Entry 1644 - Dim - Compendium III

Style: dungeon synth

Thoughts: I was once asked what I thought one of the best representations of modern dungeon synth was. Without hesitation I said Dim. 

Dim's first four albums are incredible. They take all sides of the dungeon synth genre and explore them fully. Ranging from lighthearted renaissance fare music to exploring the depths of darkness found in caves and the deepest of dungeons the Compendium's do not disappoint. 

Compendium III tends to be on the darker side of the musical spectrum. It still contains some of the livelier music found on I and II, however there is a dark cloud forming over the music. An ominous tone that permeates all of the melodies and casts a shadow onto the music that is not easily overlooked.

Much like the other two entries that came before it, III focuses on simple yet intricate melodies. The music starts with beautiful melodies played on either harpsichord or piano for most of the album. Sometimes a guitar or other synth will join them, but they are secondary to the aforementioned instruments. 

Much of the music on the album is written in a melody/countermelody fashion - almost a call and response. The way that these melodies intertwine and resonate with each other is what really makes this album special for me. There is hardly a moment where the music is not wrapping itself around me and beckoning me in further with it's enchanting melodies.

That said there is a bit of experimentation on this album that was not present on I or II. Sounds like Mound-Dweller deal with music that has an interesting fade in/fade out effect that gives it nearly a four on the floor effect. The song almost sounds more like electronica rather than dungeon synth.  

The experimentation hardly ruins the album. Rather they are small little musings in the midst of what I would typically expect from Dim. III is an interesting yet wonderful album, it never ceases to amaze me with how much I get into these songs and their beautiful simplicity.  Albums such as these set the standard for the genre.

Entry 1643 - Cynthoni - Draining Love Story

Style: drum n' bass, breakbeat

Thoughts: I'm not sure what's wrong with me. This album has everything that I should love. It's atmospheric, the drums are well programmed, and the songs are well written. For the life  of me though I cannot get into this.

I had the same problem with the original release under Cynthoni's other name. All of the ingredients are there but for the life of me I can't do it. I can't remember a damn thing about the release. Even now when I'm listening to it I can objectively say that this is good music... but it's not resonating with me.

Hell even when the music really speeds up and gets into true drum n' bass territory I can't really get into it. This should be like bread and butter for me in terms of things that I like in the electronic genre... but it's just not. I guess it goes to show that even though something ticks all the right boxes, sometimes it's just not the album for me.  

Entry 1642 - Elyvilon - Drums in the Deepwood

Style: dungeon synth

Thoughts: There is an old wives tale that says trolls cannot view the day. If the sun light was to shine upon them they would turn to stone. Trolls for this very reason live under bridges and other shaded areas so that they only need venture out at night. It's these very trolls that Drums in the Deepwood chronicles.

I honestly don't know if Drums in the Deepwood has anything to do with Tolkien's or really anyone's intepretation of trolls. The cover does seem to imply this however, as do the song titles. So regardless of what Elyvilon intended, this is how I am interpreting it and will henceforth view this album.

Drums in the Deepwood is unquestioningly dungeon synth. The synths are steeped in the moss covered notes of the deep forest. The structures have not seen the light of day in decades as they reverberate throughout the caves. The melodies call to mind the creatures of the night, those who would have a hobbit stew for breakfast - the kind that would turn to stone because they spent too long debating how to process the hobbit meat.

Drums in the Deepwood is considerably more active than most dungeon synth. Opposed to drawn out ambient oriented melodies and structures, Elyvion gets straight to the point. The arrangements are also a bit more involved than those typically found in the genre. There's a lot of notes and multiple instruments going at any single point - a considerable difference from most of the genre.

The synth selection here is also on point. There is a mystery yet darkness to them that emulates the darkness of the deep forest. The parts where no human dare tread, where they are the hunted rather than the hunter. The melodies reflect this same emotion, and carry the songs deeper and deeper towards our doom.

Drums in the Deepwood is a great addition to my collection. It's another one of those albums I found randomly browsing genre tags and it happened to have a vinyl release. I was pleasantly surprised that it came out as good as it did. Yet another reason why dungeon synth continues to gain momentum towards becoming one of my favorite genres ever. 

Entry 1641 - ll nothing ll - Sacrifice

Style: experimental fuckery

Thoughts: Sacrifice is not an album I would recommend. Sacrifice is an album that takes the conventions of music and destroys the outright. There is no logic to these sounds, there is no cadence to the beats, there is nothing but chaos, destruction, and a complete disregard for the listeners enjoyment of the album... and that is exactly what makes Sacrifice one of the best albums of the last ten to fifteen years.

My journey with this album has been... testy at best. When I first heard it I quickly dismissed it as a dumb stupid moronic mess. There was nothing for my brain to grab on to. There was no structure, there was absolutely nothing conventional about the album at all. I listened for about five minutes and my brain gave up and I moved on to other music to cleanse.

Well... I tried to move on. I found myself thinking about what I had heard. Kept going back to why I reacted the way I did. Why was my reaction so visceral, so instinctual? The more I thought about it the more I wanted to go back and try to power through the album, just to say I did. 

So I did.

My second reaction to the album was very much like the first: I hated it. I hated what my ears were listening to, and I could not comprehend what was happening. This time though I stayed with it. I made it through the entire album without turning it off. I was done, and with it I was done with the album.

Or was I?

Here's the thing. When I find an album that I don't know if I like or not, I am fascinated by it. I want to dissect every part of it and make sure that I can form a true opinion rather than staying in the nebulous "I don't know" region. This is very much in the state I found myself with for Sacrifice... I had to listen again.

So. I. Did.

Now I kind of knew what was coming so I didn't have the visceral negative reaction anymore. I had started to acclimate. What I found was an album that didn't want any part of me listening to it. It was chopped up and screwed together in ways that I had never heard before. Why would someone do this? Why would someone create music so hard to listen to? These questions fascinated me and made me want to listen more.

SoIDid

Now the music was no longer creating a negative reaction... now it was curiosity. What was going on here? Why are these notes put together like this? Why? Why? WHY? I didn't know, and I don't think part of me wanted to know but I was compelled to listen more.

SOIDID

Now I craved the music. It's deep disregard for every convention that I had ever known. It's hatred of the listener and how it tried to force me away. How every single fiber in my being was appalled by what was going on in my speakers... yet I was still here. What on earth was happening to me?  It was no longer a need of wanting to listen anymore, I needed to listen. I needed to dissect the album more. It became an obsession. 

The off meter timing of the beats. The harsh production. The noise. The brief moments of melody replaced by appalling sounds. It was all there, but none of it was giving me a negative reaction anymore. It was calling me deeper into the fold. I was beyond obsession. I needed this album and it needed nothing in return. Nothing... nothing... 

Nothing is real. Sacrifice thyself. 

Entry 1640 - Nahtrunar- Hrima

Style: black metal with folk influences

Thoughts: There are points when I'm writing about my collection where I feel like I made a mistake buying an album. As I'm listening I realize that whatever I heard in the album initially are simply not there anymore on repeated listens and I start to consider moving on from the record.  There are other times though when I am listening to an album and I feel like I hit the jackpot, where the album is way better than  I initially thought. Hrima is one such album.

Nahtrunar is a band that I have only found out about within the past two to three years. The cover of Wolfsstunde drew me in and the music solidified my love for the bands sound. I had high hopes for Hrima, and after listening a few times I can confidently say that the quality found on Wolfsstunde continues on in the follow up. 

Nahtrunar's sound is simple, yet incredibly effective. The basis is blisteringly fast black metal mixed with folk instrumentation. Every so often the black metal will fade into ambience, again intermixed with folk instrumentation. The production on Hrima is clear, yet not so polished that the soul of the music is taken out - just clear enough to make out all the instruments and nothing more. 

I'm not normally a fan of cleaner production in black metal - I prefer to struggle to listen to everything and pull out the best parts after doing a deep dive through the noise and ambience. Hrima does not take away from my enjoyment though with it's production. The music is easy to listen to, but there are often more than enough things going on to keep me coming back. This is especially true of the ambient sections. There are melodies, noises, and hidden secrets buried deep within their depths. 

All of this so far sounds nearly exactly like Wolfsstunde, but this is hardly part 2 of that album. Where Hrima differentiates itself is it's lengthy ambient and instrumental sections. In fact, there is not a single word spoken for nearly sixty to seventy percent of the album. 

These lengthy sections with no vocals are not only relaxing and introspective, they are potentially the best part of the album. The lengthy title track in particular calls to mind a cold winters night and looking up into the clear starry sky. It's a wonderful meditative experience that I found it easy to lose myself in. 

Hrima is not only a worthy follow up to Wolfsstunde, it's a completely different side of the band. The trademark integration of black metal with the folk elements is there, but the focus on the ambient moments is really what makes this album stand on its own. Both albums are excellent in their own rights but I feel that Hrima may be the slightly better one of the two. Not only do we get the black metal in the first half, we get a full ambient experience in the second. It's almost two albums in one.

Entry 1639 - Void of Silence - Human Antithesis

Style: blackened doom metal

Thoughts: Void of Silence. A band that I got into right when this album released years ago. I was recently turned into a fan of Primordial and found these guys as a "side project" of AA Nemtheanga. I enjoyed his rough and emotive voice in Primordial so I wanted some more; hence Void of Silence.

Initial curiosity aside, I would not have looked further into this band if the music was sub-par. While the first two albums from the band are not exactly to my tastes, the third - Human Antithesis is quite good. It features six songs ranging from a minute long to well over twenty minutes. 

The shorter tracks are small interludes between the real meat of the album. There are four main songs on here and they are the type of music that feels more like a musical novel than they do an outright song. They have an introduction, rising action, a huge climax, and then falling action - the typical tropes of a novel. 

Lets look at the title track as a prime example of this. The song (and album) start out with a near dark ambient section with someone speaking in Italian with some industrial backing noises. Slowly keyboards come in before the rest of the band. A slow dirge-like speed is adopted by the album as more and more layers are piled on top. Keyboards, guitars, vocals - they all come in layers. 

Eventually the song takes on its final structure and the main riff is formed from the ether. From here the song twists and turns through spoken word, dark ambient, black metal, funeral doom, and everything in between before finally coming to its dramatic conclusion around the 18 minute mark. The story told is that of humanity relying on the divine for guidance when in reality we need no such guidance ourselves. It's a musical novel. It's a thesis. It's fantastic.

This is how the album is formed. Four musical journeys and two small interludes. It's a series of small musical novels that beg me to finish the album every time I put it on.  Alas t his is the only album with Nemtheanga on it, and for a long time I thought this would be the final album from the band. Fortunately it was not, and even though Mr. Alan is no longer in the band, I still enjoy the music they put out past his involvement. 

I find albums like this to be hit or miss. The danger with writing long songs is that they have to justify that time - the must respect the listener in order to be engaging. With each of the songs on Human Antithesis the band has realized this and written songs that not only are good to listen to in isolation, but also as a whole album.  

Entry 1638 - Super Mario World + Extras

Style: video game music

Thoughts: Well here is something I never thought would happen: an official Mario World release with a bunch of extra stuff. I didn't ever think that an official release of this would come out in any capacity. It's crazy that Nintendo would decide to press this at all... in fact the roots of the bootleg scene come from a want and desire to listen to Nintendo music on vinyl. Now Nintendo is starting the process of making that scene irrelevant with this and other releases. 

So this release is much more than just the Mario World soundtrack. There is a full jazz arrangement album on the first disc and selections from Mario 2 and 3 on the second before we get into the full soundtrack in the final disc. 

There's not much more to say about this. It's a fantastic soundtrack. One of the best on the SNES. One of the best in all of chip tune history, and now it's in my collection. The extra stuff is nice but not required. I don't know how much I'm going to be listening to the jazz album, but I am very glad to have it regardless.

I want Nintendo to lean into this type of physical media more. There is absolutely a market for it, and I will purchase every album that I have a strong connection with... hint - that's a lot. Super Nintendo was a formative thing in my youth and these tunes bring strong positive memories with them. I need more of that in my life and if Nintendo is willing to oblige I will certainly throw my money at them. 

Entry 1637 - Cradle of Filth - Dusk and Her Embrace: The Original Sin

Style: black metal with gothic influences 

Thoughts: What a wild ride. An album that I've been listening to nearly my entire life is not the initial version of that album, but a re-recording. 

Apparently Cradle wanted to get off their current label and so they abandoned the recording of their second album before it was released. This same album was then re-recorded for Music For Nations and was released shortly thereafter. This became the classic (and my personal favorite) Cradle album: Dusk and Her Embrace.  

It's so ironic then that I have the original version of this album in my collection and I don't have the Music for Nations one (re-release that one, seriously MfN). Needless to say, this is still Dusk, but in a different form. The same songs are present here for the most part (Malice Through the Looking Glass is missing), and there are multiple songs and interludes that were not present on the MfN version. 

So the same songs are present, but how similar are they? Well... pretty close for the most part. They are a bit rougher production wise and the synths aren't as clear as they are on the re-recording, but overall it's pretty similar. Is it better or worse tho? I think that's a matter of personal taste. For me it's a different take on the best album the band released.

So the biggest difference here is Dani's voice. He has a much scratchier vocal delivery here and only uses his trademark howls from time to time. They fit the music very well, but sound much more standard black metalish than what you would normally hear from the band. 

The production I actually find to be more enjoyable on this release than I do on the re-recording.  The muddier production fits the music a bit better than the squeaky clean production on the re-recording. It gives the music a bit of a grittier edge and as a result amps the intensity of these excellent riffs up just a tad bit more.

I also like the synths being a little less defined. You can still hear them clearly but they are not as well produced or as clear in what instrument they are mimicking on this release. That ambiguity is awesome and adds to the more obscure atmosphere that this album provides over the alternative.Listen to the end of the title track. It's way more intense than the re-recording and the production amplifies this up to another level that the re-recording simply does not have.  

There are parts to the counter point though as well. A Gothic Romance lacks the powerful lead guitars that the re-recording has. I can't tell if they are there or obscured, or if they just weren't in this version of the song. 

So there are some parts that are powerful, and other parts that are lacking. Regardless this is still an amazing black metal album. Possibly the last time you could truly call them black metal without going more into the gothic metal realm. 

These riffs are as intense now as they ever were and this is the first full album where Cradle showed what they could truly do. It doesn't matter what version, this or the re-recording - these songs kick all sorts of ass. Essential listening. 

Entry 1636 - Utred - Citadel ◊ Forest ◊ Sovereign

Style: dungeon synth

Thoughts: Dungeon synth continues to impress me with how varied the genre is. Utred is another artist that expands my horizons even more with their medieval oriented sound. 

This record contains three short albums: Citadel, Forest, And Sovereign. Each one of these is firmly entrenched in medieval song writing and execution, however they each have their own take on the genre. 

Citadel for instance plays in the style of a court. I can picture jesters dancing, people feasting, lords declaring etc. It also has this glorious sound to it, almost as if it is triumphant. This is the kind of music that would call a lord home after a successful hunt or war campaign. 

Forest on the other hand has a more tranquil sound to it. This feels more like wandering through a forest at night or a gatherer searching for berries to feed their family. It's a calmer sound that shares the same DNA as Citadel, however none of the triumphant trumpet calls are present. In their place we have nebulous instrumentation that calls us to a grove filled with flowers and berries, ripe for the picking and frolicking.

Sovereign offers yet another take into the medieval life, this time that of a royal court. There is a majesty about this music that was absent from the other two albums. A sense that it is more (self) important, and it is ready to impose that upon the rest of the kingdom. 

Each album brings it's own flavor, yet all still feel like they belong in the same catalog. Utred has a distinct style that few have replicated. The medieval bent to dungeon synth has been done before, but it's often focused on the "renfair" aspect of the music. Utred offers a bit more of a complete look at the concept with different aspects of life back then being taken as influences for each album. 

There are moments on this release that are silly, they make me smile with how immature the song writing/instrument selection is. However, this is part of the appeal of the genre for me. I love all of it, the immaturity, the well written sections, the lack of care for what anyone else thinks. It's all wonderful, whimsical, and an utter joy to listen to. 

Entry 1635 - Deaf Center - Pale Ravine

Style: ambient, modern classical 

Thoughts: I really need to find out the name of this genre. The genre that Deaf Center play. It's a mix of ambient with classical music, and it's become an obsession of mine. 

Pale Ravine is essentially a series of soundscapes that osculate through different melodies over the course of an hour and change. These soundscapes are created by classical instrumentation - such as violins and pianos - and then manipulated through the wonders of modern technology. This creates an inherit dissonance to the music, not as in the music is hard to listen to but rather it's very existence is a paradox. 

Classical music is often seen as the hallowed entity, the highest form of western music. It involves intricacies that other genres simply cannot attain. It has an elegance to it that other genres can get a glimpse of, but only ever a glimpse. To pervert that with electronica is anathema... or is it?

Deaf Center certainly does not seem to think that these two genres are mutually exclusive. In fact they take the idea of classical music and weave it into the very DNA of their electronica. The songs are obviously created with analog instrumentation and then they are transformed using synths, midi controllers, and sometimes even a drum machine. Purists be damned. 

So Pale Ravine is anathema. It is the combination of two things that should not be put together, a homunculus if you will.  One would be wise to be cautious about a musical amalgamation such as this, but that caution soon fades away as the music begins to reveal itself. 

Take for instance the third track, White Lake. The song starts out with a simple piano tone, short and effective. It lingers, it is allowed to decay completely, silence lingers. Soon thereafter ambient soundscapes begin to creep in and blanket the piano with an additional layer of depth, silencing the silence so to speak. This interplay continues until finally some strings come in and begin a percussive pizzicato beat to round out the song. 

Slowly but surely the full extent of the beauty contained within is revealed, but it is only for those who would stay and partake. Those who lack patience need not linger. 

White Lake is but one example of many to be found on Pale Ravine. This duo of Norwegians have created something quite impressive with their art. A mysterious yet entirely rewarding modern take on a genre that has been stuck in the past for a very long time. The fact that this album even exists is enough to turn some people away, but for those who are curious, Pale Ravine delivers a delightful escape from reality.

Entry 1634 - Evilfeast - Funeral Sorcery

Style: black metal

Thoughts: Evilfeast is a curious band for me. When they are good they are nearly unstoppable. I love their combination of ambient and black metal. They do it in a such a way that only some of the best in the genre do when they are at their best.

When they are not though the band is a bit of a struggle to get through. Funeral Sorcery is a bit of a mixed bag for me. When they incorporate keyboards and the aforementioned ambient moments the music is at its absolute best on this album. When they do not though, the simplistic black metal riffs that go on for ages are a bit hard for me to truly enjoy. 

It's not that the riffs are bad, or that they are poorly written... it's just that they overstay their welcome. These songs are long, the shortest being 7 minutes long... and they are not a riff fest either. There are maybe two to three main themes per song. That means that they go on for quite some time before the song progresses to something new. 

Now when a band does this repetitive riff structure there is a right way to do it. It has to draw me in and completely entrance me with the melody and/or rhythm. When this is done right (see Mgla) I'm completely enamored. It's some of the best stuff in the genre. When it is not done right though I'm often bored and want to move on to another release. 

Funeral Sorcery walks that line like a tight rope. Some of the album is incredible to listen to, it draws me in and I want the riff to go on for fifteen minutes. Other times it is too simplistic or doesn't grab me. I just want to the song to progress further. Unfortunately these two concepts are given equal time, and it ends up being a mixed experience for me.

I wish I could get into all of this album like I can with some of their later albums, but it's just not for me. The negative aspects make up nearly half the album and there is simply too much black metal out there for me to spend that amount of time on an hour long album that I only enjoy thirty minutes of.

Entry 1633 - Cradle of Filth - Vempire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein

Style: black metal with gothic influences

Thoughts: What a difference a few months makes. The debut album from Cradle was full of death metal influence and had all sorts of experimentation that the band did not have in any other release. Vempire on the other hand... this is where the definitive Cradle sound can be heard first. The true birthplace of the band.

There are so many good riffs here, the Iron Maiden influence is in full force. The keyboards have now taken front and center. Female vocals are now featured on most songs, and of course Dani has come into his own. Everything has come together for the band. 

Not only does Vempire define their sound, it is perhaps one of the best examples of what makes Cradle great in their early works. The intensity and passion are so much stronger here than they are on the modern releases. Everything sounds like they are truly having fun playing this music rather than it being a job. I love it.

Even though there are only six tracks on this EP, the quality of them is incredibly high. This is right up there with Dusk and Cruelty for the band's best work. Going back on so many bands early works these days has been a real joy, it reminds me of the birth of extreme metal and how there were truly no rules. Cradle is one shining example of that on Vempire and the releases that came immediately after. It was a beautiful time to be a metal fan.

Entry 1632 - slowerpace 音楽 - Pyromaniacs

 

Style: vaporwave, barber beats, video game music...?

Thoughts: The more I look into vaporwave, the more I explore it the more I find that I enjoy. There is still a large portion of the genre that comes across as lazy and uninspired to me, but there is a growing portion that is exactly the opposite. Among those that are in this group of artists is Slowerpace.

Slowerpace does what a lot of other artists do not do: they innovate. They explore. They are original. There is no greater example of this than Pyromaniacs.

Pyromaniacs is a vaporwave adaptation of Shadowrun... specifically the retro Shadowrun games that were put out in the 90's. The cover used here is the exact same one that was used for the tabletop game of the same era. Nice little tribute there.

So what does Shadowrun vaporwave sound like? Well, it's a lot more chill than I expected. The base of the record has much more in common with IDM, EBM,  and beat driven ambient than vaporwave. The melodies are formed from electronic instrumentation that gives the album a near industrial feel. The main difference is the harshness of the music. Rather than the abrasive and experimental tones of IDM and EBM the vaporwave takes over. The music is smooth and relaxing despite the electronic elements. 

I think if video game music met with lounge music and got put into a blender with some 90's electronic music we would get something close to what Pyromaniacs ended up being. It's a very easy album to listen to, yet it's still shows the genres that influenced it on its sleeve. 

Slowerpace has created a lot of albums over the course of time, some of them good some of them less so. Pyromaniacs will go into the list of albums near the top of quality. I have been listening to this album nearly non stop since it hit my turntable a few days ago. Out of all of the vaporwave that I have heard, this is one of the most pivotal ones in terms of me embracing the genre. This shows me truly how well the genre has matured over time. Goes to show that even in something that was initially hated there are things buried deep within that may eventually get me to come around eventually.

Entry 1631 - Vetus Supulcrum - Death's Oldest Songs

Style: classic dungeon synth, modern classical 

Thoughts: My deep dive into dungeon synth continues. This trek has been one of the most fulfilling and enriching that I have had in my musical discoveries over the years. It's not only the amount of artist that I am finding, but the consistent quality amongst these lesser known acts that continuously impresses me.

When I think of classic dungeon synth, Death's Oldest Songs fits nearly every expectation I have. The songs are slow, methodical and epic in scope. They have a dark and foreboding tone, and they sound like they could be the soundtrack to an epic movie from years before. This is exactly the feel that I get from the Vetus Supulcrum album.

These ten songs contain miniature epics that extol death, glorify battle, and revel in the ancient ritual that is warfare. I can't overstate how much is packed into these three to four minute songs. Every bit of filler is cut out, and they deliver some of the strongest music in the classical influenced dungeon synth realm that I've heard. 

These songs don't bother with long intros, they get straight to the point. The horns carry most of the weight, creating a dense and ominous atmosphere throughout the entire album. Sometimes percussion and violins will be added in for extra tension, but it really is the brass - especially the lower brass like tubas and bassoons - that carry the album. They give the album it's militaristic feel without resorting to every song being a march. 

This album came out of no where for me. It was super cheap and I threw it in based only on the genre descriptors for the album. I truly wish to explore this project more, I feel like I've stumbled into a part of the dungeon synth genre that is less explored than I would like. This miniature epic composition style is incredible and I feel like my collection is better for having this album in it.

Entry 1630 - Nahtrunar - Wolfsstunde

Style: black metal

Thoughts: This almost never happens. An album that has an amazing cover where the music matches it perfectly. This just doesn't happen.

Nahtraunar has surpassed so many expectations with Wolfsstunde. I think I would have been happy with a mediocre atmospheric black metal album that matched the emotional weight that the cover gives off. A bleak, washed out, struggle for life in the harshness of winter type mood. What I got was so much more.

Of course Wolfsstunde is all of those things. The riffs have a sorrow to them, they have bled, they have suffered. The atmosphere weeps the tears of those that have passed before their time. The notes cling to what little remains of life in this place. The vocals whisper of lost promises of a better life and bemoan the fate of those who remain.  This is a p o w e r f u l album.

What makes the difference though? Why is Nahtrunar so much better than nearly every other modern atmospheric black metal band? That is not as easy of a question to answer as it may sound.

From what I can tell there are a few things that contribute to the emotional depth of this release. The first and foremost is the production. Every moment of these songs is steeped in a deep rich production that has stripped away just enough of the "gloss" to give the music a raw yet complete feel. This is not the typical raw style of black metal, this is an emotional rawness that does not need the obscurity of poor production to help lend an air of mystery.

On the contrary, Wolfsstunde is quite audible. Most of the instruments are well defined, however they never once come across as overproduced or "clean." Rather they are allowed to express what they want without the listener straining to make out the details... and there are a lot of details.  

These songs are long, close to ten minutes or greater for the main four compositions on the album. These songs... no these journeys... are a complex mix of ambience, folk music, and black metal. The riffs are slow and brooding and carry a huge emotional weight to them. The riffs are also fast and blistering, tearing away all hope and leaving nothing but death and destruction in their wake. The music is what it needs to be at the exact moment that it is produced. Nothing more, nothing less.

Within these riffs though there are extended periods of soft ambience. These moments act as a time of reflection, of mourning for those that have been lost.  It's in these moments that we will get the slightest hint of a folk instrument. A violins notes are lost on the wind. A flute plays a few notes before fading into the depths of the snow covered landscape. These moments are my favorite on the album. They convey the depths of sorrow in a way that the black metal simply cannot, and the music is better as a whole for it.

Wolfsstunde surprised me on so many levels. I was drawn in by the cover art, but I never knew just how deeply I would find myself entrenched in with this album. It's truly rare for me to come across an album in any genre that moves me as much as this one has. I desperately need to find more from this project, this is easily some of the best black metal I've heard in years. 

Entry 1629 - Tristania - Beyond the Veil

Style: gothic metal, beauty and the beast

Thoughts: There are some albums I never thought would get repressed. A few years ago Widow's Weeds was added to my collection, and now the follow up Beyond the Veil is now also in my collection. Who would have ever thought this would happen? 

Tristania plays what is affectionately known as the beauty and the beast genre of metal. That being a soprano vocalist paired with a growling vocalist. Typically this is played over gothic metal, and that is certainly the case here. 

Beyond the Veil is not only one of the finest albums in this micro genre, it's also one of the albums that should be used as a template for hot it is done. It combines varied riffs with female choirs, powerful male vocals (both clean and growled), with a violin sprinkled throughout. 

Each song is written to sound more like a voyage than a typical song. They all have distinct parts and rarely follow the standard verse/chorus formula. Rather we have a collection of riffs that are put together in such a way that the songs keep progressing from idea to idea before finally reaching the conclusion. 

Linear song writing is nothing new in the world of metal, but here it feels completely natural. These songs are composed like classical pieces; they flow from one idea to the next seamlessly yet every "movement" is still feels as if it belongs within the greater opus.  

Tristania started out with two of the finest albums ever recorded in this genre. They would eventually lean further into the gothic metal realm and leave most of their harsh roots behind, but here they have the perfect mix of everything: female vocals, harsh male vocals, clean male vocals, riffs, and of course that elegant violin.  

Entry 1628 - Murgrind - Journey Through the Mountain

Style: classic dungeon synth

Thoughts: I have missed a lot of dungeon synth. I knew of the genre at it's birth but outside of Mortiis I never looked into it further... that was until a few years ago. Now there is an ocean of artists in this genre and it has become my sacred duty to explore and delve deeper into the depths of the dungeon. This is how I came across Murgrind.

From my understanding Murgrind is one of the first artists to come out of this "second wave" of dungeon synth. The first artists to delve into this genre after it had finally been bestowed a name. They created Journey Through the Mountain as their first foray into this genre and I dare say that it lives up to the expectations set upon me with this sort of history.

Murgrind's debut album is slow, methodical, deep, and carries an ominous tone. The instruments chosen here carry weight. Choirs, brass, timpani, flutes... all of this and more come together to create the epic that is Journey Through the Mountain. 

Perhaps the best example of this is the third track, Into the Magic Abyss. It's here where we are introduced to a mighty swell of brass instruments laying a deep and foreboding atmosphere at the start of the track. As the song continues to develop choirs are added in, echoing throughout the composition. Finally a singular flute starts playing a slow dirge. 

This is the essence of what Journey Through the Mountain is, a slow journey through rock and stone. It is deliberate in its delivery, and welcomes anyone that would take the journey with our minstrels known only as Murgrind. 

I find myself wanting to come back to this album more. I am fascinated by the dungeon synth genre as a whole and Murgrind is an integral part of that history. I long for the day where I can find more of their discography on wax, and eagerly await to add it to my collection.  

Entry 1627 - Hecate Enthroned - The Slaughter of Innocence, A Requiem for the Mighty

Style: symphonic black metal

Thoughts: When I think of black metal in the 90's I typically will automatically think Scandinavia, with Norway being the default country. Of course there are other countries that contributed greatly, but Great Britain is not one of the ones that comes to mind right away. That's a shame because the early Hecate Enthroned albums are incredible. 

Coming right off their debut EP (which was just a re-recording of their demo), Hecate Enthroned comes out with the verbosely titled Slaughter of Innocence, A Requiem for the Mighty. Without going too deep into the obvious comparisons, the brand of black metal on display here is very similar to early Cradle of Filth - specifically Vempire and Dusk. That said, this is very much it's own album.

The guitars have this murky production on them that obscures the individual notes just enough that a sense of mystery is draped over the album. It's not so obscured though that the overall intent of the riff is buried in the mix, nay - rather the melodies and individual instruments are clearly made out, but it's like listening to the music through a slightly warped mirror. The image is there but distorted.

Where there is no murkiness is in the keyboards, and they are possibly the lead instrument in all of the release. Sure there are parts where the guitars are crushing the listener over their head, but it's the keyboards that add the extra layer. That small indistinguishable element that not much music has, but those that do elevate themselves above their peers. 

Slaughter of Innocence is a diverse album that fully embraces dynamic song writing and structures. There are many moments where the metal is completely stripped away and the keyboards are allowed to weave their tale. There are other moments where the guitars and keyboards dance together in a macabre dance (The Spell of the Winter Forest is a great example of this). There are multiple instrumental interludes that lean into the gothic nature of the music and lay the foundation for what would eventually become dungeon synth.

Hecate Enthroned is a band that I fear is overlooked by many, and that's a damn shame. While I can understand passing on Kings of Chaos, these early albums are truly excellent in both their delivery and composition. I don't think this band gets the credit they deserve, nor do I know if they ever will at this point. This is much more than a rip off band, this is a fully realized sextet that delivers some truly exceptional music. 

Entry 1626 - Journey to Silius / Hebereke Ufouria

Style: video game music

Thoughts: Two for the price of one!

The NES had some truly great music. Sunsoft in particular had some exceptional music towards the end of the NES' lifecycle. There are stories about how one of their software engineers figured out ways to utilize two bass channels instead of just the single one that had been used throughout the 80's.  

Journey to Silius is a high energy soundtrack that gets the absolute most out of the NES sound chip. This one is up there with the best of them: Mega Man 2, Castlevania, etc. These melodies are amazing and get stuck in my head for extended periods of time. It's also short which is a double edged sword. On one hand it has no chance of overstaying, but I always want more. 

Hebereke Ufouria is... odd. I have never heard of this game before listening to this soundtrack. That said, this sounds like some of the better soundtracks that came out in the platformer genre: Chip and Dale, Duck Tales, Mario 3, etc. It has that same marching energy to press forward to the next goal. Again it's short so it doesn't overstay and while I don't like it as much as journey to Silius, this is a very welcome addition to this vinyl set.

Two soundtracks on one record is something you don't see every day, let alone two of this caliber. I loved Sunsoft's old games and the incredibly difficult pains they put me through. These soundtracks are a great reminder of what I used to do on rainy days when I was a kid. Even though I haven't finished either game their soundtracks trigger core memories of similar games back in simpler times.

Entry 1625 - Cradle of Filth - The Principle of Evil Made Flesh

Style: blackened death metal with gothic influences

Thoughts: Before the hundreds of thousands of records sold. Before the gimmicks. Before the fame. Before all the bullshit... before everything came The Principle of Evil made Flesh.

Every band has their origin, even mega bands such as Cradle of Filth start somewhere. In the case of this British powerhouse their debut album is quite different than nearly every album that came after it. Sure the DNA that makes the band what it is can be found here, but overall this is a fundamentally different beats. 

First and foremost: Dani. The vocals are so different than any of the follow up releases it's hard to believe this is actually Dani Filth on vocals. Instead of the shriek, this is more of a rasp, like a dying gasp for air over and over again. Hardly the banshee vocals that would eventually become the staple of the band.

Secondly the riffing. Instead of the extreme black metal infused gothic riff fest that the later albums would be the is a huge death metal aspect to these songs. Many of these riffs are outright heavy, one may even say they are brutal from time to time  The riffs are still intricate and have hints of the Iron Maiden harmonies that would come later, but this is very much a blackened death metal album. 

They keyboards are also much less prevalent than they would be in later albums. Most of the songs are prominently guitar driven with the keys providing a melodic accent here and there rather than being a main force.  

The production is also much less clean than any of the later releases. There is a muddiness to this that makes the record have a more honest... less polished feel to it. This very much feels like a less refined version of what the band would become. 

Despite all this difference, The Principle of Evil Made flesh is still an extremely enjoyable album. It's nice to hear the band just play music they want to at this point rather than trying to cater to a specific audience like they would with some later albums. This, like many other albums at the time, is just the band putting all their ideas out there and seeing what sticks. 

I love albums like this. There are no rules, no per-conceived notions on what the band "should" be. It's just the band and their music - take it or leave it.

Entry 1624 - Final Fantasy XII

Style: video game music

Thoughts: Final Fantasy XII is my second favorite in the series right after VI. VI is there for nostalgia reasons. Replaying it lately... it doesn't hold up so well. Twelve on the other hand does.

The game takes place in Ivalice, the same place as Final Fantasy Tactics. The plot is just as political as you would expect, and the music made a distinct point to try and return to the compositions of the earlier games. At least in terms of melody and structure, a full orchestra is still utilized for most of the soundtrack. 

What really sets this one apart though is the small cast of characters. The way that the player is intentionally mislead throughout the story is a great work of story telling. The music as well leans into this subterfuge and keeps the listener second guessing where the music is heading.

Unfortunately this soundtrack is not made by Uematsu, however it does live up to his legacy. The music has the intrinsic Final Fantasy feel, and I'm glad to finally have some of it on vinyl. There isn't much more to say about this one though. The soundtrack is way too long to do a detailed breakdown on, and while this selection is excellent it cannot replicate the majesty of the full thing. Still as they say, bird in hand vs. two in the bush... I'm happy for what I have.

Entry 1623 - Carach Angren - Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten

Style: symphonic black metal

Thoughts: Carach Angren. Master story tellers. Weavers of dark fantasy. Those who would wield horror to an astonishing effect. 

There are many things that Carach Angren are, but subtle is not one of them. They excel at over the top bombastic black metal. The kind that tells a story and sucks me in with every song. They tend to have a massive amount of riffs in their songs and hardly ever use a a verse/chorus writing style. Everything is written for the sake of the story, and with that comes a linear song strucutre.

When these guys are good, they are one of the best in the business. Songs like Charlie and Songs for the Dead show the band at their best: mysterious, ghostly, bombastic, aggressive, and above all the weave a narrative with the music and lyrics. There is so much going on in these songs that it mirrors a symphony with it's twists and turns. 

Unfortunately, the band doesn't always hit with their songs on this album. Many of them, especially on the second half show a lack of focus that is unusual for these guys. In the earlier albums they know exactly what they want to do at every single moment... here though they just seem lost from time to time. It's very confusing. 

The other issue I have with the album is a physical one... why on earth was this split into 2LP's? The album is 40 minutes long and does not require two LP's. If this was done for maximum fidelity or something similar that's fine, but honestly this is not the kind of music I listen to for an audiophile experience - nor does the pressing quality reflect that. 

Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten is an odd album for me. There are moments of pure brilliance, and there are moments where it seems like the band is coming loose at the seams. Their stories are still great, but the music doesn't always keep pace on here. Damn shame.

Entry 1622 - Secret of Maya - マヤの秘密

Style: dungeon synth, fantasy synth

Thoughts: This is a first for me. I don't know the musical artist for this record, but I do know the cover artist. They've been a friend for many years and it's amazing to see them work with one of my favorite labels. I may or may not have had something with getting the two of them in touch, but you know that's a story for another day.

In terms of the music Secret of Maya is classic dungeon synth with a fantasy bent. It's not modern fantasy synth by any means but it has that fantasy feel that so many great dungeon synth albums have. Rather than the more atmospheric approach Secret of Maya tries to emulate the old computer role playing game soundtracks of yesteryear. Games that would utilize PC speaker, or you would have to install a sound blaster card into the motherboard of your old x386 to get working correctly. Those kind of soundtracks.

You don't get this kind of music through complexity. Rather you have some two to three instruments at any given time playing simple melodies on synths that don't even try to sound like the real instruments. It's glorious. 

There are a lot of different moods on here: triumph, mystery, tragedy, defeat, victory. They all have their moment in this thirty minute epic, though none for too long. Most of the songs are only a few minutes long and repeat themes only once or twice before moving on. It's a microcosm of an entire world held within a spinning disc. 

Secret of Maya has been a wonderful surprise to delve into. It pays tribute to a bygone era while still maintaining listenability to modern audiences. The idea of composing music in a long abandoned way but using modern production methods and not dealing with compressed synths is indeed a great boon. Yet another entry into the dungeon synth lexicon that solidifies my enjoyment of this amazing genre.

Entry 1621 - Sunken - Departure

Style: atmospheric black metal

Thoughts: About fifteen years ago there was a movement that started in black metal. It combined the tenets of black metal and mixed them with post rock. The two styles meshed together better than I would have possibly imagined, and a new sub-genre of black metal was born. About ten years later Sunken releases Departure, a black metal album that is steeped in the essence of post rock. 

Black metal such as this is at it's very best when it fully embraces two things: the dynamics of post rock, and fully committing to blast beats when needed. Sunken certainly has committed to the dynamic nature of post rock. There are multiple points in this album where the music fades away to near nothing and we hear something akin to waves lapping upon the shoreline. These moments of quiet are some of my favorite in the entire album. They contrast the harsh metal elegantly and gives moments of still in a flurry of riffs. 

The second facet however the band excels a bit less at. The band is not shy about using blast beats, but they have trouble committing to them. There are moments on here that I swear would be better suited for a flurry of drums but the drummer for whatever reason simply cannot commit to blasting with all their might. 

Sunken is not the only band that this has happened with. Multiple other bands have fallen into this same trope where they will slow the music down for no good reason, and it drives me nuts. I am still looking for the album where the band can harness this immense atmosphere that comes from the fusion of these two genres, but fully commits to the blast throughout the album. Sure variety is needed, but dammit I want a band that fully embraces the speed aspect of black metal for once. 

Complaints aside, Departure is a great album. Sure it drives me nuts that they can't commit to a blast beat from time to time, but even when they don't the album is well written. The atmosphere remains in tact, and with the slower sections we get to see the band lean into melody a bit more. So not all is lost. 

Sunken's debut album is a great entry into the atmospheric black metal field. When they do pop off it's something to behold (the first few minutes of the track Sunken is incredible). I do wish that they would cast of their self imposed chains sometimes but the restraint also allows the band to feel more profound when they do finally go unrestrained. So who knows, maybe I'll come around to this style eventually... right now though I'll just be content to try and enjoy this album for what it is. Warts and all.

Entry 1620 - Bloody Valkyria - In Our Home, Across the Fog

Style: melodic black metal

Thoughts: Music based on video games is nothing new. There's tons of tributes and remake albums out there that put video game music into all sorts of genre, metal being one of the more popular ones to recreate music into. 

What is not as common though is an entirely original work based on the lore of a specific game - specifically Elden Ring. However, those who have played the game will know instantly where Bloody Valkyria takes their inspiration from. The title of the album echoes the first words when starting up the game as well. 

I was skeptical of the album at first. The cover is an obvious tribute to the Erd Tree and all the people who live in the Lands Between, but how good could the music be? After one listen I knew that I was going to have to find a way to procure the album. 

Not only is the music well composed, both melodically and structurally, it has an epic scope that is missing from so many of the projects on Northern Silence Productions. For those who know the label, Bloody Valkyria is very similar in the basic function of the music: lots of keyboards, symphonic elements, and melodic black metal. 

This however is not the typical Northern Silence Productions release. The atmosphere is thicker. The melodies are stronger. The black metal fiercer. The songs are true epics, befitting of the subject matter. You can tell that Bloody Valkyria loves this game and it's lore. The lyrics are steeped in the sorrow that comes from the Lands Between. The melodies weep with the sorrow of the Shaman Village, the birthplace of Queen Marika. 

All of In Our Home, Across the Fog is worth listening to, even if you have never played the game. For those of us that have, this is the pinnacle of tribute. Some truly excellent melodic black metal intermixed with the passion that the project has for the subject matter makes this one of the years strongest releases.