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Posted: |
Jun 20, 2022 - 9:48 AM
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By: |
losher22
(Member)
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CD News!
*** Recent Releases ---
Here we have a trio of mini-disc releases by the new Dungeon Tales Records, all very primitive, chiptune-style DS. Very few copies left!
LICH LORD - Alchemical Machinery in Service of Death
https://dungeontalesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mt02-lich-lord-alchemical-machinery-in-service-of-death
LICH LORD - Roving Casket
https://dungeontalesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mt04-lich-lord-roving-casket
THE PIXELLATED BARD - Fairy Kingdom
https://dungeontalesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mt03-the-pixelated-bard-fairy-kingdom
A compilation from ANCIENT IRON on two CDrs, housed in an A5 (DVD) case, collecting all their releases from 2020-2021:
ANCIENT IRON - Compilation I
https://dispelltd.bandcamp.com/album/compilation-i-2
And finally, a digipak release from "comfy synth" Ukrainian artist MUSHROOM GRANDPA. I'm usually not interested at all in the comfy synth subgenre of dungeon synth, but this one hit me at just the right angle (despite the true-to-form saccharine artist name). The music reminds me of the most tranquil points of FIEF. This is the only CD release of MUSHROOM GRANDPA material to date.
MUSHROOM GRANDPA - Sleep In Herbs
https://steelmartyr.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-in-herbs
*** Future Releases ---
***
This Friday, June 24th, at 2pm CST, Forbidden Keep Records will have the following for sale. It's unknown if they'll be posted on Bandcamp or their main site - links to both are included.
SERPENT'S ISLE - Herald of the Cyan Sea
https://serpentsisle.bandcamp.com/album/herald-of-the-cyan-sea
MAIDEN HAIR (OV ENGLAND) - Minstrel
Note: No samples available. But based on these two prior albums, this one might be a very interesting mixed bag!
https://maidenhairuk.bandcamp.com/album/strands-ov-maiden-hair-book-one-vol-i-iv
https://maidenhairuk.bandcamp.com/album/trim-the-fat
https://www.forbiddenkeep.co.uk
https://forbiddenkeep.bandcamp.com
***
***
Up for preorder now (July 22nd release) is the new album from dark ambient / Berlin school / dungeon synth duo DEN SORTE DOD, "Depressiv Magi." Also being issued on CD by the label, Cyclic Law, is DEN SORTE DOD's LP-only 2019 album, "Undergangen." Sounds like more of the excellent same from these artists!
https://cycliclaw.bandcamp.com/album/depressiv-magi
https://cycliclaw.bandcamp.com/album/undergangen
***
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Posted: |
Jun 20, 2022 - 11:16 AM
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By: |
losher22
(Member)
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Dungeon Synth Physical Reading Material
Upon first discovering DS in name a couple of years ago, as part of my investigation into different subgenres and trying to figure out the scope of DS "sounds," I sought lists, historical accounts, interviews, etc. with DS artists and fans. During said investigation, I began to seek physical zines, books, anything I could get my hands on that could sit comfortably on my shelf next to my growing CD collection. Well, there ain't much, but here's what I've found so far:
DUNGEON SYNTH ZINE
This is far and away THE source for dungeon synth information on paper, written in English almost solely by one Polish man. DSZ is a black-and-white A5-size (roughly 6"x8") old-school paper zine with stapled binding. If you were ever into old black metal or proto-death metal fanzines, this will feel very familiar. There are currently seven issues available. All issues range from 80-100 pages and contain a huge spread of interviews with DS and DS-fringe artists, adverts for DS labels and upcoming releases, album reviews, and editorial articles. The most interesting of the articles to date include numerous angles on the history of dungeon synth, video game music as DS, discussion on physical format releases, and controversial topics as such Enya being one of the progenitors of DS (!). The 8th issue, hopefully coming late this year, is slated to include interviews with AN OLD SAD GHOST, ACHEULEAN FORESTS, ELMINSTER, and VAELASTRASZ. Copies of DSZ can be obtained through their BigCartel site or Bandcamp, or are sometimes available at other distro sites like Ancient Entity, Ancient Meadow, or Repose.
https://dungeonsynthzine.bigcartel.com/
https://dungeonsynthzine.bandcamp.com/
https://anciententityrecords.bandcamp.com/music
https://ancientmeadow.com/
https://www.reposerecords.com/en-us
THE HUM OF DUNGEON SYNTH: THE REBIRTH OF THE LEGEND Book by Ruslan Aarsland
Published in 2020, this is an A5-size (roughly 6"x8") black-and-white pro-bound book, 130 pages, written by Siberian doom/noise musician Ruslan Aarsland (text in English). While primarily a collection of interviews with hugely influential and important artists like OLD SORCERY, MURGRIND, ERANG, MORTIIS, and DEPRESSIVE SILENCE, Aarsland also presents his perspective on the history of the DS genre and makes historical DS recommendations for listeners. Awesome book! Though sold out from his Bandcamp page, the link also list several ways to contact Aarsland directly to obtain a copy.
https://aarsland.bandcamp.com/merch/book-the-hum-of-dungeon-synth-the-rebirth-of-the-legend-ruslan-aarsland
ROTSTOCK #1 DUNGEON SYNTH MAGAZINE
This one is interesting. Published in Sweden in 2019 (text is in English), it's an A4-size (roughly US "letter" size) 40-page black-and-white photocopied zine, whose range of topics will appeal to both DS listeners and former readers of black metal zines of old. DS information includes articles about chiptune dungeon synth, cosmic ambient and DS, an interview with SIDEREAL FORTRESS, and a slew of short album reviews; fringe articles unrelated to DS include an investigation to the mystery of the Tunguska Incident of 1908, an editorial about the connection of elves to UFOs, and a short biography and examination of the mystic Agrippa. Enigmatic contents, but interesting - really reminds of old black metal zines that were mostly editorial or heavy-handed in nature. Check this one out!
https://slagruta.bandcamp.com/merch/rotstock-1-dungeon-synth-magazine-eng
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Posted: |
Jun 21, 2022 - 4:54 PM
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By: |
Josh
(Member)
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Oh, you thought right my friend! I waited until the first three Dungeon Tales mini-CDs were announced before pulling the trigger so I could take advantage of the combined shipping discount, and sure enough, a week after my order shipped they accounce another Lich Lord mini-CD! Haha. I'll definitely be picking up that new Lich Lord release sooner or later, hopefully combined with at least one other release to take some of the sting out of the shipping costs.
Regarding Garvalf, I also noticed the slight change in sound/style with each release. I have all of their (his?) CD releases so far with the exception of this new one, and I enjoy them all, but the most recent (Corps Celestes) is my least favorite due to its overuse (IMHO) of traditional piano sounds and the mimicking of other acoustic instruments. I enjoy folky/medieval DS on occasion but tend to prefer synth patches that are more obviously electronic (like the Lich Lord stuff). This reflects my listening habits with film scores as well; give me a real orchestra or old-school synth score any day, but synth orchestral scores are a huge turn off. That said, this latest Garvalf release sounds pretty promising, with more electro-synth and less faux-realism in the "instrumentation" than its immediate predecessor.
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Posted: |
Jun 22, 2022 - 5:34 AM
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By: |
losher22
(Member)
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Thanks for your thoughts on Garvalf! Please let me know if you check out "La Tour" and I'll do the same or if I grab any of their other releases.
Regarding Dungeon Tales...yikes. At least one release a week? That's...a lot. I haven't opened the floodgates on mini-discs as of yet, and perhaps now isn't the time just based on Dungeon Tales's planned output, haha. Plus the releases thus far are intriguing to me, but not quite prompting me to purchase. Yet, haha. Right after my posts yesterday is when I saw the newest release from DT - I was like "Jeez, another one?"
Also right after my posts yesterday, I got a message from Fableglade Records, who had 10 copies of Elyvilon's "Nimueh's Gift" on CD on behalf of Barrow Hoard Records. This sounds like a good one! By the time I looked into it, there was one copy left, and I was lucky enough to snatch it up!
https://elyvilon.bandcamp.com/album/nimuehs-gift
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).