Naïve Magic: A Dungeon Synth Digest #15—Roundup
Dungeon Pitch
Oftentimes when people ask me what I write about, I say dungeon synth, knowing I’ll have to follow that statement up. It is times like this where I usually say “it’s a style of at-home fantasy ambient made for a small internet scene,” or if I am feeling funny (I’m not) “dorky synth music made for 100 people.” I have worked on this elevator pitch since starting writing to break up the amount of information presented. Dungeon synth is such a unique and odd genre of music that bringing up its relation to black metal, Berlin school ambient of the 70’s, noise music, video game music, and the fact it mostly deals in tapes might be too much for a person to handle. This isn’t to tout its complexity and shield information from the normal world; rather hobbies oftentimes have a tendency to travel so far into their own details.
It is easy to describe dungeon synth as “musicians in cloaks playing D&D music” since it is funny and gives newcomers a humor anchor to latch onto. This joke is also reductive and in the long term unhelpful for people trying to get into the genre. I have used that very line before when telling people about dungeon synth, so do not think I am judging others. There was also a novelty when approaching dungeon synth as cartoonish background music that wasn’t worthy of high regard. I feel my nearly ten years of researching the style has given me perspective I did not originally process. While there are certainly musicians who still wear cloaks, and many of those musicians play D&D and even make music for tabletop RPGs, the idea of dungeon synth as fantasy ambient makes much more sense.
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I have always recommended three records for people interested in dungeon synth. Depressive Silence‘s Depressive Silence II (1996), Erang‘s Another World Another Time (2013) and Fogweaver‘s Spellwind (2020). This does not encompass everything that has been made though, for me,these three present the most intriguing promises the genre could offer to newcomers. I am sure you can enjoy dungeon synth and absolutely despise these records (doubtful) but these three artists, from my experience this is enough as a welcome package into a world of wonder.I feel they cover the expanse of dungeon synth’s history and,to my great dismay, are three musicians who have appeared in cloaks in promo pictures.
Below, our usual digest of Dungeon Synth releases continues…
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The legacy of Mathew Davis is a story that is steeped in such wholesome attitudes that it makes me emotional even talking about it. Davis’s project Secret Stairways wouldn’t see most of its deserved praise after its creator passed away in 2011. Since that time, much time and effort has been put into restoring and releasing the 1997 debut Enchantment of the Ring and its 1999 followup Turning Point. Dungeons Deep has been pivotal in bringing the music of Secret Stairways onto media such as tape and vinyl. Turning Point, originally released on CDR with little attention, now sees a proper vinyl release in an era that the creator perhaps never could have imagined.
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It is difficult reviewing only one Elminster record since the artist behind this venture is connected to so many projects with so many releases, this digest could be filled up with the releases spanning in the last few months. With such prolific output, one would think the inaugural launch of a fantasy ambient series would be rushed and with little consequence. Elminster, once again, suprasses expectations. Kingsorrow is a staggering work of beauty and scope with moving melodies and lush atmospheres. The album cover, a work by Russian landscape painter Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, captures the breadth of this work. Despite many more albums being released from this point, Kingsorrow is a work of great importance and something to mentally bookmark.
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I promise I am going to stop talking about this series. Maybe not. It has been a while since I was so taken with a series that I wait each couple of months for the newest release. The fact that each of the tapes from this project come with a slightly different shade of green is so delightful I can hardly keep myself from quietly gasping each month. Arda’s Herbarium: A Musical Guide to the Mystical Garden of Middle-Earth and Stranger Places – Vol. III is the third volume in a series by Canadian artist Ithildin and sets to music entries in the 2017 book “Flora of Middle-Earth.” Each entry is a short vignette dedicated to a plant and set to dreamy comfy synth that is so wholesome and surreal that it is almost impossible not to lose yourself in its joy.
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From 2017 to 2021, DIM released four records of shattering beauty. Compendium I to Compendium Reliquiae showed the artists ability to elaborate on a concept and make the entire series feel like an adventure. Steeped Sky, Stained Light sees DIM continuing to work moving into territories such as sacred music that baths itself in serene atmospheres. There is undoubtedly a religious component to this music which can be appreciated for its spiritual aspects as well as a secular experience. Steeped Sky, Stained Light is an adventure for anyone familiar with neoclassical darkwave and a mind to wander around cloistered halls passing others in deep reverence to silence.
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Gnoll began in 2018 with a debut called Citadel of Evil followed by perhaps the most apt title for all of this genre Music For Dungeons. Gnoll exists to create official / unofficial soundtracks for lesser known tabletop RPGs and has done so for systems like Mörk Borg, Strange Magic, Dungeons, and Lone Wolf. Gnoll is the type of music that you know when you are so far into RPG acronyms that OSR, AD&D, B/X, and BECMI make sense. The Kiss of the Spider-God takes dungeon synth into the realm of 1980’s horror / sci fi movies with oozing synths and a strong feeling that things are not what they seem.
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Vanishing Amulet comes from the composer Withering Prince. This should be all you need to go on for a recommendation. One of the tags on Bandcamp calls this “Romantic Dungeon Synth” which to be honest is a perfect description for the old school worship of yesteryear. If one would compare it to the art movement the Pre-Raphaelites, there exists a similar longing and veneration for classical moods and figures. Nocturnal Heritage could have come out in 1997 and has all of the same aesthetic landmarks of a record that was sitting on a tape for decades. The fact that Vanishing Amulet can make this embrace history without being anchored to it is a feat of ingenuity and excitement.
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Aura Merlin follows in the snowy tracks of winter synth giants such as Jääportit and Jötgrimm. Winter synth is a strange substyle in an already micro style. It is more substantial than things like forest synth but still remains ephemeral for people just into the style. One does not need to know the solitary history of winter synth to approach 3 Swords with open snow chilled arms. Instead of the blankness of negative space, 3 Swords embraces a wintery fantasy realm with music that may be sparse but is still filled melodies which evoke the most magical of feelings.
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“Gralefrit is a new project from the creative force behind Borgo Pass and several death industrial and ambient projects from the 1990s, including Subklinik, Profane Grace, Draath, and many more.” Not only is that a great sales pitch but this tape comes from Ancient Meadow Records who have proven themselves to be knowledgeable in death industrial artists from the 90’s you probably never have heard of until now. Gralefrit, the debut venture for the project, is both sonorous and menacing in its execution being something that can both comfort and lurk in its existence.
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Abstractaeon is an Argentinian musician who, from the solitude of a cabin in the woods, makes music that can be considered dungeon synth only overgrown with dark folk melodies. Ignis Natura Renovatur Integra (all nature is renewed by fire) is a stunning meditation on the sorrows and joys of nature which has a creator playing music that makes sense to them rather than playing in a direct style. Sometimes it is nice to venture out and embrace music that isnt really a part of any style. Abstractaeon is not really dungeon synth but it may make sense to dungeon synth fans.
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I think one of my favorite parts of Lorespinner are the pixel graphics and the Bandcamp picture. Do not get me wrong, the glacial droning synth is sublime with its ability to push you beneath layers of ancient clouds but holy shit look at that pixel wizard. Lakeshrine is nothing less than a triumph in bedroom ambience that transcends productions and moves into shamanic storytelling. This demo / EP also comes with “a downloadable, system-agnostic tabletop RPG scenario, in which players can explore the Lakeshrine together.” I think I love this even more.
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