Dungeon Crawling: Vol. V
Hails to you travelers! Pull up a chair and rest your weary feet. The barmaid will see that you have an ale in hand shortly, and the spoony bard will soon regale us with song and story.
Come, roll a D20 to hear the tale this tawdry troubadour tells…
1 — “A tale of deep, dwarven secrets beyond the Obsidian Gate…”
Ancient Kingdom – Obsidian Gates
Independent | August 11, 2024
Ok wimps and posers, once we clear the Obsidian Gates that’s your cue to LEAVE THE HALL because it doesn’t get any easier from here. This is about as “metal” as dungeon synth comes, what with Ancient Kingdom dropping all these sick-ass drum beats to keep time with the DEEP HEARTBEAT OF THE MOUNTAIN as you dispatch slavering EVIL from these sacred HALLS OF STONE. If that doesn’t sound groovy u better fly, you fool.
Highly Recc’d Track: “Ancient Halls of Stone”
2 — “A tale of an adventurous hobbit returned home…”
Hole Dweller – Flies the Coop III
Dungeons Deep Records (cassette/vinyl/CD) | October 17, 2024
brat summer gives way to Flies the Coop III fall, and a retvrn to the lo-fi synth crunch of Flies the Coop I and II. This time we find our brave halfling hero Jamwine back home in his cozy hobbit hole, lost in reverie and wistful as ever as he puffs his pipe and muses on his adventures. Best enjoyed over elevenses or afternoon tea.
Highly Recc’d Track: “Footpaths”
3 — “A tale of a young Stone Seeker’s pilgrimage…”
Korrothia – Legend of the Stone
Independent | August 5, 2024
A debut effort from an ally of Hole Dweller that absolutely knocks it out of the park. Evocative melodies + rad as hell synth tones + powerful compositional chops + they put the lore in the lyric tabs on BC = vibes off the charts. Check it out!
Highly Recc’d Track: “Ritual of Fire”
4 — “A tale in the verdant tongue of the Old Forest…”
Woodland Meditation – III
Independent/Dale of Shadows (cassette) | August 17, 2024
The latest from the Bard Froth’s ambient project is a restorative escape from the hustle, bustle and general shit state of things that encourages deep breathing and a good walkabout amidst some secluded boughs. Think Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Green in a secluded old growth forest.
Highly Recc’d Track: “A Winding Woodland Trail”
5 — “A tale of frigid nights and warm hearths…”
Umbria – The Rime Pathways
Independent | November 21, 2024
Just in time for the northern winter solstice, Umbria has dropped some downright circumpolar winter synth to carry you through the long nights. FFO: the crystalline wonder of falling snow, the wintertime majesty of a boreal forest, the blanket-like comfort of hygge, and John Williams’ score to Home Alone.
Highly Recc’d Track: “Stone Bridges to Mystery”
6 — “A tale of holy blades and dark cathedrals…”
Torchlight – The Spiritual Sword
Independent | August 22, 2024
Organ-heavy dungeon synth from Italy for the postulant, real liturgical music heads, and/or Keith Emerson fans among you. Contemplative melodies progressively unfold into adventurous and heroic hymns with a full retinue of drums. Attune yourself* to the Spiritual Sword and go forth!
*Provided you’re a good aligned Cleric or Paladin of 4th level or higher
Highly Recc’d Track: “The Dark Cathedral”
7 – “A tale of battle hymns and starlit dreams…”
Valen – Dragon Crown
Obsidian Relic Records | October 14, 2024
Caladan Brood by Caladan Brood but oops! All sick ass keyboards with multilayered choral fx and drums. And it’s under an hour long. And Valen will likely continue to release more great music in the future (not to speak ill of things, or black metal bands, that “Fade to Legend”…). FOR GLORY!
Highly Recc’d Track: “Dragon Crown”
8 – “A tale of ancient feuds and forbidden love…”
Faery Ring – Mys & Frox
Independent/Fiadh Productions (cassette) | August 11, 2024
Don’t let the cute cover art fool you, “cozy synth” this is not. These are doots of glorious battle and ill-fated love, worthy of Brian Jacques’ finest heroic woodland critter fantasy. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go check out a copy of Martin the Warrior from my library.
Highly Recc’d Track: “The Noble Sword, Glimmerung”
9 – “A tale ‘neath willow boughs and through thistle groves, deep in the heart of the swamp…”
Tales Under The Oak – And Yet Another Journey Begins
Independent | August 9, 2024
Don’t let the cute cover art fool you, “frog synth” this is not because that’s a toad on the cover. Eschewing whimsy for adventure in the idyllic, undomesticated countryside, this 4th installment of Tales Under the Oak’s Swamp Kingdom saga shouldn’t be missed. Frog and Toad could never.
Highly Recc’d Track: “And Yet Another Journey Begins”
10 — “A tale of broken knights and vengeful ghosts…”
Stoneflower – Death is a Ghost
Independent | February 1, 2024
Newcomer Stoneflower synthesizes elements of dungeon synth and other electronic music genres to produce a heady brew of lo-fi fantasy synthesizer beats to gain +1 to constitution/wisdom saves to. FFO: Aura Merlin, Lil Sheath, Guild of Lore, Amser Segur, the vile and profane artifice of “CRYPT HOP”. Also check that killer cover art by Michael Champion!
Highly Recc’d Track: “A Vengeful Ghost”
11 — “A tale of a dolorous procession on a moonless night…”
Echoes of Oblivion – Specters of a Distant Realm
Independent | November 4, 2024
DUNGEON DOOOOOOM.
Doots with that big boi doom lugubrious heft and tempo, ft. drum tracks reverberating through the bones of a cemetery. Beats so dense they’re hitting the resonant frequency of a mausoleum. These tracks are shakin’ n’ quakin’ some dang cenotaphs fr. FFO: Ghöest, Forgotten Relic, Thergothon and Skepticism but they took out all that boring slow guitar for sleepyheads.
Highly Recc’d Track: “Lose All Hope to Embrace Freedom”
12 — “A tale of a wizard’s journey through time and space…”
Arcana Liturgia – The Wizard
Independent | October 25, 2024
The Tales of Othertime clause in my contract stipulates I’m to feature at least two albums about “a wizard, wise and powerful” per article. If I don’t hit this quota I may get disbarred from the Wizard’s Council, or at the very least get a really shitty spell named after me. The Wizard by dungeon synth pioneer Arcana Liturgia satisfies my contractual obligations, as well as my hankering for HEROIC HYMNS OV SORCEROUS MIGHT. FFO: Thangorodrim, Wandering Far by Sequestered Keep; see also: Grim Horn
Highly Recc’d Track: “Lost in the spiral of time”
13– “A tale of fellowship forged through bardic inspiration…”
Erang – The Kingdom is Ours
Out of Season (cassette/vinyl/CD)| July 19, 2024
The credits on Erang’s latest are a who’s who of dungeon synth artists who’ve made a splash in the past decade, plus some old heads who got this doot train tootin’ back in the 90s. And as to be expected from dungeon synth’s favorite Frenchman, the music kicks ass too. Great starting place for the recently initiated to get a taste for all that the genre has to offer (sick keyboard sounds about wizards, dragons, swords etc.).
Highly Recc’d Track: “Drizzly Domain (with Quest Master)
14– “A tale of the lost halls of Menegroth, the Thousand Caves…”
Thousandth Cave – Abducted Memory
Independent | October 31, 2024
A synth covers album from one-time “black metal musician” Colin M[‘]arston that spans Enslaved to Duran Duran, recorded partially at his mom’s house. If that’s not keeping with the Trve Spirit of Dungeon Synth, I don’t know what is.
Highly Recc’d Track: “Prayer”
15 –“A tale of battles within, and a wizard’s mercy…”
Nahadoth – Alchemist, Oracle, Terror Yearns
Independent | October 10, 2024
The simplest way for me to describe Alchemist, Oracle, Terror Yearns is it’s dungeon synth featuring accordion, the preeminent acoustic doot instrument.
The most round about way for me to describe Alchemist, Oracle, Terror Yearns is imagine if instead of recording seminal ambient work, Accordion & Voice, Pauline Oliveros decided to write a brooding, mystical accordion + synth album about wizards astral projecting to fight interplanar mind battles to the death.
Shout out to Nahadoth and Ms. Oliveros. Y’all both cool as hell.
Highly Recc’d Track: “A Noble Procession of Spirits”
16 — “A tale amidst the moors, of a lone Tree and its seven sentinels of stone…”
Wydraddear – Rise of the Guardians
Independent | November 3, 2024
Arcane, reverb-drenched drones and sonorous melodies imbue Rise of the Guardians with the solemn and melancholic ambience of a lichen-encrusted megalith. Like wandering upon a dolmen or barrow draped in mist, and feeling the insurmountable weight of ages in the cold, damp air.
Highly Recc’d Track: “The Island (Circle Theme)”
17– “A tale of the lands of Lordran, and an age of Fire fading to dark…”
Priscilla’s Dagger – Priscilla’s Dagger – I
Independent | September 28, 2024
This is supposedly about Dark Souls but idk jack about nerd shit, so you’re getting a wholly vibes based analysis: it’s cool and good. The artist behind it, Lord Bakartia of Basque Country, has become one of my favored dootimancers currently plying the craft. Check out All Points Into Dex and Faith for more video game references I don’t understand but wholeheartedly support, like a “cool”, non-bigoted uncle.
Highly Recc’d Track: “Through the Crystal Cave”
18– “A tale set in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium…”
Psychic Hood – Warp Ritual
Independent | September 6, 2024
I haven’t done the maths, but buying fantasy synthesizer music albums about grimdark miniature wargames is probably the cheapest way to get your space marine fix. Also Psychic Hood laid down so many sick drum tracks for this thing, that the average blast beat addled, clink-pilled, *ping ping ping* enjoying metalhead will likely find themselves compelled to ponder the mysteries of the Warp.
Highly Recc’d Track: “The Golden Throne”
19– “A tale of the umbral paths to Death’s Domain…”
Tomb Wizard – Asleep in Twilight’s Coffin
Independent | July 23, 2024
Real tenebrous night-heads only. Phantasmal wizard synth 4 haunting the caliginous crypts 2. Tomb Wizards will literally sequester themselves in decrepit ruins to ponder moldering spellbooks and commune with the dusty corpses instead of go to therapy. The only Iowan export I permit in my home.
Highly Recc’d Track: “Asleep in Twilight’s Coffin”
20 — “A tale of moss shod battlements and stained glass visions…”
Fief – VI
Out of Season (cassette/vinyl/cd) | November 4, 2024
Hell yeah this shit rocks.
Highly Recc’d Track: “The Knight of the Elves Blows His Horn”
