Dungeon synth and dark ambient music

[Darryl B.]

Don't know what others will think of stuff like this but I thought I'd post about it. Hopefully it's not just a rock 'n roll crowd here. If not and people will ever return at least they'll get a bit of new stuff to check out

An artist named Mortiis started off as the bassist for the death/thrash metal band Emperor. He was kicked out of the band before their debut album was released due to his attitude.

For some reason he turned around 360 degrees in the music world and became one of, if not the very first dungeon synth artist(s) doing stuff with synthesizers. Close cousins of the music include new age (but darker) and dark electronics (like with the Terminator movies) but usually sounds more mournful rather than mechanical (hence the name, as it's done on synthesizers and one might feel like they’re in a dungeon while listening to it). Dark ambient often intertwines with d. synth as well, usually just being synthesizer-based stuff but not always as mournful.

I got into Mortiis in 1998, getting his pretty good debut and most of his side projects of Vond, Cintecele Diavolui (possibly sp on that) and Fata Morgana.

I got back into d. synth a little less than two years ago when, as I've been on his e-mailing list forever, it stated Mortiis was debuting a new single (believed lost for years until he found it in his attic) during an online d. synth concert with tons of other artists. So now I'm getting acquainted with modern day performers.

Below are several artists that are on the Wrought Records label (the first one below performed on that online show), along with some others I've gotten interested in.

Redhorn Gate



A quick one to start you off.



I like this longer one better though.


Frostlit Lantern



Quite the mysterious sound on this one!


Haudh

https://haudh.bandcamp.com/album/der-erlkonig

I got this and it's one of the best d. synth cds in my collection (although even though I started listening to it over 20 years ago I don't have that many cds)


Old Tower

https://oldtower.bandcamp.com/album/tal ... e-mad-moon

Speaking of which, this is going to be my next one! (He didn't perform on the Dungeon Siege concert though, I found out about him later) Just make sure and hang with it; I don't know why the cd starts off with one of the weaker tracks (in my opinion), as I liked tracks 2-8 better (and 10-12...and 15-16).

[Zap!]

I must admit that I've never listed to anything like it before, but I like it! Great story on how you found and got into that type of music! It's so unique! Sounds like it belongs in a creepy haunted game!

[Darryl B.]

I must admit that I've never listed to anything like it before, but I like it!

That's good! There's tons of different kinds too, as I've listened to many online concerts since and there's been a pretty good mix of artists.

Great story on how you found and got into that type of music! It's so unique!

Actually *the* story is that one day when I got home from work years ago (late 1990s, as I know the first dungeon synth cd I got was Mortiis's Fodt Til a Herske in '98) I found an order from a heavy metal company had come in the mail. I at first happily opened the package, but that happiness turned into confusion when I went "what the hell is THIS?", since all this stuff fell out of it. What was all this stuff when all I ordered was either one cd or a t-shirt?

They turned out to be heavy metal fanzines that were thrown in for free, one of which was the unique (to put it mildly!) Grimoire of Exhalted Deeds. The *other* reason I went "what the hell..." was due to this thing on the cover, having a prosthetic nose, prosthetic pointy ears and with his arms being spread you could see he had bat wings as his costume.

That was Mortiis. There was an interview with him in the 'zine so I went out and got his cd without hearing a note of it beforehand. Luckily it was a good debut and that's what got me into dungeon synth.

Sounds like it belongs in a creepy haunted game!

You might like Disgraced Knight then (he changed his name to Grimsword for a bit but now it's D. Knight again?) with that buzzy sound he did for a while, which a bit of it sounds like it would've fit pretty well in the 16-bit gaming area (Sega Genesis and all). I'm getting all of his D. Knight albums eventually from the self-titled Disgraced Knight through For Bastards. Not sure after that since he's pretty prolific and I haven't heard everything yet but I really like his first several ones in a row, at least.