Quotes by Vale Minstrel, Acheulean Forests, and Weregnome Records.
Photos by KAP and Peter Beste
Artwork by Arthur Rackham.
Vale Minstrel: By the end of 2021 I had finished 4 albums for Vale Minstrel. Each one continuing to evolve the sound, from delicate JRPG tinged Fantasy music to large scale Epic Dungeon Synth. And a mixture of the two to some extent. The final album of these 4 ‘Red Wyvern Tower’ saw the arc complete and had arrived at a sound I was happy with. Frankly, from there I did not know where to go next. To return to the idyllic soft Fantasy sounds of the earlier albums or to try and continue on a road of larger scope Dungeon Synth with big orchestration and other things. Without a clear direction I became distracted with other projects for the past few years. After a few years passed I still had not created anything new since ‘Red Wyvern Tower’ but always in the back of my mind was the desire to return and do something more. I had seen advertisements many times in the past few years for Dungeon Synth shows, fests mostly, the Legendary Sieges that we all know and love, but always during those years there was some obstacle in life or something else that prevented me from attending. Fast forward to the end of 2024 and I had an opportunity to attend the Great Lakes Dungeon Siege, where I met Acheulean Forests, Weregnome Records and many other new friends that rapidly became a familiar face to me.The event really inspired me to try playing my music live as well at these events. So Vale Minstrel became active as a live entity and has played two shows so far. They both were incredible experiences and I look forward very much to playing more as Vale Minstrel and Faydark.
Fairies of the Serpentine (1906)
Acheulean Forests: I started performing Dungeon Synth live under my projects of Trollkjerring and The Spirit of Iuvenium back in 2019 but it was mostly with Dark Ambient and Darkwave bands on the shows I played. There was not much of a scene happening then that was purely Dungeon Synth acts. But, even before that I did not foresee what would become of this genre. I feel like with performing this kind of music in a live setting the atmosphere and place are important aspects. It went from basements to bars and now forests.
Vale Minstrel: In a group chat Acheulean Forests and myself were discussing various themes related to our projects and someone pointed out that both Vale Minstrel and Acheulean Forest have had themes related to the Fae. Of course, I’ve always been fascinated by the Legends of Faeries and their place in the pantheon of Fantasy lore. Then the idea came to do a Fae themed split between our projects. Focusing on the Fae and making an effort to create an immersive journey through the Fantasy of Fae Legends and Mythos, both from a classical Fantasy perspective and also one of historic literature with references to icons such as Titania. The rest is history! I had been wanting to do a split for quite some time with someone for a reason as well. Since maybe 2020 I have had quite a fair amount of material that has never got used with anything. It either didn’t fit on an album or contrasted with an established theme of a release that was coming out. 2 of the tracks on this split date back to 2020-2021. But they got a fresh coat of paint this Spring as the Fae came out to play and were upgraded for this release. Then after that 2 more brand new tracks were written to compliment them. 4 Spirits of Fae Legend in total are sung by the Vale Minstrel this time.
Weregnome Records: Vale Minstrel approached me after Northeast Dungeon Siege and asked if I would be interested. I happily accepted. Working on a split that includes these two is such a wonderful opportunity, I was lucky enough the end result was full of beautiful compositions from each project. This is the first time I have worked with Acheulean Forests, but other things are happening behind the scenes for more works from them being on WereGnome!
Titania Lying Asleep (1908)
Acheulean Forests: For me this music is of a fantastical nature. It is purely escapism with my music. But, also nature worship.
Weregnome Records: Dungeon Synth is the ultimate genre that drips in escapism and fantastical thoughts. Whether it be dark brooding castle cover art or light & plucky fantasy ambient music, it just fits perfectly. I mean, I don’t know if you CAN take a genre that is steeped in lore (whether inspired by other works or your own realm) and remove the element of fantasy.
Vale Minstrel: Fantasy to me represents endless imagination and a natural desire to experience the universe in a much more profound and interesting way. Even if it is just made up in our minds and expressed with art, music, literature, movies, gaming and Dungeon Synth! It has enriched my life greatly each day. Fantasy is total immersion into a simulated experience designed to take you away to another place. Specifically, for us it is viewed through the lens of the classic Fantasy genre configurations of the last 100 or so years. The evolution of these themes from a literary and media perspective, and how that culminates into the application of Fantasy in modern Culture. To the cerebral timelessness of these ideas that echo through many other facets of entertainment.
One of the more heartwarming aspects of this split was its creation spun out of a chance meeting at the Great Lakes Dungeon Siege (GLDS) and then again at the North East Dungeon Siege (NEDS). I understand the nature of people getting together and coming to some sort of arrangement has existed for centuries but for a genre that was born out of isolation and spent the better part of its revival as an internet microgenre, dungeon synth artists talking to each other in person feels novel. Through The Forest Vale, the first split between Vale Minstrel and Acheulean Forests, would not exist without the chance meetings between three parties at US based dungeon synth festivals. Anthony from Engraven Records, and architect of this year’s Texas Dungeon Siege (TXDS) said his biggest goal was to bring people together and see what happens. Live DS events of course have the traditional relationship of artist playing in front of an audience but also the congregation of creative people and relaxed access in talking to labels, illustrators, and producers in one space. For GLDS it was a parking lot, and for NEDS it was the small merch room in the back. For as much as this genre is suppose to be filled with introverts, there seems to be a lot of social connections being made. Something is bound to happen. This split is one thing that happened.
Vale Minstrel by KAP
I was excited to see Vale Minstrel at these last few Sieges and in fact his set and above photograph was one of my favorites from the show and ended up being used in the front image for the article. It is not just the ridiculous amount of fog which added atmosphere that I enjoyed rather Vale Minstrel’s music is entirely escapist and urges the listener to abandon all notions of reality for a brief jaunt into the realms of the unreal. It didn’t occur to me until writing this very sentence that Through The Forest Vale is the first material for Vale Minstrel after a period of prolonged absence. Talking with them at the shows gave me the impression of live dungeon synth being a catalyst not only for performances but new recorded material. Instead of returning to grand concept dungeon synth, Vale Minstrel instead decides to fuck off with the faeries.
Through The Forest Vale is brief with both artists providing around 10 minutes of material for each side. Though short, the immersion from both side is staggering with even the first track As “The Leaves Fall Slowly” being the opening credits to some long forgotten fantasy cartoon you know you saw as a kid but can’t for the life remember the name. Vale Minstrel’s playful melodies, which sound inspired by hours of JRPG and fantasy video games, construct theatrical productions in the imagination with the artist being both director and the entire cast. If anyone has seen the artist live, they are aware of moments where they are running around in masks like some magical bard playing whimsical instruments. Faeries, as a theme for this split, is a perfect thematic focus for this record as the music is both quaint and dreamlike with an undercurrent of mischief as it could steal your shoes for some reason. Vale Minstrel has crafted their place in the dungeon synth world for four records and now seems to be returning but its location is yet unknown. For now there is a fey banquet and the artist seems to be drinking nectar out of tea cups.
Acheulean Forests by Peter Beste
I never caught Acheulean Forests before this split and quite frankly I was surprised seeing the artist on this split since their other project, Trollkjerring, was one of the most caustic performances at the Great Lakes Dungeon Siege. In fact, listening to the last record by Trollkjerring unlocks another dimension to the other side of this split. Artists can have different sounds but something so visceral in one world will have some sort of resonance in the other. Acheulean Forests is ambient but nearing one of the more interesting shades of ambient with an ethereal and slightly haunted sound. Songs like “Spirit Awakening” have the same melody repeating as if in a loop frozen in time somewhere in a magical forest. there is magic in the world of Acheulean Forests but there is also pain, loss, regret, and sadness which are blurred with images of faerie kings and gates to other realms. I feel I could spend days with this artist and never fully hear the whole story and perhaps there is mystery and strength in that since the whole story is lost in these woods.
Through The Forest Vale is coming out through Weregnome who by now everyone should know as one of the best record labels in the scene. This isn’t some paid advertisement (though I’m always open to selling out) rather an endorsement for a label whose captain is both an artist, promoter, and facilitator of genuine work in the scene. I would have gladly premiered anything they believed in. The fact it was a split with the soft return of two fantastic artists who came together because of the development of the live DS scene only confirms my suspicions that this Weregnome person is reliable, attuned to current happenings, and knows their shit. Thanks to everyone involved including Early 20th century English illustrator Arthur Rackham who provided the artwork for this article since he believed in the power of faeries and dungeon synth and is far from a poser.
