News and reviews on all macabre melodies: Metal in its many manifestations, dark and synthwave, audio dramas, soundtracks, ambient, and dungeon synth.
There are hidden gems in every corner of the dungeon synth realm. Artists that plug away and build impressive little bodies of work with their own unified style and flavor. One such artist is Eldritch Wizardry who, high in their tower, bent over scrolls and tomes, quill in hand, is now releasing their third full length on Wrought Records. On June 5th they will unveil “Where None Dare Venture”.
Read MoreRuptured World continues its sci-fi epic with the third installment in the Planetary (not officially titled) series. Author Alistair Rennie writes, produces, and provides yet another exquisite tale of cosmic dark ambient, bolstered by the mastering of Simon Heath (Cryo Chamber; Atrium Carceri). I have espoused on numerous occasions that I love narrative in music - I love the weaving of story, design, and atmosphere into musical presentations, no matter the genre.
Read MoreCaustic Reverie's newest droning ambient offering is an explorative meditation on isolation. The first half of the year has seen the planet shuttering its windows - lockdowns and quarantines occurring on a global scale, and composer Bryn Schurman found himself home, with naught but his synthesizers to keep his mind occupied.
Read MoreWith quarantine in effect and the outside world a fearful prospect, many of us have been practicing a solitary, hermetic lifestyle as of late. Luckily, our brethren at Wrought Records have just the soundtrack you need to don a robe, cast your worldly ways aside, and settle into a life of introspective isolation. On May 30th they will bestow upon us the debut release of Texas-based Dungeon Synth neophyte Illuminator. TItled In Ictu Oculi, and inspired by the artist’s fascination with medieval Christianity, this album is an exercise in capturing the stillness, repetition, and perhaps epiphany of the monastic lifestyle.
Read MoreOn her debut, full-length Monolith Belarus dark ambient artist Cryo Depth invites you to succumb to the numbing chill of cryostasis and survive the slow journey between stars. I’ve had the opportunity to strap in for this two-track transmission of minimalist, cosmic drone. Let me shake the feeling back into my limbs and I’ll tell you how I fared on the trip.
Read MoreNERATERRÆ wastes no time with shy introductions to politely acquaint the listener with this musical construct; this album begins with "The Last Abjurer'', informed by Zdzislaw Beksinski's haunting (and my personal favorite) "AA72". There is an eerie, atmospheric texture underlying the "space", a mammoth sensation of looking down upon lesser beings, and immediately, a cascade feeling of Cyclopean dread washes upon the listener. This "looks'' like a Beksinski painting - no - this ambient piece feels like a Beksinski painting.
Woven tapestries of pain-fueled melancholy; a seminal half-life of despair creeping into our world, laid bare before mortal eyes, and the only way we have to interpret the feelings is through the morbid paintings of the long-dead artist. "The Last Abjurer'' is a dismal, oppressive castigation of sound that embodies the visage of the titanic statues as they gaze downward upon the lowly human staring up at the Cyclopean monuments, and the music conveys exactly that.
Read MoreEternal Drift, the new album from Beyond the Ghost opens with the track, "Aphotic Black"; subdued, percussive strings, slowly fading into the drone of the atmosphere that begins to swell as you notice your surroundings. The narrative to this ghostly analect reveals you are trapped in a time loop, lost in a world of shadow - a city of there-and-yet-not; empty, void, and lifeless… even you, and your transom is constantly glazed with a filmy blur. This album is a constant, ghostly reminder of the thematic presentation: you are a wandering ghost, lingering in twilight - the Between, some may call it.
It is a narrative of searching - for someone, something, perhaps? However, the ethereal qualities of the album act as a means to distract you, to distract your spirit. It is a display of being timeless. This is the soundtrack to the Half-World, a Purgatory of not only being, but of the mind.
Read Moreo set it plainly, The Midnight represents the cream of the Synthwave crop. Since the debut EP Days of Thunder, The Midnight has carefully crafted classic after classic, culminating in their forthcoming release Monsters on July 10th via Counter Records. Tyler Lyle and Tim McEwan possess an ability to evoke feelings both familiar and forgotten. To explore places, you can’t quite remember, yet subconsciously crave. The band themselves would point you to the Japanese term ‘Mono no aware’: the aching awareness of impermanence. A rhythmic reflection on the passing of time and the realization that nothing lasts forever. But these times can be revisited in memories and - thanks to The Midnight - music.
Read MoreStories, Music - parallel and congruous, evocative and mesmerizing; used to convey narrative and emotion and many other things too long to list, but among them, always: story and narrative. Cryo Chamber is a music label that is devoted and dedicated to not only the finest fidelity of the dark ambient and drone genres but also to present the most thought-provoking and imaginative - dare I write bleak? - soundscapes.
Read MoreOne of Finland's best-kept secrets, Morketida return with a mini-album offering, Traveler of the Untouched Void. The Finnish emissaries of blackened mysticism return in full force with a blistering quadripartite compendium of blackened blasts clocking in at twenty-two minutes in total length, and is a dichotomy of almost whimsical allure at times, but quickly dissolves into furious flurries of (un)righteous, angry guitar sawing and drum pulses, carried by the sickening guttural croaks of the vocals.
These four tracks contain more depth and form than many full-length albums, while also taking time to explore sonic departures with seemingly hypnotic rhythms; rhythms that seem to meander, however merely act as a lure - a way to lull the listener into a false sense of calm, for no sooner has the ear become accustomed to the whimsical trot than the rhythm drives head first into comfortable, chilling, black metal.
Read MoreIf you’re a fan of modern dungeon synth then you likely know both Erythrite Throne and Seregost. Over the past couple of years, they’ve released consistently strong content with original voices that rise above the rest. They both wowed with amazing sets at Northeast Dungeon Siege MMXX this year. Now, they’ve joined forces for a split release that keeps the legacy of underground camaraderie alive. Obsidian Relic Records is set to release A Sacrilegious Ritual Upon Once Holy Ground on May 1st.
Read MoreHave you ever been struck unawares by an album or film that leaves you mentally stunned? I know of several motifs that have seemingly begun to filter into movies, namely what has been dubbed "neon horror". Films such as Mandy, The Color Out of Space, Maniac, all contain an undercurrent a recurring theme - that of the late '60s / early 70's psychedelia; a pastiche amalgamation of early 80's sword and sorcery pulp novels melted into a slag and mixed with 70's LSD-induced horror films - dross and all.
"Rainbow Rituals of the Spiritual Sojourner" by Temple of the Fractured Light is a progressive/psychedelic dungeon synth project album that was released in April; it resides among themes mentioned in the previous paragraph, and it is a stroke of absolute brilliance. I will admit that the "70's prog" is not my go-to sound when I am searching for music with which to listen, and perhaps that is the very reason this album struck such a resonant chord with me.
Read MoreBelgian Speed Metal titans BÜTCHER have announced the addition of a new member, guitarist Max Mayhem of Thrash act Evil Invaders.
"I'm glad to announce that I am now joining Belgian speed metal force Bütcher as second guitarist!" says Max. "It was an honor for me to play with the boys at the release show of the new record. And the chemistry is there, both on- and offstage. Why not keep this going? As a fan of raw-sounding metal, fast vintage riffing, and occasional blast beats, it's a pure pleasure for me to share the stage - and beers! - with BÜTCHER. I can't wait to crush some skulls again once everything is back to normal!”
Read MoreThrough dealings surely conducted under the rattling limbs of dead forests, contracts signed by what little moonlight the cloud cover would allow, Wrought Records is preparing a dark offering to it’s supplicants. On May 7th Cefaris’ third album, the second of 2020, will be released on cassette and digital. Less of a project and more of an entity to be reviled, or perhaps worshipped, Cefaris is true occult dungeon synth, so cloaked in black midnight that it almost hides the tinge of blood that coats it. Cefaris is, at its heart, a pure exploration of vampiric motifs.
Read MoreCalgary’s Traveler came charging out of the gates with their 2019 self-titled debut album. The band firmly announced their arrival to the metal community at Germany’s Keep It True festival, treating European audiences to a traditionally brisk blend of heavy metal. The travelers from beyond are composed of retro-riff master Toryin Schadlich, guitar guru and songwriter Matt Ries, shrieking storyteller Jean-Pierre Abboud, and robustly rounded out by the thundering rhythms of bassist Dave Arnold and drummer Chad Vallier. With the release of the latest album Termination Shock on April 10th of this year, if you’re still sleeping on Traveler, it’s time to wake up.
Read MoreTo say that Erythrite Throne has been prolific is an understatement. Since We Sleep Forever In Decay saw its release in October of 2018, another 23 releases have been conjured up from the black soil of Ontario that sole member Wyrm calls home. Erythrite Throne’s brand of dark dungeon music is black, vampiric, and steeped in nervous textures. Wrought Records, purveyors of dungeon synth and black metal from the likes of lauded contemporary acts like Redhorn Gate and Grimdor, are set to release In The Age Of Medieval Sorcery, Erythrite Throne’s 25th offering, on May 7th.
Read MoreConceived, and performed by sole member Heolstor (Mystagos) with help from guest female vocalist, Maya, "Through Doors of Midnight" is a ritualistic centerpiece of artistic endeavor; seven hymns of invocation and introspective spellweaving, and an evocation of sound design and aesthetic presentation. Combine this with a delicate mix (provided by Simón Alvar (The Empty Hall Studios) and artwork by Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule, and it is a demonstration of artistic poise and purpose.
Read MoreThe incantations of Australia’s The Wizar’d have held listeners spellbound since their inception in 2004. Established by guitarist/vocalist ‘Ol Rusty, the band would summon several singles and demos before calling forth the EP Follow the Wizard in 2006. Two years later, The Wizar’d released the first full-length album Infernal Wizardry. From 2010s Pathway into Darkness to the ritualistically revered Ancient Tome of Arcane Knowledge, the Australian Archmages have managed to manifest a mystic and doom-laden discography.
Read MoreDo you spend your nights hunched over a computer, hunting eBay for the missing pieces of your serial killer trading card collection? (Eclipse put these out in the 90s. Look it up.) Do you feel at home in the seedy, debauched world of say, William Lustig’s Maniac (1980)? Then have I got a piece of sonic sleaze for you. I’m talking about Shitfucker’s Sex With Dead Body. What a fucking sentence.
Read MoreThere is a delicate balance to black metal, a dichotomous dance of traditionalism and exploration - of maintaining the old, and yet exploring new horizons. Such an introduction may seem pompous, yet this is the very nature that I would use to describe The True Werwolf, and certainly the new full-length offering from Hell's Headbangers, The True Werwolf's "Devil Crisis". Having a decade-spanning career in underground prominence, the artist known as Graf Werwolf (Satanic Warmaster / Horna) is no stranger to this very methodology, and in fact, is one of the mainstays in the underground black metal presentation.
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