Castle Zagyx - Dungeons of Despair

Self-released, 2019

"When a house is both hungry and awake,
every room becomes a mouth."

I like a good challenge. It spices up life and confronts our own biases. The saying is that the hardest dungeons hold the best loot, so let’s explore what’s behind Zagyx’s gates.

Right from the start tyrannical synths push us further down this castle’s hallways. Heavy brass-like sounds pound upon us and quickly all becomes clear: there is no escape. We are trapped in a fast hold that bests us at every turn. Clever melodies creep out from hidden areas while thick, stone walls continually surround us.

Drenched in distortion and reverb Dungeons of Despair elbows its way forth. I have to say, this is one of the most disparaging Dungeon Synth records I’ve ever laid my ears on. It completely dwarfs the listener by use of sheer grandeur and violence. Never does it grant any form of comfort, instead it evokes the feeling of danger, adventure and - perhaps - an awaiting reward, just out of reach, somewhere hidden amidst these castle walls.

TL;DR: Dungeons of Despair is an active, atmospheric and disparaging effort that would undoubtedly appeal to the bravest of adventurers.

Castle Zagyx on Bandcamp

Disciples of Sunlight - Radiance

Self-released, 2019

"The sun shines
upon good and bad alike."

Radiance is a compilation featuring Vandalorum (who we remember of their excellent Flagellum Dei), Nameless King, Rêvoeil, Amethyst Dagger and Count Shirintsu. This brave quintet has set out with only one mission in mind: to worship the Sunlight.

With these two themes provided - worship and sunlight - I at first expected a more oppressive record. The cover art and short description tell tales of a dominant sun, one that makes us bend both knees through its overwhelming and all-touching display of heat and presence. Contradictorily, Radiance delivers a light-hearted record, not really forcing us to do anything. It doesn’t come off as oppressive or bombastic in any way. It’s just there, in the background, available if we’d want to.

There is a poetic quality to this approach. Instead of actively praising this giant star at the center of a solar system - the most important source of energy for life - we get a humble approach to worship; a praise that’s under one’s breath. Combining this interpretation with the titles that are provided, one could even suggest that these devotees haven’t experienced sunlight in quite some time, making their hymns mere fragments of both memories and imagination.

Poetic quality or not, musically and thematically I have the feeling that Disciples of Sunlight's first release only shows us a glance of their true potential. I therefore hope to see these disciples gather once more, but with an effort that feels slightly more cohesive, for its object of praise deserves so much better.

TL;DR: A pale sun shines upon us.

Disciples of Sunlight on Bandcamp