Artwork by Withered Wizard (@warlockscauldron)
I still remember encountering Flickers from the Fen and the first email the editor at Invisible Oranges sent over. “Thought you might enjoy this” it said and below was the forwarded message with a giant logo that took after the Old School Runescape (OSRS) font. This was super dorky and how dare they assume that I would be into this even though I was. Even before we premiered Stoned in Gielinor, I knew this record was going to be successful. It was impossible for it not to be. The cover had a wizard sitting at an old CRT computer and the press kit evoked nostalgia memes. This was perfect for most people who made dungeon synth the space between people who make dungeon synth and people who are really into niche nerdy things is almost non existent. This album was ready to be enjoyed and its creator was culturally savvy to sling it to those who wanted it.
A lot has happened since March of 2023 and Flickers from the Fen, as predicted, has a successful run with Stoned in Gielinor being repressed on Dungeons Deep and Phantom Lure. I followed the creator on social media and saw a series of live performances and the release of a mini album which was recorded in the UK. What seemed like a dorky OSRS DS meme soon turned out to be a creator who was shaping their own reality and making things they felt were important for others. Over the time, the whole OSRS DS thing felt less of a selling point and more of a secondary detail to a creator who had already shown their craft. This wasn’t a gimmick rather a place to start a universe. When I got the email about Stoned in Gielinor II, I already knew I was going to be interested and had a discord full of friends who had questions about OSRS.
Stoned in Gielinor II is a sequel to the inaugural release but only in the way it is a continual adventure. There is less of a whimsical irreverence than the debut and more of an immersive fantasy. The cover shows a wizard surrounded by bright colorful magic as its features blend into the background which looks like the work of someone deeply tripping having the time of their life with paint. There is a sense of abandonment to the wilds of imagination which is etched into the walls of this record. Musically, Stoned in Gielinor II shows the same charm but with a serious step in terms of craft. The violin feels like is a bandleader and though the music mimics the sounds of certain video games, Stoned in Gielinor II and compositional it feels like a person influenced by title music of video games that has gone and created one of the best albums of the year.
A deep sense of nostalgia runs through the center of this record Stoned in Gielinor II. This isn’t just nostalgia for a certain video game or a genre of video games, rather a sense of freedom which came from engaging in fantasy worlds without the stress of modern living. I think it goes without saying the world is stressful and though it would be easy to offer escape, Flickers from the Fen isn’t producing as much escapism as they are joy despite stress. This joy obviously comes from the music but also the creator’s eternally optimistic personality which is very much doing everything by themselves guided only by what seems like a momentous amount of energy and charm. Flickers from the Fen is a success story that comes not because of anyone else rather it is a success because the creator willed it and has the capacity to make things great.
Photo by Miriam Saskia (@misabeee)
KAP: It feels like it has been a journey from the release of Stoned in Gielinor to the follow up. Can you give us a recap from March of 2023 to today. Were you expecting any of this?
Mercian Sam: The first album – Stoned in Gielinor I – came out in March 2023, premiered with kind words by your fair hands. I absolutely wasn’t expecting the response the project got, and I’m very thankful to you and everyone who has listened. Everything led to Dungeons Deep and Phantom Lure doing physicals for the album in Autumn. Since then we made our live debut at Life After Death Festival in London and have plenty of shows in the pipeline in the UK and Europe, not least of which is a big ol’ release party for the new album at The Old Church in London on September 20th, put on by Crypt of the Wizard and Heresy Clothing. We’re going all out for it with stage design and visuals by Heresy, an expanded lineup and eclectic supports from across the UK Dungeon Synth scene. Come down if you’re in the area.
Stoned in Gielinor despite having the same name feels like a different record. Even from the album art it feels less anchored to a specific content.
I very much see Stoned in Gielinor II as a continuation of the first album, but there are some notable developments. The first LP had a narrow brief – to try and recreate that melancholic nostalgia that I had for playing RuneScape as a kid on the family computer, tucked away in a corner of the house exploring fantasy worlds. For album two I wanted to bring more of myself to the t̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ CRT monitor, and convey what it feels like to use fantasy media as a springboard for your own creativity. If the first album’s art was what it felt like to play RuneScape as a child, then the art of the second album shows where your imagination drifted in-between sessions. The LP’s setting is very much still Gielinor (each tune is set in a different in-game location) but there’s more make-believe going on.
Almost immediately upon release, I saw another live release. Do you feel playing live is important to the project?
It’s funny, when I started the project the act of playing live was the one thing I absolutely didn’t want to do. The memories and emotions I was trying to conjure with the first album were all ones of solitude. I didn’t feel these would carry over well to the very communal experience of gigs. The ‘Live in Gielinor’ EP came about as a way of offering fans a taste of the live experience without us or them having to leave home. I also have some very talented friends who I really wanted to feature on the project. But then recording that EP was a lot of fun, and I realized that by adding a revolving arsenal of instruments we could try and highlight those more joyous, chaotic memories of MMORPGs and escapism. Now every show we’re trying to conjure a bustling medieval square on market day
Your music feels nostalgic or uses nostalgia as a means of comfort and escape. Describe the era of time that is nostalgic for you?
I’d say the halcyon days the albums are calling back to were when I was around 10-12 years old. It’s a cliche but with rose-tinted glasses looking back it seemed like responsibilities didn’t extend past what gear to equip and what time to put a pizza in the oven.
Seeing this is the second installment, do you have plans for a Stoned in Gielinor III?
Oh very much so. We’re hard at work at the old lodge in the fen right now, conjuring a conclusion to the trilogy. Follow us at @flickersfromthefen on IG or Bandcamp to stay abreast of developments, and come down to a show if you’re about. As well as the release show on September 20th in London we’ll also be at Phantom Lure’s Lure Fest in Antwerp on November 9th.
Photo by Anna Rocchi.
I was obviously interested in Flickers from the Fen at first because of its OSRS connection. I was sent the email because I obviously exude some sort of weird aura. I do not play OSRS historically, though I have spent a lot of time listening to the soundtracks and being excited with others when they are doing quests. In fact I started playing it just because everyone seems to have a blast playing it and that sort of excitement was sold so well by other players and artists who base their records around it. My OSRS friends are also big fans of Flickers from the Fen since they felt seen and represented in the world of dorkery. My friends were some of the first to hear this album and as apart of their NDA, they came up with hyper specific questions for me to ask. This might be jargon to some but it was just too funny not to ask.
Favorite cape?
Herblore and Firemaking…
Which god do you align with?
Guthix!
If you could live in gielinor, which poh portal would you reside in and why is it prifdinnas?
I’d live in Catherby (where Stoned in Gielinor II begins…). Sea, forest and mountain at your fingertips.
After a day of skilling you have a blueberry special or two to relax, how do you spend the rest of your evening?
Bit of the old grimy ranarr, try not to whitey, get lost in Morytania, challenge a Vampyre to a fight, sent back to Lummy.
Favorite track?
Out of the big bait ones it has to be ‘Garden’, the homely yet inquisitive nature of it is top tier. Then for more culty I’d say ‘Coil’ is huge.