Uilos - I: Dark Night Of The Soul

So Called Hell, 2020

"How fair are the bright eyes in the grass! 

Evermind they are called, simbelmynë in this land of Men, 

for they blossom in all the seasons of the year, and grow where dead men rest."

After releasing Silent Cabin’s Gently Veiled back in August 2019, So Called Hell retreated back into the shadows to prepare the release of Uilos’ I: Dark Night Of The Soul. While still young, the label shows it’s capable of a precise and qualitative curation, as there is no doubt that Uilos’ debut successfully aimed for the stars.

It is heartwarming for a new name to already be this adventurous and mature in its musical abilities. While never losing a dark and mysterious character, Uilos dances through a broad spectrum of nightly vista’s, ranging from the hopeful shimmerings of early dawn to the brooding clenches of a pitch-dark night sky. The fast amount of instruments never emerge at the same time but are carefully placed throughout the album, giving them the ability to surprise both first and long-time listeners. One example of this would be how, occasionally, an electric guitar gently cuts through Uilos’ synthscapes, grasping one’s attention, only to be swallowed back in by layers of newly emerging instruments. Like the ocean, Dark Night Of The Soul can be both gentle and overwhelming, as it grants the listener an environment in which it can either float or drown.

Uilos

Uilos builds upon its stellar music through a production that is both conveniently familiar and refreshingly experimental. Its creative use of panning makes the album creep and drift through your room; never remaining in its originating spot, making it feel organic, pulsating, and thus very much alive. By combining sonic textures that remind me of 1970’s Berlin School with contemporary Dungeon Synth-esque melodies, Uilos balances between the old and the new. The result can be described as a stew of Tangerine Dream and Old Sorcery, with a slight hint of Boards of Canada; and man, does it taste wonderful.

TL;DR: A strong contender to become one of this year's most astounding Dungeon Synth efforts.

Uilos on Bandcamp

Runecaster - The Sleeping Sword

Cosmic Ocean, 2020

"It all began aeons ago, 

when man's ancestors picked up a shard of a strange red rock. Its power, which was beyond human comprehension, cultivated dreams."

I know that to many, Dungeon Synth and old-school video game soundtracks go hand in hand. Maybe it’s because both have their roots within the ’90s. Maybe it’s because they share a similar form of escapism. Maybe it’s because of the aesthetic similarities between cassettes and cartridges. All I know is that while sort of seeing an overlap, I never really felt it. That is until Runecaster came along.

Being released in late January by the British DIY label Cosmic Ocean, The Sleeping Sword takes us to the Scarlet Kingdom, across the bleak Dyrne Pass. Its atmosphere is reminiscent of classic video game titles like Chrono Trigger and early Dragon Quest, as there is a sense of adventure, mingled with comfort and wonder. Do not mistake this for chiptune though, as it craftily mixes sounds from that era with the broody undertone that we know from early Dungeon Synth. Step by step, Runecaster takes us through its lore-filled landscapes to uncover secrets that, to some, should have been kept alone.

I’m charmed by how Runecaster managed to capture a sound that balances between being very familiar yet simultaneously refreshingly unique. All twelve songs on The Sleeping Sword vividly bring forth their own setting and feel as if they’re designed to be looped for as long as a player would have needed to progress throughout their surroundings. The occasional recordings of a closing door, rain sprinkling on a rooftop, or sounds that remind me of making a selection within a user-interface, seal the deal when it comes to immersion and story-telling.

A re-release has surfaced this month by Ancient Meadows, featuring a silk-screened patch, two badges/pins, and a hand-crafted bottle of broadleaf plantain salve to cure your wounds from adventuring. 

If this does not prepare you for adventure, nothing will.

TL;DR: Dungeon Synth for adventurers that look back fondly at the pixelated tales from the past.

Runecaster on Bandcamp

INTERVIEW: Archana

Rites, 2020

When I think of Archana, I think of the embracing and overwhelming effect of green and golden panorama’s after one crawls outside of a dark and dim-lit dungeon. Its minimalist yet spacious and melodic use of atmosphere speaks to me in a way that’s very different from its contemporaries. In order to find out more about the depth of Archana’s musical landscapes, I sad down with its originator E. to discuss his latest release, Dungeon Synth, and ecology.

First off, congratulations on your latest record Rites. Your Bandcamp page describes the record as a journey through which the listener discovers new lands, drenched with memories of old battles and ancient legends. Everything about Archana seems to be so very landscape-driven, which makes me wonder about the way you approach your world-building. What - for you as a maker - needs to be conjured throughout the music?

Hey, thanks a lot, it's been a fairly huge honour releasing this music lately. Archana happened after a lot of years of meditation and research. I used to hike any time I had the chance. Something about the lack of societal expectation in the wilderness helped me envision progressive song-writing more clearly and prompted me to include that kind of isolation in most of the art I've created. Man vs. Nature is such a primordial form of storytelling. It seems unbeatable at times, other times we're able to endure by simply looking into ourselves and believing in the victory.

It’s interesting that you speak of man as separate from nature, with nature being something to be overcome or - at least - survive. To me, this always causes interesting friction with other popular stories about the symbiosis of man and nature, in which humanity is intertwined in a bigger ecosystem. Is this friction part of your storytelling as well? How do man and nature relate to the sound and world of Archana?

That's a really great question. Inclimate weather helps make a cool, multi-faceted story, in my opinion. I live in "Tornado Alley" here in the U.S. and just about once or twice a year I'll drive around and see a neighborhood that's been completely leveled. It's stuck with me a long time; I feel for catastrophe victims around the world.

We're definitely a part of the greater ecosystem, though many homo sapiens would claim we are above it. The magi in my lore harness the torrential elements to conduct powerful spells. These are obviously tall tales, but I can't help but see a correlation to the modern-day gain-of-function research. We can think we are above it, but I feel like we're totally subject to it. What's above 10 on the Richter scale, you know?

As a side note: a friend of mine and I were recently talking about Antarctica; that it's illegal to go there and how we're discovering ancient tropical vegetation there from the last global warming. He shared with me that he's more concerned with the ancient bacteria we're excavating there than with any alleged man-made or genetically-engineered virus we could currently concoct in a lab. Makes a lot of sense now why Jurassic Park spoke so deeply to our subconscious back in 1994-1995. Haha.

Wooded landscape with a lake, George Barrett, Unknown date 

Haha, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.” I’m fascinated by the way you use this concept of magi using torrential elements. It’s a great way of telling stories about pushing boundaries to reach greater ideals - and its potentially catastrophic consequences. What strikes me, is that its adventurous character feels slightly in contrast with Rites’ music, which is so very calm and soothing. Where in your overall story is the album positioned? Is this the calm before the storm, or its aftermath?

The Rites series focuses predominantly on the political struggles and repercussions of the lore, this release has both the calm and the aftermath. "Partisans Divide" is a good example. The first three-quarters of the song is building ambient layers, kind of like a coup or militia forged slowly. It takes time, sometimes longer than the actual conflict itself. That kind of thing is situational, but the song is meant to portray a building unrest over time, which eventually snaps at some point, resulting in a very different-- often war-like-- struggle. The ending section has a bit of an essence of rebellion and turmoil, but it is largely invigorating in spirit.

Invigorating might just be the word to describe Rites as a whole, as it contains a sound that I find to be rather unique within Dungeon Synth, without it moving away from the atmospherical redline that makes up the genre. What invigorates you when it comes to Dungeon Synth, as a fan, listener, and musician?

Man, there's so much great Dungeon Synth out there. I spin a lot of stuff with rich atmosphere and vision, but the records don't have to make any substantial unique statements, I'm a huge fan of neo-medieval. Realms of Oblivion by Torchlight is 10/10 from me. All three releases from Ulk (Netherlands) are so well-done, very relaxing. ASKII (Germany) Hegelburg and Hegelburg at Dusk have recently garnered about 500 spins from me, they're perfect for writing and study. Strange Divinity by Cowl (British Columbia) is really far out, solid first release. I'm totally enthralled with the current state of Dungeon Synth, I find a lot of good energy and excitement in what I've heard the past five or six years.

The Upper Nepean, William Piguenit, 1889

Rumor has it though that, as a musician, you also participate outside of the realms of Dungeon Synth. Would you like to tell us a bit more about some of your other projects?

Yeah, I'd love to. Abhasa saw its first release last year, atmospheric black metal with a Sanskrit aura. It's fairly crushing at times, but still easy on the ears. Co-founder J.E. (Alloch Nathir) and I do all writing and most of the instrumentation. We have an esoteric metal record in post-production we're really excited about under the project name Forlorn Aspect, rough ETA late 2020.

Brian Fullenkamp does all of our session drumming. He and I have also performed as Architecture Aviva since 2010, a heavy psych power-trio with bassist Nick Carpenter. We're hoping to take our live show internationally as soon as it's feasible.

Is your work with Archana some sort of counter-weight to your other, more abrasive musical outputs? Or can it be seen as an extension of what you’re already doing?

Archana is very contrasting to most of the music I've released. I started out composing Math-Rock, crazy time signatures with other warm layers, a generally organized chaos. Found cool acts like Pele from Wisconsin (surf element), Volta Do Mar from Chicago, and Do Make Say Think from Canada. These acts kind of shaped our perceptions on Psych and Post, and the further we looked and the more we studied, it all ended up at metal. The more etheric and surreal elements I wanted in the music, the more it became Black Metal and World / Traditional.

Because of its often brooding nature and subject matter, Dungeon Synth seems more metal to me than some of the heavier music. It's also very cinematic and epic at times, so much aesthetic. When I finally set out to compose for Archana, I quickly found that the basic scoring technique wasn't easy. I'm super stoked to explore even larger-scale projects in the genre.

Does your excitement for future plans include Archana? What can we expect from the project, both in the near future as potentially in the long run?

Since teaming up with Mystic Timbre, we've really been able to solidify a lot of ideas I may have previously thought out of reach, so it's safe to say Archana has plans ahead in multiple spheres and in ranging scope. A lore-based release is being prepared for late this year or early next. Those records will be signified by a golden dragon logo or by a similarly specialized logo. Thanks again for having me, and thanks to the listeners.

Archana on Bandcamp

INTERVIEW: Mystic Timbre

With its first release being Seikai’s To Sanzuwu on the 19th of April last year and it’s 40th release being Archana’s Rites - which is expected to surface on the 23rd of June - it’s safe to say Mystic Timbre is a rather productive label. Ranging from cosmic ambient to modern takes on Dungeon Synth, its main focus seems to be the distribution of strongly atmospheric projects. Over the course of a few days, I communicated back and forth with the label’s driving-force Anthony to discuss Mystic Timbre’s ambitions, future visions and love for all that’s mesmerizing.

It would be an understatement to say that there is a lot to discover within your roster. Could you describe the label for those who are yet unfamiliar with what Mystic Timbre is and does?

Distributor of strongly atmospheric projects is a great start, though that maybe leaves out our punk and yacht rock releases, haha. I had been planning the label for a couple of years before it launched, so I was able to save up the money to produce our first 21 tapes all at once, which were comprised of mostly older material created throughout the decade, with a few newer albums like How the Garden Grows at the tail end. That got us off to a fast start in 2019; for 2020, I endeavored to release 2 albums every 3 weeks for the entire year - as it stands, we've already got enough releases ready/near completion to fulfill that pace. Ceaseless and varied productivity is, I hope, the defining attribute of Mystic Timbre.

The breadth and diversity of sounds and styles represented on the label are simply reflective of my own interests, which are about as expansive as can be. I was a pretty strictly metalhead kid, and got really into folk/viking metal when I was 14/15. It was always the atmosphere of that music that intrigued me: the epic, fantasy keyboards. The fact that Dungeon Synth now makes up one of the larger genre-specific slices of the Mystic Timbre pie is therefore not surprising. Ulver's Bergtatt was a favorite, and it may be simplifying and a little cheesy, and probably not exactly 100% accurate, but my own tastes and ideas about what 'atmosphere' in music could be opened up as I delved into the Norwegian duo's electronic releases, specifically Perdition City. Back in 2005 it was actually a relatively new album still; crazy to think it's celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Atmosphere didn't have to be lofty, epic keyboards - it was in all effective and profound music. There are so many places beyond Valhalla and pre-Christian Europe that music can transport us, haha.

I focus on the ability to transport, and not the destination. All destinations are valid, so long as the music is an effective vehicle to get there.

The temptation to hyperfocus on a specific genre or sound is always there - it would make promotion much easier, and would make it easier to attract followers of that particular style. Ultimately, I can never bring myself to shut the door on a style I might want to indulge in the future. Doing so would, for me, be disingenuous; to focus on a single sound would be a business decision, not a creative one. I'll just have to work that much harder and be that much more productive for the label to be successful.

Żywopłoty, Jacek Yerka, 2004

With Ulver’s Perdition City being one of my all-time favorite albums, this interview is already off to a good start. When you reflect on possible destinations for your musical outlets to transport the listener to, which ones have not been reached yet but would be very fitting within Mystic Timbre’s discography?

The goal is for there to be no destination that doesn't fit into the Mystic Timbre discography. More than any specific answer to the question, I would just like for Mystic Timbre releases to continue finding unique means of transportation, and destinations that are just a little bit off the well-worn path.

I just finished designing and editing the first issue of Salient Zine, a regular promotional e-zine we're going to be releasing that features selections of label releases, a mix curated from those releases, and download codes for those featured albums. The first issue was loosely themed on the concept of 'outer space'. What I find compelling is that, despite all the releases featured in that issue having something to do with 'outer space,' none of them are just static meditations on the cosmos. They all have concepts which involve outer space, but focus on more unique and intriguing aspects. I won't name any names, but there are countless ambient, space ambient, and progressive electronic artists who use 'outer space' as the founding concept for their works, and then go no further with it than that. In their discographies, you will find album after album about nebulae and black holes, with cosmic NASA photography artwork showing the aforementioned phenomena; but that's it - there is no story, no interesting way of presenting these concepts. That music will transport you to space, certainly; but good luck finding anything to do when you get there.

The first track on the Space Is the Place Salient Zine mix is Phantoms vs Fire's The Botanist, from the Superbloom II album released last month. Superbloom II is a concept album that reimagines the Yucca desert in southwest America as a lush, alien landscape, with a narrative arc that climaxes with the titular botanist character merging with the cosmic energy of this exotic landscape. The Wyndham Research Institute's Interim Report no. 57: Io Transmitter Sub-Committee uses dark ambient and experimental field recordings to create an album that relays, in the form of found audio logs, the catastrophic systems failures of a space shuttle terminus station orbiting Jupiter's moon, Io. Seikai's first album, To Sanzuwu, charts the odyssey of a satellite launched from Earth toward the center of the sun in an attempt to gather and transmit as much information as possible before burning away in the intense heat. Seikai's follow-ups find even more novel ways to celebrate the sun's power and majesty. The second album, 17 September 1770, uses natural field recordings and new age ambient to chronicle the titular date, when an enormous geomagnetic storm caused deep red aurorae to appear over the Pacific Ocean, visible and detailed in contemporary accounts all the way from northern China and Japan to the western Australian coast, where crewmembers aboard Captain Cook's Endeavour observed the phenomenon. The third album, III: Sunrise & Sunset, follows the course of the sun across a Japanese New Year's Day, beginning with its first rays of light in a kite-filled sky, through the first sunrise of the new year, hatsuhinode, and on through the sunset and into the first dream of the new year, hatsuyume.

For me, these are far more interesting ways of engaging with the concept of space and the celestial bodies that exist beyond our planet. These albums don't simply show you the destination - space, or Io, or the sun - and then soundtrack that location. Instead, these albums tell stories that either take place in space or heavily involve the use of celestial bodies in space, and then soundtrack those stories. They take the listener to the destination, instead of dropping them into it. Both methods can be equally transportive; however, I find the former to be more engaging, more human.

More than any specific destinations that I want Mystic Timbre releases to take listeners, my focus is on ensuring the journey is a unique and engaging one. Personally, I am excited to see what stories and journeys our artists will create in the future, and where they will take us - and it's a testament to our artists' creativity that those stories and journeys will be surprises to me when they appear in my inbox for the first time.

Timechild, Jesse Treece, 2014

To give a carte blanche to all possible interpretative destinations feels refreshing and rather daring. With the label strongly distinguishes between merely being somewhere and truly being emerged in an environment, I wonder how you’d describe the surroundings and events that are build by your two latest releases, being Archana’s Rites and Alloch Nathir’s The Emerald Grotto.

Those two are great examples of what we're talking about, actually. Both Archana and Alloch Nathir are heavily focused on worldbuilding and escapism, though each goes about them in their own way.

Alloch Nathir focuses on conjuring a specific place - in this case, the eponymous Emerald Grotto. But The Emerald Grotto, as an album, isn't just one of those "2 hours of woodland swamp ambience" videos with a static picture on youtube - it's an aural journey through the namesake grotto, with stops at various locations and mysterious encounters along the way. The music, while always remaining generally under the 'Dungeon Synth' umbrella, shifts shape to match the narrative passage, touching upon many of the various styles and subgenres of DS. The first 3 tracks are idyllic forest synth, a calming, tranquil beginning to the journey. The midway point of the album switches to a more traditional dungeon synth sound, dark keyboard woodwinds and tambourine percussion, signaling a turn down a darker path of the woods, and an encounter with some of its witchier denizens. The B Side sees the timbre change again to the moody twinkle of classic ambient music, as danger has passed and deep, ethereal mysteries are revealed. The fun of this style of storytelling, by giving the listener the location and the journey, but not the plot details, is that that plot can be left to interpretation and creativity: The Emerald Grotto could just as easily be the setting and conceptual thrust for a fantasy D&D campaign as it could a Victorian horror story or a modern, Goonies-style atmospheric adventure.

Archana's albums are more about the writing of a general world lore, rather than a focus on any one environment within that world (though individual tracks can serve as an aural representation of a specific location - I'm thinking of The Hyetal Shore from Archana's Tales B Side). Archana's music, so misty and drenched in atmosphere, is like the specters of ancient battles, each track a ghostly visage of some fight or struggle from centuries past. These conflicts were of such dire importance their marks were left on this mythic land like scars, and the souls of those who perished remain as phantoms. Listening to an Archana song is like stepping on to one of these old battlefields, seeing the spirits, hearing the call of these struggles which shaped the world. To listen all the way through an Archana album is to have been a fog slowly rolling over this land, intermingling with the phantom spirits and echoes from the past as you passed over them, as if they still existed corporeally today. Legends never die. Neither do Goonies.

Dancing Fairies, August Malmström, 1866

I’m starting to suspect you write for a living, haha. As much as I enjoy your tales of spatial exploration, I’d love to shift our focus to another fundamental thread, being time, both present and future. I expect you’ve been in quarantine because of COVID-19 for a while now. How are you holding up? How does this affect the label? And what can we, as fellow hermits, expect of Mystic Timbre in 2020?

I definitely spend my life writing; yet to find someone willing to pay me for it though, hah.

I almost feel bad about the good fortune in my circumstances regarding COVID, relative to the tens of millions who've lost their jobs and are otherwise struggling to get through the pandemic, not to mention those people and their loved ones suffering from the sickness itself. My personal situation allows for me to complete my current semester of school online and work from home. As far as the quarantine is concerned, I was forged in self-isolation, haha, so a few weeks or even months without extended social contact is really not so terrifying. As I said, I'm not overly fond of glorifying my good fortune in a crisis, but the extra time I've been given to work on the label has been invaluable.

As such, the Mystic Timbre train will continue rolling full steam ahead through the pandemic, all the way through 2020. Having planned the label and set money aside for it for years before launch has enabled us to be in a position where all the funds for everything we have planned through the end of the year are all accounted for, and our release schedule of 2 albums every 3 weeks will continue unimpeded. The only snag might be in the release of the tapes for our 35th and 36th releases: TAKAHIRO MUKAI's Fusty Stuffy and The Wyndham Research Institute's Interim Report, which are scheduled to release in mid-May, but due to a 30-day closure of our cassette manufacture could be delayed by what should be a minimal amount of time. I fully expect every other tape to be ready not only by their planned release dates, but even a bit earlier. The Rites and Emerald Grotto tapes, scheduled for late June, ought to be ready to ship out pre-orders several weeks in advance of those dates.

We're going to be unveiling a couple of excellent ambient albums over the coming weeks, one from label-regular SELVEDGE and another from newcomer Manuka out of Scotland. We've got several noise, often bordering on the harsh end of the spectrum, tentatively planned to be announced late summer/early autumn; a few more Dungeon Synth albums in the fall; and I actually just received an email this morning about a new esoteric black metal project from the members of Abhasa, which promises to be absolutely mesmerizing. And that's really just the tip of the iceberg!

Mystic Timbre on Bandcamp

Summoning - Lost Tales

Napalm Records, 2003

It was like a gloom, with a thousand facets 
It shone like silver in the firelight 
like water in the sun, 
like snow under the stars, 
like rain upon the moon 

Stuck between the much-praised Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame and Oath Bound rests Old Tales; an odd addition to Summoning’s extensive discography due to its lack of guitars, screeches, and brief play length. Featuring enhanced echoes of material that stems from Dol Guldur and Silenius’ Mirkwood, one could argue that Lost Tales balances between being a short compilation and stand-alone endeavor. Therefore, I think it might be interesting to approach the record not as an isolated work of art but rather as a mirror with which we can reflect on Summoning’s broader material. Throughout this writing, I’ll try to give an interpretation of how Lost Tales relates to the project’s other works - and in what ways it branches off.

Within its first 45 seconds, the opening track Arcenstone manages to do something that is so unlike Summoning that I can not simply ignore it, even if it is such minute detail. In between a conversation concerning the Arkenstone, there is this fragile and unstable violin melody. It stutters, reestablishes itself, detunes and finally dissolves, to never return again. What makes this brief moment stand out, is Summoning’s oeuvre’s overall lack of attention to fragility and uncertainty. The project’s musical landscapes - not unlike many of Tolkien’s sceneries - are vast, open, and more often than not portray courage, power, and pride. When Silinius and Protector go for a more quiet and timid approach Summoning’s palette can become gentle and mysterious - as can be heard in a track like Dol Guldur’s Angbands Schmieden. Yet, very scarcely do we find a level of intimacy as is portrayed within Arcenstone’s first seconds.

Let us not dwell on this, for the thought of a more delicate Summoning gets mercilessly trampled by proud bombast as soon as the track starts to build up steam. Honestly,  Arcenstone is a trademark Summoning track, despite originally being written for Mirkwood. Its melodies remind of those on Minas Morgul and Dol Guldur; they’re soothing yet powerful. Its diverse use of both soaring and pulsing synths creates a dynamic that beautifully co-operates with the pacing of the rhythm section. One could easily imagine guitars and vocals creating an explosive final act - but they do not, and it honestly does not matter.

Where Arcenstone drifts off in a comfortable fashion that most of us would classify as typically Summoning, it is Saruman’s aggressive bombast that harks back so far I find myself back in Lugburz territory. Where some have claimed that Summoning’s real discography started with Minas Morgul, it was the fierce black metal-induced Lugburz that at first waved the Summoning banner. While Protector in an interview from 2006 proclaimed that the debut is disliked by both him and Silenius, it is interesting to hear that at least the energy that was found in Trifixion‘s hectic drumming managed to re-introduce itself briefly as the percussional foundation of Saruman.

Sadly, Saruman does not evolve beyond its bombast. Even when the synths take a step back, the percussion keeps pounding away. We could argue that this echoes Isengard’s ever-going industrial urges but at the same time it turns a 9-minute song - that does carry interesting elements - into a tiresome ride.

In the end, Lost Tales can be seen as a fascinating addition to every Summoning fan’s collection. While in its core the two tracks stay very loyal to what can be considered Summoning-esque, they also engage with rarities like delicacy and hecticness; two elements that Summoning still hasn’t managed to successfully incorporate within their sound.

TL;DR: Arcenstone is an absolute gem and makes it that Lost Tales deserves a spot in every Dungeoneer’s collection.

Summoning on Bandcamp | Summoning on Facebook

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

Forlorn Kingdom - Distant Apparitions

Self-released, 2020

"Isn't it gorgeous? 
I hope we have the coldest winter ever."

Forlorn Kingdom got a small wave of attention when it released Walking The Paths Of Old back in 2019. It contained material that was produced between 2013 and 2015, and its unexpected praise led the creator to introduce us to a follow-up called Ancient Winter's Domain which saw the light of day last September. Now, Distant Apparitions has found itself into existence; a 28-minute run of old-school Dungeon Synth, that has been made physical on cassette for a very select audience.

When I say old-school, I mean straight on Voldsom vibes. Wintry, melodic, and with that rare quality to take over a room within seconds. Distant Apparations comes at this perfect time of the year in which the days are still short and dark, making its atmosphere very relatable and appropriate for any hour of the day. Its strongest moments are when we get treated to its spare use of percussion. These cold and distant hits - on what I imagine to be a wooden surface - enhance the repetitive melodies and truly broadens up the musical spectrum in which the listener effectively wanders off.

2020 Has just arrived and Forlorn Kingdom already sets a very high bar for upcoming releases due to its immersive character and all-round stellar production. One can only hope for the material to be made available physically later this year. Until then, I’ll just be pressing replay on Bandcamp.

TL;DR: An old school-esque release that opens up and draws one in from the get-go. Highly recommended.

Forlorn Kingdom on Bandcamp

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