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.