I first encountered Weress in 2016 with the release of Far Away Planets And Life which caught my attention to the space ambient / drone being employed when everyone was running around in cloaks. Weress had existed before this time. In fact their work goes back into 2012 and if anyone could perhaps speak of how far this genre has come it would be John Longsword. Aux Temps Anciens et Mystiques is not space ambient / drone rather dreamy dark dungeon music. The music from this project is only made stronger by this project’s ability to take really evocative pictures with surreal masks. Though Aux Temps Anciens et Mystiques is an early EP for 2025, Weress has done so much over the course of a decade it seems like they are only getting started.
PS: This album is set to come out on a mini CD which can hold at most 24 minutes of music and is entirely an aesthetic choice for the artist to evoke some sense of nostalgia one might have buying mini compact discs and walking around with an antiskip Walkman.
The Lands Between / Glintstone Sorcery is a compilation of 2024 releases brought to you by the very reputable Weregnome Records. I saw Fanged Imp for the first time at the Great Lakes Dungeon Siege and was stuck by the grim aspects of the music and performance. I also then learned that the music is inspired and devoted to the world of Elden Ring which makes even more sense since I’m entirely enchanted and depressed. The Lands Between / Glintstone Sorcery is music mired in the distant echoes of lives past. It feels almost timeless as it hangs in the air among ruins of once great structures. This release is a perfect introduction to a great artist even though the music feels like it is mist that is somehow wielding a sword that is going to fuck you up.
Oh shit are we riding along some dark highway to break into CORP CO and steal their mainframe or something? Why do I look so cool and care free? Darkest Dungeons might be confusing to some since the this whole thing feels dark but dark in the way a video game black looks from a CRT monitor. There was also that dark ambient holiday record a bit ago. What I gather is Darkest Dungeons is making music based on the rule of cool and succeeding more than most. Fortress of Ultimate Darkness aside from having a kickass name is a 2024 release now put out by Fiadh who is also riding shotgun to the CORP Co also carrying a shotgun. Dark synth, synthwave, and a healthy dose of nostalgia fuels this ride which answers the question what if dark dungeon music carried a samurai sword and was way cooler.
I made a note underneath this blurb that just read “FF9 boss music.” I don’t know when I wrote that or why but we are going to lean into it. Orcus is a UK project by the same person who brought you the Dune inspired space synth of L A N D S R A A D. Orcus is sword and sorcery inspired synth which is epic in its scope and impossibly matched in terms of production. Berserker is, hope I get this right, a soundtrack to a novella of the same name by a writer named Blungeon. The soundtrack is on a tape which includes a micro story called “The Bloody Spider” starring the same character. This whole presentation is brought to you by HDK who cant be normal and release a simple album rather it come with an elaborate tribute to half naked sword pulp. I am all for it even though this tape is way sold out probably because the music is top notch and the idea is fucking rad.
“Solitude is not a comfort.Many storms lie ahead, but the warm embrace of community matters more now than ever. Hold on to each other.” I feel this line within the Bandcamp of Snowspire, one of the many projects from Evergreen, can be read many ways. Snowspire is the winter synth project from the creator yet her declaration is in opposition to what many think of winter synth. With a style that could languish in the despondent feelings of frigidity and isolation, Approaching Hearthfire chooses to be a beacon rather than an abandonment. Though the music, which runs over 40 minutes across two tracks, is far from comforting, the glacial pace at which it traverses from dark to light is emotionally resonating through many aspects of current life. Through snow and community we can find peace.
“Tags: ambient, dark ambient, drone, dungeon synth, grotto, ice, new age, snow, synthesizer, winter synth, France.” Hell yeah this should be confusing. Grotte de Cristal is the work of Sylfvr who also lends talents to a bunch of different projects I don’t know are related until I look them up. Sylfvr has always been spectral in their approach to music make sounds that would be detached from time and space. Grotte de Cristal is that just with an underlying sense of crystalline stillness. There is as much new age and there is drone on this which blends into a contemplative medication on the nature of ice. Additionally, the creator provides sources for the art and collage work which is above average effort for artwork in the age of the internet.
Oh fuck yeah is this some space themed death or maybe depressive cosmic black? Medieval / old school DS? Alright, I’m still here but I’m keeping my cloak. Tomb Wizard is from Iowa and despite the minimal design and frequent citations of necrotic despondency, this artist seems uses music not to air grievances but celebrate in the friendship of others who are just as weird. The Bandcamp for Asleep in Twilight’s Coffin states ” This album is dedicated too all of my friends, old and new. May we forever dream one day, in twilight’s coffin.” Party in the Twilight coffin all. With all joking aside this album is for anyone who enjoys the classic sound of dungeon delving perhaps with an even more mournful tone. I found out about this release through Relics of the Eternal City who released this as a CD with under 20 copies available. This now makes two instances of CDs starting to show their face after many many years gone.
This is perhaps one of the first entries in my raw ambient archives for 2025. Diigorgon is a US based artist who is selling their cassettes which are limited to 10. The tape comes in textless white cassettes which is housed in a JCARD with NO ARTIST OR TITLE and looks like it was entirely handmade. I enjoy this since this is the way all albums should look. Actually this looks like it just appeared in your collection and you probably have a week to live. The Path To The Forest Door is sparse, supernatural, and an entirely spectral sound which shows rather than tells since ghosts cant talk rather follow you around.
“Inspired by Walter Moers and his world.” Walter Moers for those unfamiliar (I was) is a comic illustrator best known for Käpt’n Blaubär, an anthropomorphic talking bear with blue fur who originally appeared in the German children’s television program Die Sendung mit der Maus. Even if this character isnt apart of your cultural memory, the hypnotic sounds of Mythenmetz and the dedicated to a slightly cult modern fantasy writer is more than enough to interest passerbys. Though it might seem like this is gentle music potentially made for children, the dark twists and turns mirror the tribute in an album which is bittertsweet, surreal, and claims residency in another world.
Wow, this is super weird. And also only one supporter. Lets go. Guerilla Cassette Records is an experimental music label from Lyon, France and had they not used the tag “dungeon synth” for the October 2024 release by Cap. Lezard I would not be here. But here I am and I love it. there is something special about music made for 4 people who are really into it. There are no rules in the world of Guerilla Cassette Records and the woozy melancholic synth of Cap. Lezard is your spirit guide through one of the weirdest trips you have taken all month. I suggest listening to this in the morning as the sun comes through the windows while drinking mescaline.
Bramble Hedge is a project from Killkenny Ireland (maybe) who uses dungeon synth along other genres much like a child would when given paint. The result is a masterpiece of liminal dreams that is presented in a fever state. Most of the tags, such as weirdcore, webcore, and shortwave point to aesthetics which have been crafted by people who are probably deeply familiar with making things in Maya. The Mystery Of The Blue Fog is a tour into the mind of its creator but the host isn’t home they left long ago but it still feels like something is here with you.