpets roar for battle, as deep drums thump the pacey march to war. Its darkness is one of theatrics, the imagination run wild with a strong whiff of Tolkein steering its sequestered charms.

Its a wondrous piece of music for the time. No doubts I once gave it a listen but never made the connection in my youth. Now its gift to Dungeon Synth seems simply undeniable. A lot of its charm emanates from a flawed human performance. The creeks and groans of imperfection, its natural, organic fidelity, aid the immersion. It masks repetitive structures and highlights the gulf a digital MIDI and VST driven project like Spirit Of Rebelion suffers as a result of lacking these perfect imperfections.

Rating: 7/10