Style: Dungeon synth, ambient
Primary Emotions/Themes: If you do not show us the Grail we shall storm your castle. No. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
Thoughts: There are a lot of different versions of dungeon synth. Way more than I ever though there would be when I first got back into the genre a couple of years ago. Of all the artists I've found, I have to say that Malfet is among the very best.
Malfet's sound is not typical dungeon synth... at least not in the traditional sense. While yes, everything is played on keyboards, and yes, this is a one person project... there is more to this than you would expect.
For one the music feels fuller. The melodies often mimic that of classic dungeon synth, but there is a deep reverb on the instruments done in the production that makes them sound like they are being played in a great hall, or a church, or a cave, or in a grand forest... or anywhere that would inspire a sense of grandeur and awe.
The music also has a healthy dose of ambient mixed in. Most dungeon synth will play simple melodies on repeated loops for minutes on end as the song slowly progresses. Malfet does that as well, but the artist is not afraid to back off of the melody from time to time and let the atmosphere breathe - let the music expand a bit. Let the listener take a step back and take everything in.
The end result here is that Dolorus Gard is a step above. The music has a sense of wonder and a scope that makes it feel greater than it self. Hardly any dungeon synth does this as well as Malfet does on this album. It feels more like an adventure than music. It feels more like a wonderful time spent with friends on a grand adventure than any recording. In a lot of ways, it feels like home.
Written April 2nd 2024
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