Barak Tor - March of The Triumphator

Neuropa Records, 2018

“For us, there is no spring.
Just the wind that smells fresh before the storm.”

When I think of ‘Barbaric’ music, I think of acts like Blasphemy and Revenge, with their muddled caveman riffing and fast but sloppy drumming. When keeping warmetal out of the equation, I think of steady pounding rhythms, devoid of melody, trance-inducing, and so loud that you can literally feel every hit. To be barbaric means to be unsophisticated, lack nuance and act rude. Yet here I am, holding this marvelous piece of music called March of The Triumphator; a record that is ought to be barbaric but positively floors me with its delicate nuances.

In an interview with Barbarian Skull from 2018, Barak Tor explains that this genre-description is “not only because of the concept but also because [the music] is simple, straightforward and quite monolithic, as barbarian prehistoric civilization.” And whilst descriptions like those evoke memories of Sun O))) live-shows - amongst other things that Barak Tor share little resemblance with - let us simply embrace the genre-description for now and dive into the music.

March of The Triumphator is a fantastic experience. You know you’re in for a ride when the first notes of a record already lure you in - and what follows simply doesn’t stop grabbing your attention. In 42-minutes time, Barak Tor continuously changes its palette when it comes to instruments and atmospheres. One moment a gentle wind instrument lifts you up, the other you’re being assaulted by grand war drums. Its layered compositions do not only stress the albums replay value but also make it that the atmospheres on the record are never one-dimensional. These are not just proud war songs, nor are they specifically frivolous or melancholic. Not unlike Conan the Barbarian, these songs shine because of their polished nature. They’re never too gritty, too overwhelming, or too light-hearted. Rather, they’re all of these things, constantly interchanging and overlapping, tumbling over each other and enhancing their own effectiveness. Honestly, you can drop your needle anywhere on this record, and it will instantly draw you in.

This record was one of the first when it comes to contemporary Dungeon Synth being released on vinyl, and for good reason. If there are still copies out there, consider it a must-have because Barak Tor’s combination of moods and broad instrumentation provides a solid and diverse musical escape.

TL;DR: Highly recommended and sophisticatedly approached Barbaric Dungeon Synth. Like its first influences, Hero’s Quest and Conan the Barbarian, it merely pretends to be barbaric whilst actually engaging in much richer dynamics.

Barak Tor on Bandcamp | Barak Tor on Facebook

The Cursed Cold One - The Hag Of The Sea

Self-released, 2020

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya.
You killed my father.
Prepare to die."

The Cursed Cold One has been producing releases at a very fast pace. Its self-titled debut crawled out of the ocean in November 2019, and was followed up shortly by Carbuncle in December. Now, one month later, The Hag Of The Sea is upon us.

I’m always anxious when artists produce material as quickly as The Cursed Cold One does. My biased brain can’t help but think that a quick effort equals a rushed one - and that a rushed effort equals a painful drop in potential quality. Whether this is true or not, is nearly impossible to determine, and will always depend on the producer and its circumstances. Sadly though, it does have an irrational effect on how I personally experience the tracks that The Hag Of The Sea has to offer.

With the EP’s description talking of revolting creatures, so horrifying that the weak-hearted were known to die upon gazing at them, I expected the music to be much more unnerving. Instead, the EP offers us five pleasant, meandering tracks that, at first listen, do not seem to engage with the proclaimed concept. Due to the last track containing a sample of the 1987 movie The Princess Bride, I figured the film could help enlighten me - and sat down for 100 minutes of adventure and comedy.

It did not enlighten me.

Musically, The Hag Of The Sea is a charming, little EP but fails to connect to the themes it textually brings to the table. If the latter does not concern you, I’d especially advise you to dive into 'Illusory Appearance' since this is where The Cursed Cold One truly excels. Do not stop there though; the project’s other two releases are of the same musical quality as The Hag Of The Sea - and maybe, just maybe, we’ll see another folkloric creature arise this February. If so, I really do hope to hear The Cursed Cold One fully connect its music to its imagery - because the concept of consistently dedicating short EP’s to mythological creatures is a beautiful one.

TL;DR: A short but pleasant experience. Whether the music evokes the imagery of sea hags is up for debate.

The Cursed Cold One on Bandcamp | The Cursed Cold One on Facebook

INTERVIEW: Old Sorcery

It’s no secret that Old Sorcery’s Strange and Eternal is one of my favorite records of 2019. In order to delve a little bit deeper into this exquisite piece of music, I sat down with the wizard behind the project to discuss his influences, motives and future endeavors.
 
Thank you for taking the time to answer whatever riddles my mind. You are a fascinatingly busy musician, who - besides Old Sorcery - also releases material through the monikers of Megahammer (synthwave) and Warmoon Lord (black metal). Am I mistaken if I’d say that Megahammer’s love for rich, pulsing, 80’s synthesizers also shines through in the works of Old Sorcery? And if so, is it something you deliberately do, or is it something that subconsciously happens?

Thank you! I don't see the obvious 80's influence in Old Sorcery, I'd like to think that the vintage synths used in this project are mainly used in the same way as Tangerine Dream when they made their glorious soundtracks. For example, the movie Legend (Ridley Scott, 1985) is a medieval/fantasy film, but one of the soundtracks is electronic and made with synths by Tangerine Dream. While sounding 80's, the vibe that I get is magical, adventurous and in no way reminding of say, Miami Vice or any 80's cliche. Synths sound otherworldly and mysterious, so I think that they fit Old Sorcery very well.

Legend (Ridley Scott, 1985)

Imagining Miami Vice tropes while listening to Old Sorcery would give a new meaning to the 'Strange' in Strange and Eternal. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the album makes me think of sunglasses and big hair. Rather, sonically it reminds me of the sounds of the legendary Synclavier II synthesizer; a model that has been used for both the atmospheric wonders of Tangerine Dream and the danceable outbursts of acts like Depeche Mode.

Speaking of Legend and Tangerine Dream, if Old Sorcery would ever score a movie, which one, or what type of movie would it be?

Tough question... I have done film-composing, actually. Ranging from dramas and art-films to horror and exploitation. If I had to compose a soundtrack with Old Sorcery, I think it would be some sort of fiction or a period film. Most likely fantasy, or a medieval war film.

While obviously having their own character, it is easier to think of influences for your other projects than it is for Old Sorcery. When I listen to Strange and Eternal, it does not necessarily evoke imagery of well-established fictional worlds like, for example, Lord of the Rings. Instead, it reminds me of much more ambiguous sceneries, like Max Ernst’s The Entire City, or The Eye of Silence. The record recalls imagery of breathtaking but unstable landscapes that evoke the urge to explore. Those are, of course, my own interpretations, so I’d love to hear about any visual inspiration for Old Sorcery.

Whoa! It is indeed fascinating how differently people imagine the album visually. It is a very great compliment, that it brought Max Ernst's work to your mind! When I was working on the album, I had this little frame of a story in mind. Of course, the huge influence of Tolkien is noticeable in basically everything I do artistically, it is buried in my mind, so to say. But on this album, I was thinking of this ancient king, with his own court wizard and whose time has finally come. The story is not very detailed, and it reveals something of itself to me on every listen. What I would like, of course, is that having provided some key aspects, atmospheres, song titles, artworks and such, the listener would develop his/her own story of it.

Here are some of the visual stuff that inspired the music for the Strange and Eternal album: 60-70's horror movies, particularly Hammer films, and the so-called folk horror sub-genre with films like The Blood on Satan's Claw (Piers Haggard, 1974), Mark of the Devil (Michael Armstrong, Adrian Hoven, 1970), The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973). Weirder films like Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Jaromil Jireš, 1970), I watched this one like 5 times during composing, Zardoz (John Boorman, 1970) and Fantastic Planet (René Laloux, 1973).

The Blood on Satan's Claw (Piers Haggard, 1974)

I recently watched - and thoroughly enjoyed - Midsommar (Ari Aster, 2019) at my local cinema, and it strongly reminded me of some of the classics you’ve just stated. Especially The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Wicker Man came to mind. Are there also contemporary artists that inspire Old Sorcery, or is it mainly the works of decades ago that fuel your fire?

I saw Midsommar at my local cinema as well. Loved it! Nearly as perfect as Ari Aster's feature-length debut, Hereditary. The imagery, and the constant nods to old school horror! It was also very violent, and the gore shown at broad daylight was very hard to watch. Awesome... When it comes to contemporary influences, they are a few of them as well. I find myself constantly returning to the past and I have stopped caring whether it is a useful thing or a hindrance. However, modern films have their good stuff also, but one needs to take time in searching for them. I think that the best contemporary horror film is The Witch. It is the one that I keep recommending, whether you are a horror-enthusiast or new to the genre. From quite new ones, I also love The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Ritual, The Void, Raw, Get Out, Love Witch, etc... I am not into this remake-thing, it just makes me sad. If you really want to get into horror, this current time we live in is not the best. As you can witness, this is a subject I could talk about for strange eternities, hah! The best modern movie, in my opinion, is Mad Max: Fury Road. I will never get tired of it.

As for contemporary artists in general, there are a few bands I listen to. They don't necessarily influence me directly, though. I was really blown away by Vargrav, a symphonic black metal from Finland. From new black metal bands, I also listen to Morgal and Grabunhold, to name a few. I like some of the fellow Dungeon Synth artists like Vinkaldr, Aindulmedir, Haxan Dreams. New books... well, very few. Recently, I read a history of cannibalism by Artemis Kelosaari and really liked it. Gruesome and interesting, it was written in 2018 - 2019, I think. I read quite a lot about occultism, magic, vampirism, mythology, and stuff. Rarely anything contemporary, though.

Midsommar (Ari Aster, 2019)

While I’m completely in love with your list of references, I do start to wonder if there are influences for Old Sorcery outside the realms of media. I’ve had the joy of visiting Lahti once for studies and can imagine that the more rural landscapes surrounding the city provide a solid spark of inspiration for the works of Old Sorcery. Are there aspects of everyday life - environmental or other - that knowingly find their way into your music?

Outside the realms of art, you mean? Not particularly, no. I work as a librarian now, so I'm constantly surrounded by books, films, and records. At home, it's just more of those! Nature, of course, is an inspiration. I really cherish all the times I get to walk in a forest. But sadly, nowadays it's all just work and work. I have to reserve enough free space from the calendar just to get started in creating music. Earlier in life, it was just waking up and picking up an instrument.

Librarian, Georg Reimer (1828–1866)

In a heavily romanticized sense, you do not only evoke magic through your own music but also, as a librarian and collector, you continuously surround yourself with the magic of others. Is there a form of creativity - which could be film, literature, sculpting or even the art of cooking -  that intrigues you as a creator but remains untouched due to your other activities?

Not really in any serious sense, I am a musician. What I would like to do more in the future, is writing. Fiction. Scripts for a movie, or novels. But I am not sure it will happen. We will see.

Let us ignore the urge to delve into the past and present for a brief second and address the utmost cliché but ever so intriguing question, “what does the future hold for Old Sorcery?”

A new album. This will conclude the castle trilogy that started with Realms of Magickal Sorrow. We will also continue the Old Kingdom-saga that started with Haxan Dreams on our first split. 2020 starts with a glorious triumph: Strange and Eternal will get a vinyl release, and an EP compilation featuring The Path Lies Hidden and a whole new EP titled An Inkling of Void will be released.

Having already pre-ordered the vinyl release of Strange and Eternal myself, I urge anyone who is interested in this work to do the same over here. Let’s be honest though, what is it with Old Sorcery and castles? What specifically draws you towards these creations?

There is no complicated or a deep answer to this.
I just think that castles are fucking cool.

Old Sorcery on Bandcamp

INTERVIEW: Silent Cabin

Gently Unveiled, 2019

The Finnish Silent Cabin has been delivering melancholic Dungeon Synth since early 2016. The project’s latest creation, Gently Veiled, was one of my favorite surprises of 2019 - and has broken the silence within my own cabin for many times since its release in August. Its creator took the time to answer some of my questions concerning the birth, development and potential future of the project.

While the music of Silent Cabin speaks volumes, I do wonder were the projects origins lie. What caused you to so dedicatedly make this type of music?

So, in late 2015 I started to get into more extreme and experimental (for lack of a better word) music, Vaporwave and Black Metal mostly. The first thing close to Dungeon Synth I listened to was Dream Castle by Tanning Salon and I was instantly intrigued by it. I then found Depressive Silence and Voldsom Tapes and spent the first half of 2016 listening to more and more Dungeon Synth and Ambient music.
I then soon decided to start my own project; inspired not only by the sounds I had discovered but also by my own very much melancholic mindset.

Those are some great starting points when it comes to discovering a new genre! While there are a lot of differences between Vaporwave, Black Metal, and Dungeon Synth, all three genres do heavily tap into feeling like melancholy and nostalgia.
What do you think that makes Dungeon Synth such a fitting vessel for these feelings of loss and longing?

I think Dungeon Synth as a genre is still considered a relatively outsider one. For me, it has always been easier to put out my thoughts for a smaller audience.
I’ve always enjoyed listening and creating the minimal and hypnotic side of the genre the most, and I think that those elements make it perfect for expressing myself at the rawest.

Garden of Death, Hugo Simberg, 1896

When listening to your debut, Forgotten in a Cold Forest, it seems that there’s been quite a transformation in Silent Cabin when it comes to atmosphere. How would you describe the project has evolved throughout the years?

Looking back, I didn't really know about music theory at all when I made my first recordings. They were mostly experiments with VSTs, trying to emulate the atmospheres of Old School Dungeon Synth. My personal favorite from the early releases is definitely Lonely Mountains, which was basically worshipping the earlier mentioned Dream Castle album.

There were four releases in total made in 2016, and I actually think I had burnt out quite a bit by the release of Gates Of Autumn. On We Left, I returned to making music and I'd say that It was the turning point in the project. I started to go in a more ambient/drone/progressive electronic direction, inspired (mostly) by the early progressive electronic tapes of Oneohtrix Point Never.
By this time I also decided to do these releases as a trilogy (all having cover art by Hugo Simberg and his symbolic theme depicting death).

Fragile Voices was the final part of the trilogy and I actually considered ending the project there.  Things took an unexpected turn though, as I was contacted in spring by Britt from So Called Hell wanting to release a new album of mine on cassette. I actually composed Gently Veiled very quickly, using some outtakes from Fragile Voices as the foundation, while also doing new stuff from scratch. Although Gently Veiled, as said, was done very quickly, I actually consider it my greatest work so far; my understanding of basic music theory has helped me improve a lot. In conclusion, Silent Cabin has evolved a lot primarily as my musical skills and life have changed during the years.

Sometimes the greatest things appear when we aren’t upholding ourselves to previous standards and just experiment within the moment - as you have proven with Gently Veiled. Will this be a continuous approach for Silent Cabin, or do you have other plans for the future?

I've been working on some new ideas recently, and am hoping in the future to release a new album on a label who would be willing to work with me. I also run my own small label, Lahja, on which I'm planning to reissue Lonely Mountains on a later date.

Talvimaisema, Hugo Simberg, circa 1891-1899

Is there a local scene for Silent Cabin and Lahja-releases, or do you find your music is mainly embraced by a small, faceless but world-wide group of connoisseurs?

My supporters are definitely spread around the world.
Also, I myself am not in any related local scene, really. Overall there's only been a handful of orders (of my tapes) inside Finland.

Does this also mean that there’s little live-activity for Dungeon Synth in Finland? And if Silent Cabin was to play live once, what would be the perfect setting and line-up?

Last year, I was actually contacted by someone planning to organize a small Dungeon Synth event here. I think nothing really came from it though.
As of Silent Cabin, I don’t have plans to play live at all. For me, Dungeon Synth is a genre you enjoy better on a tape player than in a live setting.

Silent Cabin on Bandcamp | Silent Cabin on Facebook

Pafund - Til rigets ende

Realm & Ritual, 2020

"I am alone;
I am always alone
no matter what."

Stripped to what could be the genre’s absolute minimum in terms of instrumentation and composition, is Pafund’s opening of its latest release Til rigets ende. This 30-minute track has been broken up into two separate ones, and takes its time to slowly but steadily creep into the listeners head.

Do not expect Til rigets ende to instantly provide you with multi-layered bombast, pounding drums or catchy melodies. Instead, the record’s first half chooses to spread its atmosphere carefully by building passage upon passage that is rich in texture, yet poor in diversity. This way, Pafund manages to successfully mimic grey and beaten pathways, long-abandoned corridors, and the dreading feeling of actually being alone.

When after 14 minutes the album’s first melody kicks in, it is not one of relief. Rather, the distorted and muffled sound of the tones enhances this feeling of forsakenness that has been so carefully build-up. As the intensity of the music slowly starts to rise, Pafund allows color to enter its spectrum and unexpectedly opens up to what is its first embracing moment.

The way Til rigets ende provides a sonic narrative is worthy of praise and many, many repeated listens. Do act fast though, because Realm & Ritual will release an extremely limited cassette later this month - and I expect it to be gone real quick.

TL;DR: Beautiful, lo-fi Dungeon Synth that transcends the creation of mere atmosphere and enters a realm of compositional story-telling.

Pafund on Bandcamp | Pafund on Facebook

Grandma's Cottage - Grandma's Cottage

Self-released, 2019

“One can never have enough socks.
Another Christmas has come and gone
and I didn’t get a single pair.
People will insist on giving me books.”

Today's example of “things that make me sad but shouldn’t”, is Grandma’s Cottage. Describing itself as Comfy Synth, the project firmly positions itself in the genre’s legacy of evoking a longing for things that never occurred. While other projects awaken vistas of magic, fantasy realms, or a fictional version of medieval Europe, Grandma’s Cottage seems to aim at collective ideals of childhood and nurture; concepts that established themselves partly through illustrative Christmas cards, holiday movies, and popular fairytales.

Atmospherically, the short album can be best described as getting tucked in with a warm blanket. Its 13-minute run is filled to the brim with pleasant, frolic melodies, which are grounded by subtle and simple basslines. Its slow character emphasizes the setting that’s already been set by the cover artwork and titles - of which “go fish” personally hits home the hardest.

What elevates Grandma’s Cottage as a concept is not merely its warm embrace. While creating a naively wholesome atmosphere during its musical playtime, all songs on the album get mercilessly cut-off at the end; pulling the listener back to its factional status quo for a split second. In my personal case that would mean: without any grandparents, having outgrown my childhood, and with no foreseeable possibility to relive the setting Grandma’s Cottage so craftily explores. It’s this element, combined with the reflective nature of the music, that makes it so much more than a mere gimmick to chuckle over - and serenely bath within.

Due to this potentially confrontational effect, Grandma’s Cottage positions itself as an incredibly effective project that serves as a prime example (or critique?) of Dungeon Synth’s stout illusory nature.

TL;DR: While commoners delve into caverns, the brave delve deep into their own childhood.

Grandma's Cottage on Bandcamp

For a take on Grandma's Cottage's second effort, we recommend reading this review by The Dungeon In Deep Space; a platform that had dedicated itself fully to Dungeon Synth and related sounds since its start in August 2019.