The photographs in this article are apart of a very large collection of candids and performance photos. Here is a folder with all of them in high res. If you are an artist or anyone who is interested feel free to use them.
Those spotlights used to shine when we had a big event.
I used to be able to see it from my house near the Ohio state line.
The security guard at the venue was talking to us about the three spotlights which looked like a statue now encased in grime. His name is Dale. Supposedly during its heyday they used to turn these spotlights signaling a major show. I don’t know how long it has been turned off but the bulbs must be too expensive to replace. I’m sure this venue would have been something with those lights turned on and this parking lot filled with people. Dale was checking IDs in a line which stretched out of the door. I was many miles away from my home for the three day festival of dungeon synth. I had been planning for months to attend this show in Fort Wayne Indiana which not only had international artists and fans traveling to attend but lay at the focal point of the Great Lakes Dungeon Synth scene. I think I’m in the right line. I see lots of piercings and black clothing but also a lot of American flag apparel. Am I in the right line? Was there another show here? Actually, I am wrong and these people are for the metalcore band Demon Hunter and my synth fest was around the corner.
Pierre’s, the venue where I would be spending the next three days, seems well prepared to host multiple events as well as serve a variety of entertainment seeking patrons. I stood in awe of a giant complex which had fallen into disrepair and abandonment. There still were still events but from what I have been told nothing like its golden year with its spotlights shining. If you closed your eyes you could imagine these ghostly corridors being filled with patrons of the past. The inert spotlights out front of its doors were like crumbling statues, a visage of an entertainment empire once grand with luster now too expensive to return. This would be a story of live entertainment in decline if I were talking about a traditional form of music. In recent years, operating out of the waning pandemic, Pierre’s now serves as a base for new and unorthodox acts to take the place of mainstays. I guess as long as it brings paying attendees we could have a show despite how weird the music was. For a weekend we were unexpected guests in a haunted mansion now manned by a skeleton crew and a few locals who were attending karaoke next store. Pierre’s, for at least this weekend, was our old castle ruins and we were its goblins crawling around its halls making unearthly noise.
My time at Great Lakes Dungeon Siege (GLDS) was supposed to be closing thoughts on a year spent at US dungeon synth festivals. Northeast Dungeon Siege (NEDS) and Texas Dungeon Siege (TXDS) were tentpole events apart of a “siege series” which was a loose collection of dungeon synth events organized by various connected scenes of musicians. The story of dungeon synth in 2024 had grown beyond comprehension and popularity. GLDS was perhaps the last large event of the year and served as a capstone to a burgeoning scene of local alternative musicians from a cross state region. GLDS was a story of a scene that was built upon the ethos of DIY to reach beyond things like small bars and basement shows to rent a room in a giant complex for the weekend. This inaugural event, which hosted close to 30 acts from around the world, was a step towards not only a greater recognition of the music style but also as custodians of a community. There are many ways this event could have been a disaster and instead this weekend was a success in no short order due to the organizers, artists, and fans in attendance. Jon, Nate, Ben, Nicholas, Zak, Tristan, Scotty, and Benny (among others), ordinary sounding names of ordinary people who have extraordinary project names, were all fixers making sure the place didn’t burn down metaphorically and physically. Scotty Wiard and the rest of the Twitch crew ran the livestreams all weekend while the projection crew not only ran each of the visuals supplied by the artists but also did live visuals on an antique making program. Labels and cottage industry titans sat behind their tables standing vigil illuminated by battery light.
Fridays are perhaps the hardest night of any multi day festival since at least for me travel seems to start before the sun rises. There is a lot of nervous energy generated in hours of downtime and travel so at the start of Fanged Imp‘s opening I felt myself and everyone was ready to start. Walking in for the first time seeing Fanged Imp hung over a lone keyboard emanating doleful and sorrowful traditional dungeon synth class in a black robe, I knew this was an overture for the whole weekend. Moonkissed Spires, an act I had not seen before, was brilliant in its regal yet cobweb filled court. I then later learned the artist was one of the dutiful attendees for the backstage twitch command center. Elminster, an artist who I previously showcased with Ithildin Tape Production, was joined on stage by Lone Sentinel providing vocals much like banshee moonlighting as a town crier. It is important to note that through the weekend you saw many of the acts in the crowd and around the venue. The impossibly good looking barbarian who was walking around was Elyvilon and soon hammered out drum beats evoking an ancient time.
Redhorn Gate, the act which brought a Renn Faire amount of props on stage were running the Wrought Records table as well as the visuals for the entire weekend. Alkilith, an act which was born in the dirt of lofi DS was one of the main organizers for the show. These people are beyond just their acts and rather their performances were one facet of a multi dimensional community. Coniferous Myst, one of the headliners for Saturday joined Alkilith providing some of the most rasped vocals I have heard in a live setting. Each of these performances highlighted the artist’s worldview ranging from the very elaborate to the very minimal. Dungeontroll, an iconic act who headlined Friday night, motioned for the lights to be turned off and for nearly an hour played lit by only electric candelabra and no costume. The night closed with Cernunnos Woods, an act which began in the early 90’s and now has become a live event act, supported by contemporary synth musicians. Bard Algol Eriboas was someone who could be seen throughout the weekend with one of the most soft spoken voices and now transformed into a magical shaman with skull mask and preaching from a pulpit of old magic.
I was standing up front for that last show. I saw it, i just don’t get it.
Dale was outside telling me what he thought about the show this Saturday. I saw him inside glancing over merch tables with things like tapes and zines and perhaps more dead media wreathed in faux candles. From what I have been told we were the crowd who caused the least amount of problems despite perhaps having the most amount of weapons on hand. Stan’s Room (the club we were in in the complex of Pierre’s) is a 400 capacity room with a bar, fast food counter, and two exits which spill into a parking lot. Between each set this parking lot was the place where artists, fans, and the security staff gathered while smoking or drinking warm Dr. Pepper which kept appearing around the venue. This is where I am talking to Dale while he smokes thin cigars while glancing over at fans who looked like a cross between bikers and medieval reenactors. This parking lot is a place for many to connect as artists, fans, labels, and Dale all gather to mingle with thoughts and ideas and most certainly nonsense stretched out over hours. Over the course of the weekend I heard so many new collaborations being planned, albums being finalized, and promises made in this concrete court that I wish I could tell you about.
Saturday sold the most amount of one day passes out of the entire weekend. It was expected to see headliners like DragonKeep from France and Coniferous Myst from the US. Sieges usually try to host extraordinary acts and seeing how dungeon synth has been emerging into the live sphere, first time performances from legacy acts are within the realm of possibility. I still think the fact we are in this parking lot in Indiana drinking meme soda with people in real life is extraordinary enough. Saturday was also the longest day starting at 3pm and having acts scheduled until well after midnight. There was a dance party scheduled after the last act which was both hilarious and sort of fitting. The opening acts for this day were a blessing since the weather in Indiana was confusingly warm during the day and unforgivingly cold at night. The sharp contrast of the glaring sunlight and dim coolness of the inside was welcome. The opening acts also began the day with a series I call “fuck your hangover deal with it lmfao.”
Obsidian began the day’s plunge into darkness with a dive into cold old school dungeon synth. Complete with corpse paint and black robes, this artist emanated the classic motif of dungeon synth. This atmosphere continued with Vanhellig’s set, an artist who played NEDS earlier this year but still impressed with a chilling presence and almost zero movement from the artist as if they were a statue commanding song. Mortwight delivered an experience of martial ambience complete with esoteric visuals. Some of these sets lied on the hinterlands of dissonance including Trollkjerring, a veteran of live DS and an early artist of the Dungeon Sieges in 2019. I had no idea what to expect and was surprised with perhaps the most visceral noise driven sets of the weekend. I wonder if Dale saw this set and the parts where it was screaming over hammered synth. I wouldn’t know where to begin to start explaining.
I asked Min, sole proprietor of Vaelastrasz, if she was going to break her keyboard like she did at TXDS. Min seems to know everyone and it is that disarming atmosphere where I can come in and take pictures of people talking. Min also doesn’t break her keyboard since it wasn’t hers but continued to play a minimal set which is cloaked in both skill and irreverence as she makes heart hand gestures for the Twitch audience. Valen, who originally played earlier this year as Seregost, continued to be one of the best subjects for photographs and engages the crowd much like a wizard would while casting magic. That wizard from the photographs also cast spells from a gaming laptop. Sorrowmoon were a collective of wraiths who stood symmetrical on stage playing ominous black metal inspired synth. This trio could also be seen outside applying their makeup by truck mirror. I enjoy seeing these small scenes as I feel it adds character to these people who I have come to know their music. Adam Matlock, a multi talented musician who played with Cerennous Woods earlier this weekend and could be seen wandering alone throughout the venue like a ghost played one of my favorite sets this weekend as Nahadoth which was close to ethereal forest ambient complete with matching visuals.
Pumpkin Witch, a mysterious collective of trap inspired …pumpkin synth… had emailed their fans earlier this week about the recent album. They have been doing this for years and I don’t even know who most of them are. I was standing next to a Pumpkin Witch fan before the show. They had on a rubber demon mask which obscured the face but underneath it was adorned in corpse paint and white stark white contacts. They carried a plastic pumpkin pail which was now filled with tapes of unknown origin and seemed to be really excited for the show. The three piece act, who were also masked, brought the second most amount of props on stage and shouted greetings at the audience before playing spooky synth segmented with movie clips of increasingly esoteric nature. Throughout this set I wondered what it was like to come alone to a show of weird synth just for one band. I then realized I was doing that same thing just with every act.
DragonKeep celebrated her first performance, not just in the US, but as the name DragonKeep. I was fascinated by her story as a hugely popular act with a long history in the DS scene just under various project titles. I was talking to her in that same parking lot we all gathered. She ate Taco Bell which she said was her first time having it. She ordered medium Nacho Friesinstead of large since she assumed American portions are absurd. I would do the same since they are. I think above all I admire people like her since it takes a lot to travel to another country, without knowing anyone, and eat their food with ridiculous portion sizes. DragonKeep’s set was exquisite and evoked a focused attention to the music with a performance which was escapist beyond the minimal setup.
Coniferous Myst closed Saturday night with a performance which was highly anticipated perhaps by everyone there in attendance. Myst, a US based artist who traveled from rural Montana perhaps exemplifies the ethos of DIY. With an immense catalog and numerous projects too many to name here, this artist, who I only have seen in chain mail on thrice xeroxed J cards is telling me about hunting in Montana and his high school sweetheart now wife while sitting in Subway across the street. Myst’s performance was to be completely improvised and was perhaps done in the spirit of his raw workflow. Adorned by an elegant wreath of ivy, the performance and visuals were immersive drawing the audience into a world of sorrowful magic. I feel Myst’s set along with others being improvised for a special event like this makes these gatherings special with a rarity which now lives just in the minds of its attendees.
Don’t say goodbye. Say we’ll see each other again soon.
Sundays are usually the last day of fests and the time the crowd thins out. Either due to travel or the fact Saturday was the main draw, Sunday was for people who were invested in an entire weekend of synth and had their flights the next day. I felt out of all of the days, Sunday was the most intimate with acts which were willing to go last and for the most part consisted of people closely related to the event. Unsheathed Glory, Sunday’s opening act made the mid afternoon pleasant with a set of calming medieval ambience. This was the soft hand before the next three acts which heavily brought the listener to lands of darkness. Mors Vitaque, a two piece act consisting of core members of the GLDS, played a new set of spectral ambient which was morose and classical as their visuals ran in the background. Mors Vitaque’s performance, consisting of a dichotomy of light and dark, amplified the immersive nature of the evening. The Oracle‘s set was entrenched in not only ceremonial paraphernalia but power electronics and gnosticism which was ratting to an existential level. I appreciated the Oracle, much like seeing Brighter Death Now earlier in the year, for the ability to play loud noise which grips the audience. This segued right into Jenn Taiga’s set which I am up front waiting to get a good picture so I can look away.
Jenn Taiga has always been at the forefront of transgressive art. Since interviewing her a few years back I have photographed many sets and many performances which usually consist of a performative art piece with a model. These sadomasochistic displays are usually done to the drone of dark Berlin school synth and no matter how much I am ready for them, they usually evoke deep feelings of unease. Perhaps this is why we are here to witness something truly unique in the lands of discomfort. I truly appreciated every artist for their own interpretation on what a performance could be and though some left the set they acknowledged the set did exactly what is intended to do. Wraith Knight’s energetic contrast brought a reprieve of darkness that despite the black clad robes and black clad synth, commanded their instrument like a warlock sending their minions into battle. I used Wraith Knight as one of the lead pictures in my first NEDS article and despite the show having less fog than before, still managed to dazzle their audience with what sounded like continual boss fight music.
I managed to miss Hermit Knight at various shows throughout the year and at some point it felt like I was avoiding them. Hermit Knight has been tagged as “emotional synth” and many people know Nick as the operator of Weregnome Records. I talked with Nick a lot in that parking lot hearing about his story and the performance later on that knight, complete with hugs and unabashed crying made sense for music that was intended as catharsis– not only for the creator but for the audience. The text behind the artist said things to the effect of “never give up” and “some battles can’t be won” which struck both chords of optimism and realism. By the waning hours of Sunday, each performance was evocative either for its emotion or its nostalgia.
I didn’t get to photograph Hedge Wizard at NEDS 2024 since my camera died right before the set so for me their set was anticipated. Hedge Wizard for me represented a sound which brought me into dungeon synth with the 2014 album More True Than Time Thought. Seeing a backdrop of golden age cartoons while the artist played a keytar laid out on a table was something truly magical. The pictures I took, including the lead image of the artist, reminded me of the hand drawn cover of that 2014 record which now everyone in the audience just came to life.
Sombre Arcane was not only a fitting choice for one of the closing sets but also presented an important aspect and support of this inaugural show. The two members, who were dressed as ancient mages, are the tireless organizers of NEDS and also perhaps one of the most important catalysts of live dungeon synth. Them being here as well as one of them leading a gothic dance party on Saturday was perhaps an understated show of unity uniting sieges from across the states. I’m sure everyone was exhausted at the end of the show. In fact I saw some of the organizers catching quick naps backstage perhaps after staying up for multiple days making sure everything ran smoothly. Nest, one of the more iconic names on the bill and also a legacy which spans into the 00’s with releases played the final notes of GLDS. The artist who brought one of the most unique instruments played a span of melodic nature-inspired ambient something that is magical for everyone in attendance.
Nick, also known as Hermit Knight, was telling people when they were leaving not to say goodbye since they’ll see each other again soon. Over the course of the weekend, I was posting my candid photographs to my socials and it seemed like people really enjoyed them. For a style that is so immersed in visual fantasy, the long stretches of downtime and familiarity with which this entire scene has built allows itself for casual moments I am thankful for. Dungeon synth, in the live sphere has become a dichotomy of rich performance segmented by casual downtime. I feel it took me up until this show to become comfortable enough wandering around and taking pictures. Perhaps it took me this long to consider these group of people not just artists but also friends. See you all soon.
-KAP 2024
Another Path
I wanted to thank the organizers for GLDS for inviting me out for the weekend and also for being patient while I tried to write about 30 performances. I have spent a lot of time around bands and small fests that I was amazed at how adept they were at wrangling 30 artists and an untold amount of attendees. This could have been a disaster but through unearthly attention to detail it wasn’t. When the end of the fest was rattled with news of a COVID case, the organizers posted multiple announcements to the fans about the news. I was appreciative to test and plan out my week returning from the fest and for the care the organizers showed to their attendees. I wonder if Demon Hunter would do the same. GLDS was done not for profit to build and broaden a community. Being at a live show and still minding COVID illuminates how things have changed in just a few years. It also shows a scene of music that has evolved through these changes and the divergent course we are now on. Things will never return to what was before 2020 and the current history is just another path we are walking. In the ruins of a once great entertainment venue we all take this path knowing that it might be different but we’ll probably see familiar faces soon enough.
