I knew there was a benefit in waiting until today to publish this digest. Questmaster has currently been on a US tour along with Fief which was preceded by an international tour last year. It is staggering how much recognition Questmaster and how many new people are coming into the genre due to these tours given the music is perhaps the furthest from what we consider dungeon music. At Northeast Dungeon Siege, Questmaster played amid a backdrop of overlapping stock footage of empty malls, stone gardens, and a sequence of buildings being demolished giving everyone a sense of “I don’t know what this is but it is great.” Obscure Power follows the 2023’s genre bending milestone Swords and Circuitry with another foray into the esoteric vapor adjacent world of Questmaster. Both the imagery and lore is handled by the artist and a team who seems to be the only ones with the full scope of this world. We as listeners are given a continual glimpse into the world which might be so new we don’t really have a name for it. The success of Questmaster can be explained both by a calculated precision by the label Out of Season in terms of promotion and tours as well as the own artist’s casual rejection of anything which defined this genre and an eternal embrace of the rule of cool.
Though Gondolin Records excels at unearthing past acts you have never heard but are now your favorite, Frostbound Secrets of Middle-earth is a newer album from an artist who will probably be your newest favorite act. From Spain, Crysalidis marries the lyrical themes of Tolkien and the sound of dramatic neoclassical darkwave into an engaging record which came out of nowhere. With only one demo preceding this release, Frostbound Secrets of Middle-earth is dazzling if not a bit overwhelming due to its immersion. It is not just how each track segues into each other providing a cinematic experience rather the combination of at home production and expansive imagination. Frostbound Secrets of Middle-earth achieves a wonderful middle ground between atmospheric fantasy music with a DIY charm that is loved by the dungeon synth community.
Valscharuhn is the work of Andrew Werdna — creator of the Dungeon Synth blog and also the writer who coined the term “dungeon synth” which we still use today. Perilous Realm is a recent compilation of rough drafts in various stages of completion that have been published as is. The result is an earnest foray into the heart of dungeon synth and the embrace of the “naive magic” which drew Werdna to the sound many years ago. This isn’t just dungeon synth from the guy who made up the name dungeon synth rather someone who has been working and following the scene for many years and unceremoniously has been releasing work under various project names that I was even unaware of. Perilous Realms might not be polished but that is sort of the point. It is a love letter to escapism without much need for praise, encouragement, or recognition since the worlds Werdna creates are entirely his own kingdom and these are the sounds which emanate from it.
Earthen Shield has gone through many transformations as this project from Weregnome Records acts as one of the many artistic vehicles for continual creation. At Northeast Dungeon Siege, this album was being sold alongside a hand numbered zine with a story written around the album. Earthen Shield, compared to the other projects of Nicholas the Gnome is more dedicated to the dark dungeon aesthetic of yesteryear. Though started as an examination of mortality and death, Endless Melancholia embraces Lovecraftian themes and writes short fiction based off of this new exploration. Even without this turn, Earthen Shield is a project which is rooted in solitude, despondency, but with an eternal quest for catharsis and understanding. Endless Melancholia is a watershed moment for the project as it continues to find its place in a lonely dark world, perhaps finding unknowable truths along the way.
Acid Path is an absurd name for a record and only a label with a lack of respect for serious things would put it out. Bubble Blade is the work of Grim Father who has used this project as a vehicle to do donuts in the parking lot of DS. Vaporwave, downtempo, jungle all get together in the first track to give you a sense that this is not going to be anything you expect. I have always supported this sort of scribble outside the lines synth and also labels who support this as it rapidly accelerates what this dungeon synthesizer thing is and where it is perhaps going. This is the second release from this project and it keeps getting more fascinating and fucking weird.
First thing is first — this is silly. Thank you for coming to my talk. Second, this split between Hot Dog Cart and Onionville came out late in 2024 but just saw a tape release through Grimestone Records. I was given a code for this by the cult of food synth since I showed interest in the wild ways of outrageous dungeon synth. Food as a theme always has an air of irreverence and perhaps is the most punk rock path one can take since you are starting with a hot dog as your weapon rather than a sword. In Space No One Can Hear You Eat…IN SPACE is an absurd title and the music of abstract space ambient, sometimes with near 20 minute tracks, which sounds like it was made on a derelict ship floating in hard vacuum. The juxtaposition between low comedy and high concept experimental music is the perfect thing to brandish the sword of food synth.
One of the best things about being in a small community is seeing artists as fans of some of the weirdest shit you are also into. It’s sort of like seeing another person from across the lunchroom and knowing you should probably sit together since they are wearing a cool shirt. Spaceseer makes music that is classified as “Doom Synth / Dark Ambient / Industrial Prog / Experimental Electronic Sci-Fi / Fantasy Soundscapes” which is perhaps the furthest thing from music which is “dedicated to the old ways.” Listening to Feral Moon, one of the artifacts from an expansive multi-disciplinary work, makes me see an entirely plausible connection with classic DS. Though Feral Moon one is thrust into a narrative that is told through spoken dialogue, near harsh noise, and industrial beats which feels like it could have been recorded to tape in the mid 1980’s. It is entirely evocative and memorable and comes from the mind of someone who gives zero fucks about genres and making music that remotely sounds like something you have heard before.
Froth Tapes is a Canadian label run by the artists with the same name which releases things that may or may not be the same artists under different projects. In fact it could be but there is always an air of uncertainty. Each of these tapes are handmade and shipped out by the artist in the great spirit of bedroom synth. Winterträume I-IV is an 80 minute compilation of 4 previous releases which were originally 30 minute loops each but condensed to 20 minute edits. The tape compilation features no text on the front and whose cover is an off white field on a white background as if channeling the aesthetic of mid century minimalism. Winterträume is winter synth with a modern art aesthetic and continues to be strong material coming from this label.
Whenever I look to see who is releasing a wonderful split between two wonderful people it is usually Fiadh. Thresholds to Hidden Realms is a split between Tree Gardener, who I covered in past digests as well as an end of the year Raw Ambient Wrap Up and Empyrean Pines who is better known as Tarnished Legends. Thresholds to Hidden Realms not only celebrates the coming of Spring and a melancholy sense of renewal but also the unseen court of fantasy told through the sounds of lofi dream synth. Out of all of the sounds of dungeon synth, the raw spectral sounds is perhaps one of my favorites as I feel it peers into other worlds and for brief moments allowed its practitioners to become possessed by other realms. These two artists are the perfect envoys for the world beyond.
Cleaning Out The Dungeon! was a Reddit post by an enthusiastic user GoldOfTheTigers. The challenge was to take any unpublished or languishing work and finish it for a free compilation. The result is a showcase of new and upcoming synth artists who are making some impressive works. Compilations, in feel, are some of the best ways to familiarize yourself with the current sound of dungeon synth. Though this Reddit compilation is a snapshot of users who decided to participate, it is none the less a picture of who is currently working and brave enough to share now finally finished works.