This is silly. This also works. At this point I am sure Dungeons Deep has secured some sort of dark pact which would allow them to sell…a hobbit golf themed 7 inch record along with with matching polo and hat, and for it to be popular. This sort of success can only come through the mastery of Hole Dweller whose has already gone through changing the entire landscape of dungeon synth and seems to be in musical retirement spending the mornings on the green before having lunch at the clubhouse. Hole in One sounds like the opening theme of a cozy sitcom just through blown speakers and would be absurd to be thought about in the dungeon synth genre as this entire package feels almost blasphemous to anyone taking life too seriously. Good thing I am always down for a laugh and a reckless drive in cart.
It is fun that we are getting to the point that older revival albums are seeing remasters on vinyl. This is mind blowing for some of us who saw this record by Mystic Towers, release to positive acclaim int he halcyon says of the early 2010s. None of us perhaps expected a record like this to see a vinyl / tape remaster though the minimal covers for both Chapter One: Inner Kingdom and its followup Chapter Two: Caverns of Crystal almost seem to need a 12×12 inch square you can display over your record player. Out of Season asked me to write a blurb about this record which comes on the Obi strip of the vinyl. Writing this was easy as these two releases represent a time when dungeon synth was just emerging on the internet and amazing albums were coming out of seemingly nowhere. Mystic Towers, Abandoned Places, Erdstall, Voormithadreth, and various other projects by this creator were not known to be from the same creator on its releases but over time the works of Adam Kalmbach of Jute Gyte soon became foundations for many people.
“Evergreen” is an EP I made after waking up from a dream, of wandering through great old forests, crossing ruins. I heard a melody as I was walking in the dream, and you can hear it somewhere in the EP…It’s all inspired by the dream.” This is the email I got from Morus the Sorcerer who makes music under the name Arcysion. I would like to say I love getting emails about music people made inspired by dreams and that is one of my favorite genres. Evergreen is the second release this year which continues a journey of at home synth music made with immense focus and a DIY spirit. I also love Instagram pages which state “If you like galaxies, swords, and castles in mist, you’re gonna love my music. I make obscure synthesizer music, dabble in painting. I am a wizard.” Okay, I am in and am down with anything.
Dorcas is already memorable for the use of the cover which is the top half of the 1884 painting Lost Pleiad by William-Adolphe Bouguereau as well as the Bandcamp profile pic featuring the mystic / artist. Sulamith Wülfing. The opening track for the self titled debut by Dorcas is also memorable with its cinematic soundscapes and stereophonic sound effects. This music sounds less like someone made it on a keyboard recording from their phone and more like it would be experienced in a movie theater chair with wall to wall speakers. Dungeon synth is not without its orchestral moments but Dorcus is in another realm when it comes to its presentation and structure. It is music which is hypnotic and entirely escapist and for a record / project which seems to be devoted to the world of Gene Wolfe, this sort of musical scope seems entirely fitting.
Witch Bolt is a creator who experienced a surprising amount of recognition in a short time most likely due to striking visuals and a prolific output. I saw Witch Bolt him at the Texas Dungeon Siege playing on a stage that seemed to engulf his music. I thought the performance was fine but there is a quietness which didn’t make sense until reading Marigold — a project illustrating a handcrafted world in the language or music, art, and writing. The Bandcamp page comes with all of the poems listed and using the music as atmosphere for reading is an avenue which helped me understand more of a hidden world I was not aware of. Marigold, and the rest of the catalog, for this creator seems entirely personal and these sort of ventures, through zines and collaborations with other artists makes much more sense at least to me.
Master Witness was created by Kyle Beam of the NY based death metal act Undeath who you might recognize for their album covers which look like panic attacks. Master Witness is a genuine “metal musicians makes a synth record” devoted to fantasy and gaming citing old school D&D and Tad Williams. The music also sounds like it was made on a sole keyboard in some European basement in the late 90s and circulated on tape before being forgotten. Close but this record is being circulated by Weregnome who have already professed their love for anything odd and cool. This is sort of fantasy escapism is an aesthetic most of us are looking for so this feels right at home. Outside of nailing the mood, Master Witness and the aptly titled Demo 2025 succeeds due to its frankness and genuine desire to hang out with dorks who want to have real conversations about the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series.
I do not know much about Grimfarer other than they are from Ohio and might have a possible some connection to local Midwestern acts though I can not find any sort of social media. I found this record paging through new releases for cool looking covers and seeing a grayscale image of Saint George Killing the Dragon by Bernat Martorell seemed cool. I usually just listen to music based on album cover and often times it leads me to interesting releases. Knights of the Black Mountain is dedicated to old school fantasy synth with sweeping melodies which sounds like they are overcast on the horizon. There is simplicity in this music but also a depth which seems to transcend the minimal equipment. This very short demo presents a mournful world which is encapsulated by its grey-scaled album cover. Come and sit down and reflect for an eternity.
Attic Shrines does not update their site regularly and to be honest I never know really what is going on with this label. I feel by design I’m not suppose to know and this Bandcamp is a foothold into a new batch of releases which come through their storefront. If you are not familiar with this label, you can read the linked article or just jump into a world where everything is decaying or already ossified. Cassilda is primitive and by most accounts one has to focus if wanting to hear what instruments are present as its sonic palette is hallucinatory and inverted. This feels like dungeon synth if warped back in the past and set on a different timeline. It is done is the sort of music which offers a chance for people interested in the lo-fi dreamlike music to enter a world where things might have sharp teeth and claws that will lave a mark.
I really have no idea what is going on with this project and it is sort of wonderful. Warlock Corpse is listed from Khazikstan and presumably has moved originally from Russia following world events. The fractured nature of the creator’s home life seems to be echoed in music which is on the border of nihilistic, surreal, absurd, and cathartic. Eternal Prisoner divides its time between post punk, black metal, coldwave, and a bricolage of synth genres resulting in something which feels like it is making its home in the shell of a post apocalypse. Warlock Corpse has become a very popular artist perhaps for people who don’t care what order their genres are in and will take them like a shot lined up at a dive bar.
You know what…sure. Synth For Pets is a project headed by Violent Synth Order, a Brazilian label which offers liminal comfy synth but with an aesthetic which looks like ephemeral vapor punk. Compared to the comfy synth of the autumn days of 2020, this music is less obvious, more daring, and comes with edges of darkness which feel like it is drinking cheap beer at a basement show rather than drinking tea by the fire. Shiny Collection is a combination of two releases from the project and serves as an end (?) until I am sure something else comes out that is weird and wonderful.
Stormsong Grimoires is a label run by the creator of Tarnished Legends who seems to not only release material by other people but also create new side projects when no one is looking. Each of these side projects is completely different and potentially has the ability to level houses. Wyrdroot is a noise / drone project which was done by improvisation on a Roland AIRA Compact S-1 Tweak Synthesizer. If you have never seen one it is hilariously small which compared to the potential for its sound. Cambodian Baptist is a Texas creator who uses their time to make lofi tape drone which is equally as haunting. Both artists quest to upend what music can sound like and how it is is made.