Lost Tales - An Old Wizard's Secrets

Mystic Timbre, 2020

"I looked then and saw that his robes, which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colours, and if he moved they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered."

To me, a great amount of Dungeon Synth’s quality can be measured through its hummability. While I’ll always be receptive to long-winded corridors of texture and specific types of production, it’ll be a chain of notes that decides whether or not I will return to a song or album. Which raises the question: does An Old Wizard’s Secrets make me hum like an aging magician, finding its way through its singular vision?

If you’d asked me this question back in January I’d told you that there was no doubt in my mind it would. The then released track Follow One’s Singular Vision was a lovable devotion to old-school hummability - and has seen many repeats in this house. Now, two months later, I am surprised by the diversity An Old Wizard’s Secrets brings to the table. Not only did we get the earworms I so highly praise but we got a carefully balanced composition along with them. This levitates Lost Tales’ effort from highly catchy to mainly catchy but more-often engaging.

While short, the album feels cohesive. Slow and long-winded passages dance with adventurous and upbeat melodies; all drenched in a production that harks back to a pre-90’s setting. A few copies of the cassette are still available, so do yourself a favor and plunge within this first world by Lost Tales. A world out of which I hope many others will come forth.

TL;DR: Short but engaging Dungeon Synth. I believe it makes your beard grow faster.

Lost Tales on Bandcamp | Mystic Timbre on Bandcamp