Entry 457 - Oublieth - A l'Ombre du Royaume en Cendres

 

Dungeon synth is such an interesting genre. It can be anything from the simplest of melodies played on a PC speaker emulator to these huge epic constructs that sweep the listener to a completely different land. Oublieth is decidedly in the latter camp within the genre.

A l'Ombre du Royaume en Cendres sounds like it is hearkening in the start of winter. The music is cold, it is slow, and it is wonderful. The music itself is rather minimal in composition. Maybe 2-3 instruments going on at any one time, however the way that they are put together through the samples and the production makes it feel much more than the simple elements that make up the songs.

The album starts out with a slow swell of keyboards building into an epic chord that sweeps me off my feet every time it comes in. The sound of wind blowing and crows cawing indicate the cold that I am about the embark on. As the album continues brooding melodies go through at a glacially slow pace and repeat to the point where they will never leave my head.

It's ironic that I'm listening to this album in the middle of summer, because this is one of the strongest examples of "winter" dungeon synth I have ever heard. The music has a wonderful balance between being completely atmospheric and having some sense of melody. It's not purely dungeon synth, its not purely ambient... its something in between.

When I first picked this up I thought that it was a mistake. The other Oublieth album Out of Season recently put out caught my attention immediately, whereas this one as a bit of a grower. I'm glad I stuck with this one though, as it has greatly rewarded my patience.