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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- The sound of the ancient crypt (and some synth as well). #DungeonSynth
CORRECTION: At about 38:44, I mixed up the creators of Cherry Cordial and Derbyshire. Jon Rosenthal is behind Cherry Cordial. Zak Kiernan is the creator of Derybshire. The two have collaborated previously on the Belgian label Phantom Lure.
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How do you know when you have a new music genre? When it involves dragons, masks, church burnings, video games, grandma's cottages, tiny mice, and dinosaurs. Dungeon Synth is more a genre that ceded from a hazy borderland of older genres. An outpouring of ideas old and new followed. It is a descendant of Black Metal, but is also not. Dungeon Synth equally emerged in spirit from the German Krautrock. It is a uniquely disputed and controversial genre. That may be required with a genre that evolved out of synth intros and interludes. Dungeon Synth is one long interlude still in development or the liminial space of music.
In the depths of the Internet, it was the quill of Andrew Werdna which brought Dungeon Synth to life. Though, it was more like necromany. The Dungeon Synth blog developed the idea of Dungeon Synth (or DS) from the established corpus off ambient artist like Mortiis, Burzum, Wongraven, and even Summoning. All artists controversial for their own reasons (one much more than the others). It was a development in both musical philosophy and philology though. Soon, Dungeon Synth was spoken into existence with artists like Lord Lovidicus, Erang, Vinkaldr, Chaucerian Myth, and many more. As synth genres returned to prominence, mutations of Comfy Synth and Dino Synth soon stumbled forward. Is there a mystery in the depths of this dark dungeon?
This is (one) rough genealogy of Dungeon Synth and some quirky offspring.
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Music:
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Winter in Hammerfell" (00:15-02:46)
Frédéric Chopin - "Galop Marquis", performed by Aya Higuchi (02:46-02:56)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Night Adventures" (02:56-4:32)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Nite" (04:32-06:28)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Daggerfall Nights" (06:28-08:18)
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Breaking and Entering" (08:16-09:30)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Dungeon 3" (09:30-12:57)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Treading Winter" (12:57-16:40)
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Arcane Arts" (16:40-19:38)
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Evening Star" (19:38-22:50)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Palace 2" (22:50-24:19)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Fireplace" (24:19-25:17)
Marshall Parker (Shadowrun NES OST) - "Maria Mercurial Redux" (25:17-25:34)
Motoaki Furukawa (Sunset Riders OST) - "Sunset Riders / Character Select" (25:34-22:54)
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Swimming" (25:54-27:38)
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Blacksmith" (27:38-29:30)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Snow is Falling" (29:30-30:51)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Snowing" (30:51-32:18)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Folk 3" (32:18-33:17)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "A Beautiful Day in the City" (32:17-35:21)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Overcast" (35:21-36:56)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "At Home" (36:55-37:33)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Folk 2" (37:33-36:35)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Square" (38:35-39:43)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Dungeon 2" (39:43-41:51)
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Where Dost Thou Hail" (41:51-44:07)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "On the Ship" (44:07-45:00)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Folk 1" (45:00-46:25)
Eric Heberling (Arena OST) - "Game Over" (46:25-47:14)
Eric Heberling (Daggerfall OST) - "Snow over Northmoor" (47:14-47:45)
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All copyrighted media, images, and music respective owner(s).
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Thanks For Watching Forever In The Decaying Tombs
![Mountain Realm - Grayshadow Ruins [ Full Album ] - Dungeon Synth from Cryo Crypt](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U6eDlqtkDHI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Mountain Realm - Grayshadow Ruins [ Full Album ] - Dungeon Synth from Cryo Crypt](/img/tr.png)
Okay, this is epic.
The documentary I didn't know I needed.
👀
Absolutely
*p a s t o r a l*
Oh yes
This is a very long way of saying "people wanted to make the music they heard in their heads when playing text adventure RPGs on a BBC Micro" and I approve of that.
Lmao
I prefered "Grannies Garden".
But, it's more than that.
Well yeah, that's how documentarys work
Leave the likes at 666 people
From now on, this is the official Dungeon Synth documentary. I never see something more... complete and professional about the genre, thanks!
Thankful so many DS fans and personalities are enjoying it!
@@Pseudiom the fact i read it dark souls instead of dungeon synth? is it a coincidence ?..
@@Soabac you could make dungeon synth about dark souls, call it DSDS (and pronounce it as written)
@@screwtapee that would be pretty awesome I think
@@Soabaci read it as DS (like, the console, the nintendo ds)
ive been working on a playlist called "there's a wizard spray painted on the side of my van" and this is like eactly what i've been trying to go for vibes wise
praises unto you, bestie
would you share that playlist? I'm intrigued
Share the playlist pls?
It must include The Sword unless it already does
@@joelkurowski7129 it will just for u random stranger on the internet
😁
I discovered this genre in 2015
It feels like stumbling across forgotten lore
As an avid D&D fan this discovery has been transformative and has rekindled my undying love for fantasy
I stumbled across it this year for my first time and I have to grown to absolutely love it. 💙
If your love for fantasy were undying why would it need to be rekindled?
I met the dude, mortiis outside of a dungeon synth fest in a cloud of a weed and he was chill. I woke up in a haze and played a dungeons and dragons spinoff in the same bar while pizza was being passed around. 10/10
oh man...
that's a vibe
The geek shall inherit the earth.
Their time is cometh nigh.
(Many proud goblets of mead would have been preferable to wack inch-thick pizza, though.)
"LiL'JpD."
Ps: what was the D&D spinoff?
Can we trade lives?
I love how much of this video’s music is literally just the Daggerfall OST lmao. Based.
I mean, the Daggerfall and Arena OSTs are technically Dungeon Synth or at least inspired modern DS. I think they're pretty unique sounding for the era.
Yer mumz "Based".
@@Pseudiom Is this the original sound files or some kind of remaster?
Daggerfall and RuneScape were a great intro
Unironically I first discovered dungeon synth as a genre because I kept searching for "music like daggerfall" and YT gave me Fief. And the rest is history.
No joke, what really got me into dungeon synth was wanting more stuff like the Daggerfall OST, and is still my go-to release when I'm in the mindset to listen to it.
It's so creepy and spooky. I keep expecting a shrieking skeleton warrior to frighten me out of my skin as I'm listening though
As soon as I get interested in Dungeon Synth, one of my favourite TH-camrs upload a video about it. I love this.
Hope you enjoyed it! It's more like an introduction so I hope people find it useful in exploring the genre and find new artists/writers who cover it.
I love listening to dungeon synth while reading classic dark fantasy books like Elric and Conan. It goes great with a lot of modern grimdark fantasy novels as well!
I like listening to Quest Master (and other DS) while I read the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. Would highly recommend both!
It oddly enough works well with 40k books sometimes, if you’re in the right mood 😂
Eternal Fear, Jim Kirkwood, Secret Stairways and December's Fire deserved a mention in the 90s section.
Jim Kirkwood gets a mention later but I agree Secret Stairways should not have been left out
You can see it in the video at least
never has a genre impacted and influenced me so much, each album takes you to a whole new world and there's something magical about that.
"Yes, it's time to talk about Varg".
Guy: killed.
Time in jail: spent.
Modernity: rejected.
Yep, it's Varg time.
Varg "autism is a actually an aryan superpower" Vikerness
Varg "placenta" Vikerness
Varg has dungeon synth tracks on his first 2 albums, not sure why the priority was making it clear that he’s not into his political career
Let's find out!
@@RayleneSteves well maybe bcuz creator of the video is just another dude who thinks that his political and religious views are right, not vargs. saying that paganism is provoking and something somethging is laughable
Hell yeah, this is gonna be awesome. Hope Depressive Silence is at least mentioned… if not, just know that Depressive Silence 2 is the best dungeon synth album ever. And shoutout to all Jim Kirkwood albums.
Your wish came true at 12:02
@@error4159 Yup 10/10 video. Well done Pseudiom!
Thank you! I could have spent more time on Jim Kirkwood but he just has way too much music. I wanted the video to be under an hour so I glanced over him a bit, but hopefully it was enough to interest people.
There are interviews with both Depressive Silence and Jim Kirkwood in Dungeon Synth Zine if you like them. All the best
Depressive Silence 2 is a perfect album.
Been a long time fan of this music, even back when I was just listening to music right off the cds of games in the 90's, or midis ripped from games. Someone actually doing a video on the history is interesting though, thanks for sharing. The Arena/Daggerfall in the background was lovely too.
The Dungeon Synth Archives youtube channel certainly 'clarified' it as a genre for me, but it has always been there, so it makes so much sense as a genre to me. Dungeon Synth would be at the center of a big Venn diagram of all my interests, growing up in the late 80's/90's. I think the childhood nostalgia angle is also a huge driving factor behind all of these. I am a metalhead, and always loved all the atmospheric intro's and outro's of albums and songs. Next to (mostly black) Metal I also listen to a lot of Synthwave which have that 80's nostalgia, and that scene also has a big metal overlap. I play Dungeons and Dragons (and use a lot of DS as background music while playing!) and love all sorts RPG's and retro gaming. I read a lot of classic scifi and fantasy. So DS is like a natural fit.
Personal recommendation: Wallachian Cobwebs - Night Sobbed a potion diseased
Being a dungeon synth/neo folk artist I cannot wait to sink my time into this video!!!
No mention of RuneScape??
A good majority of their ost is heavily influenced by what came in the 90’s and I’d argue it introduced A LOT of people to what would become the genre
Yeah dude.. wtf. And honestly some of those runescape songs are complex dungeon synth masterpieces.
At least now I know of a word to describe Runescape music.
Idk runescape music doesn't sound very dungeon synth to me.
I'll give an unsolicited list of my favorite RuneScape tracks so readers know what we're talking about:
th-cam.com/video/bjxK0GQeA-c/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/np3gGJoIkrU/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/FMNAcMNedOc/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/iZKh9AAfcdM/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/VW6EudU6Lb0/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/8tSfgO3AbwE/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/xhNjuv7aGEo/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/YsCbPyr_Z7k/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/Dwa-81884m8/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/euwV3qAcjUs/w-d-xo.html
Remember that every single memorable track in the game was made by one guy, Ian Taylor.
morrowind music also has that feel to me although i acknowledge this is more a retrospective label being applied to it
I don't think I've actually listened to a DS track, like ever. At least knowingly. However I sure as hell know OFF it! Being an RPG nerd, and being there for the birth of Synthwave it was inevitable. Gonna take a listen now.
If you've ever played a Fantasy game you've probably heard something like DS. I always considered it RPG music without a game.
@@Pseudiom after listing to it last night, thats exactly how I described it to a friend! Game music without a game!
Depressive Silence 2 was one of the first dungeon synth albums I heard and I fell in love in a few seconds.
Varg mentioned Dead can dance's album 'Within the realm of the dying sun' among music he like(d) and the inspiration is obvious on the prison albums.
I cannot put into words what dungeon synth has done for me.
I love it so much. I don't even listen to it THAT much in my total hours spent per week listening to music, and still manage a few hours minimum a week and - It just - I cant say. Its changed my life.
Its my favorite genre, and I think at this point always will be.
Got some recommendations?
@@halflifeger4179 Yes! Absolutely.
I should say though - when I said it has changed my life - I meant that personally, it helps me slow down, and I am someone who very much has needed to slow down for years. It isn't really "Fun" music, as I am sure you can imagine.
That having been said - when I am in the right mood, there are a few albums that are absolutely transportive.
1.) The Lunar Lexicon by Aindulmedir
2.) The Long Quest by Torchlight
3.) Middle Earth by Jim Kirkwood
4.) In the Kingdom of Fog by "The fog trio"
5.) Anything by Vindakldr or Fief if you are in a less dark mood, and want a bit more jovialness
I have probably 100 listens between 1 and 2 put together here. Those two albums especially, I adore so deeply.
🙏 Great suggestions
@@halflifeger4179 some of my favourites are Splendorius - Norfaragell-Thul, I can’t help but keep on coming back to it during those early mornings. Another of my most listened is ANCIENT BOREAL FOREST - a relic from the sands of time, which branches out from the genre a bit, with more soft black metal influences with chanting and an epic fantasy backing track that cannot be beat
OK, I wasn't expecting to hear that apparently dinosaur 🦕 music exists. I'm genuinely impressed by human creativity
Phantastic video; by far the most well articulated description of the genre I've seen yet! I love Dungeon Synth and while it might not always be my favourite style of music, it certainly is my favourite musical subculture (/community?) due to many of the aspects you've explained.
High compliments! Glad you found the video so worthy. Its one of the most interesting things going on online now a days.
I love dungeon synth, its very confortable and inspirating for me, i also have listened to some of the variants you mention, its really cool someone does a video explaining its nature origins and other caracteristics, also, now i have some more artists to take a look now, thanks
I enjoy DS for the same reasons. It is good music to read and write to. I hope you found some new projects in the video. I mainly wanted to make this an introduction so people could spiral out into their own explorations.
He truly is a man of many passions
It's amazing to see what a journey the community Dungeon Synth had/has and will have in the future. Thank you for this summary.
As I always say DS is music from high mountains, though the depths of Moria, 'til the end of a hero's journey. Music for escapism and dancing dark forests...
Thank you for this amazing video! It truly feels like a work of passion!
It is the result of several years of following the development of DS! There was a lot more that could have been said, but a good introduction was necessary.
It's kind of fascinating how niche genres seem so prone to splintering further into smaller and smaller niches. On a semi-related note, ever hear "Dungeon Beatz"?
If something is small you can usually break it down into smaller and smaller pieces. Also, no, I have not. I assume its Dungeon Synth/Synth mixed with either Hip-Hop or Dubstep?
Hello mate.
"Dungeon Beatz", searched here on YT, didn't bring up anything satisfactory.
Can you give me a link, please?
Thanks man (I assume you are male, and not the unlikely 0.01% of girlies who are into this stuff).
Cheers
JpD.
@@joedent3323 it's moreso under Dungeon Rap, which is essentially Memphis style rap over Dungeon Synth beats
My weird ass ADHD brain made me go through and listen to every song on every album of Mortiis again.
This video was awesome and seriously under-appreciated.
Amazing documentary! I may add that Lord Wind (Graveland´s side project) is also worth mentioning, specially as an influence for the post 2000´s projects that came out. Burzum´s return to ambient sounds with Sol Austan, Mani Vestan from 2013 was the spark that lighted the fire (again)
31:40 - 31:52 This is probably the best ever description of Dungeon Synth overall that I have ever heard. Dungeon Synth is at its core inspired by fantasy, the past, and imagination. It is both the gloomy, depressive Scandinavian forests in winter and the cheery, loud singing of spectators at a knight's list. It is the dark, foreboding, deathly silent crypt as well as the glorious call to adventure. Dungeon Synth can, does, and is supposed to convey a wide range of emotions, whether they be positive or negative ones. You're supposed to slip back in to your daydream, your fantasy, and imagine a world of both good and evil. Even the Comfy Synth and Dino Synth can fit into this description. I wish I could write more but the words escape me whenever I try to describe these ideas. But, I wholeheartedly commend you for making such a concise and perfect video on Dungeon Synth, and for even attempting to catalogue and define such a unique and immersive music genre.
Expected a mention of Secret Stairways... But excellent research nonetheless!
I know Secret Stairways was a very obvious omission, but it is one of THE major early DS projects so I thought people would naturally be introduced/find it after this video.
Secret Stairways is cool
@@Pseudiom I personally consider Secret Stairways as a really unique and worth mentioning early proto-DS artist because he doesn't really come from the black metal scene and doesn't come from the kosmiche musik influenced folks and instead represents that more darkwave/goth inspired dark ambient thread that weaves its way through modern DS in a more pure form. Was a little disappointed he didn't get a shout since he does represent a different prefiguring strain from Kirkwood or Cusco or the black metal-inspired dark ambient and one that is well represented in modern DS.
That said, otherwise an INCREDIBLY thorough and well done history of the genre and its antecedents, well done man.
Seeing Diplodocus in my recommendeds got me into the whole Dungeon Synth genre, because I just had to click on something proclaiming to be "Dino Synth". It didn't grab me as much as rest of DS, but gotta give credit where credit is due.
Randomly found dungeon synth the other day and I dig it, so I'm down for this history lesson.
Really can't express how much I liked this. I stumbled across Wallachian Cobwebs' "Night Sobbed a Potion Diseased" and have been a huge fan of DS since.
Great take. Would love to see an expansion on origins to include progenitors from video game & soundtrack music, progressive rock, avant-garde, etc.
Exceptional work, a perfect intro for any prospective DS fans
Daggerfall OST is so epic. It's genuine lo fi classical music.
Surprised not to see anything on DIM, as they are generally properly considered a pillar of post-2010 dungeon synth expansion/evolution
There were a few major bands/projects I decided to skip like DIM, Old Tower, and Gvasdnahr (who who came after Lord Lovidicus), and a few more. I don't have anything against them, but they were cut for time. I could have gone on forever if I covered everything I wanted to. I had to reduce it to the key beats which is why I had a recommendations section at the end. I also assumed you'd eventually reach groups like DIM and Old Tower if you were interested in DS.
I discovered DS in about 2017-2018 and actually through Varg (his channel ThuleanPerspective was a living meme with all the whacky takes, bait-ish video names like ''My dog killed an African immigrant'' and, believe it or not, even occassional ASMR video). Burzum is still my favourite, but since then I also enjoyed Fief, Diplodocus and Shogun's Castle.
Wow what an excellent video. I am glad this weird music genre we all love has directed me to your channel. You're video quality punches high above its weight for your sub count and I forsee growth in your future!
Incredibly grateful this video is finding such a receptive audience. Already had several featured artists compliment me on it! It is nice to see I portrayed them so well.
As a newcomer to the dungeon synth genre (I have a medieval synth project called Herdade) this documentary really warms my heart. There's so much to say about this scene, and yet you were able to condense it in a way that didn't feel tiring or boring. Great work! Oh, and I know one can't bring everything, but I was surprised you didn't mention Quest Master or other chiptune dungeon synth artists. I'll leave it here as a suggestion to anyone who's interested in game music as well as DS.
Very nicely done. A lot of info I didn't know. I was experimenting with different forms of dungeon synth back in the 1990s, check out my first album from 1996 "Life is a Near Death Experience", it's all synth but I decided to add death metal drums to it so it's less ambient than some of the synth stuff at the time.
I'm so making this required viewing for my History of Electronic Music course at Texas A&M.... Thank you SO much for this excellently organized and presented documentary! Cheers!
Pseudiom doing a video on Dungeon Synth? Hell yeah! Count me in!
This documentary deserves a lot more views. Dungeon Synth is a style that will be a game changer in the future.
this essay made me remember 'til det bergens skyggene' which was one of the first dungeon synth creators I heard.
I think I crossed diagonally from Darkspace / paysage d'hiver and ended up in dungeon synth that way.
Yes! TDBS was very good stuff.
Just discovered this genre a few days ago. I'm in awe. This is exactly what I've been looking for my whole life.
I discovered Dungeon Synth very recently through the youtube channel Cro Crypt and the album Mountain Realm - Greyshadow Ruins. I was immediatly blown away by the aesthetic and the sounds used in the album and fell in love in an instant. This video was a very nice introduction to a new interest of mine. Thank you. :)
You had me at "Excuse the gloom."
This is a great video, I hope to go back and dig into many of these artists I haven't discovered yet. Shout out to Quest Master, whose work I always end up defaulting to when writing and drawing maps.
I got introduced to this type of stuff both by a friend online and by artists who incorporate elements of it into their own sound on the Harakiri Diat TH-cam channel, like Poison Ruïn or FILMMAKER, for example, and having already enjoyed a lot of different sorts of Ambient music this *_really_* clicks with me as a primarily Post-Punk, Goth and Metal kind of guy (though I do try to give everything I come across a fair shake and thus tend to enjoy a little of everything). Really interesting to hear the history of this stuff intersect so heavily with familiar territory for me.
Holy shit man. Past few months dis is all I’ve been listening to. Couldn’t find a video on it in depth. Then you upload this. If anyone want more recommendations feel free to reply.
I love that you put references when you show videos or paintings. I see a lot of cool images/clips in videos but can never track them down!
Very informative and the best documentary on Dungeon Synth I've seen yet. I'm just now getting into it as a genre and looking for everything I can learn about it.
I learned about the genre from a new movie "Riddle of Fire" whose soundtrack is almost entirely a compilation of tracks from "Dugeon Synth". Everything is very good! Greetings from La Plata, Argentina
Its a strange sensation when you have a type of music in your head since your childhood but dont know how to create it or search for it. This happened to me when I encountered Mortiis. Im a black metal fan and found Dungeon Synth by accident thanks to Mortiis. Its like finding the holy grail.
I had no idea Mortiis had such a huge influence on music. Listened to some of his more industrial stuff in the 2000's . No idea he did anything like this. Damn
As someone who is working on a synth/ambient album for my final college project, this video hit the nail on the head when it said "inspired by black metal and tolkien". It's very true haha. I'm reading the Hobbit at the moment and its been the second biggest source of inspiration for me. The biggest being the outside and nature. Varg's albums; 'The ways of Yore' and 'Thulêan Mysteries' are my favourite 'ambient/pagan' albums and I envy varg on how he creates atmospheres with such little layers.
Ahhh yes.. *Varg.* What a "Character." 😏
Can't deny _Burzum_ is a phenomenal project though 🤘
Little known facts the vocals for WAR with varg recording himself with a hello Kitty recorder while chasing cats off his lawn
Varg ''My dog killed an african immigrant'' Vikernes
@@fanta4897 a "project" is Tracey Island bodged from household items. Burzum is a one-man-group.
This is the most comprehensive and therefore best intro to DS I've ever seen. Even I who discovered this gem genre more than a couple of years ago and listened and researched it throught all that time have discovered and learned something new. You did an absolutely stellar job in compiling the history and presenting it with great narrative!
This was a very fun documentary and has reminded me of some of the music that was around back then, and the hard work and effort that went into making it a recognisable genre. I corresponded with Andrew of the DS blog back in 2011 via the old Dark Legions Archives run by SR Prozak. I remember Andrew as being respectful and constructive whereas most will know the users of that site as trolls and shitposters(!) I sent him some of my own music (Myrrdin). He was incredibly enthusiastic about the recordings and I give him a lot of credit in helping me find an audience back then - I imagine the work getting the movement going was a difficult and thankless task at that time.there was not much happening around that era (2005-2014), but some big names I used to have on rotation a lot were Gvasdnahr, Forgotten Pathways and Erdstall. I kind of bailed on music around 2014 so I haven't heard much/any of the big names of that era like LL - though I do remember Erang posting his very first tracks on the blackmetal UK forum and thinking they were good. DS still features heavily in my playlists for work or reading and this video gives me plenty of newer names to seek out. Thanks for putting it together and reading to the end of my own 'deepest darkest DS web lore' recollections from the lost / formative years of the Dungeon Synth movement.
I got into DS around the time Hedge Wizard's More True Than Time Thought came out, and it still feels like yesterday... hard to believe it's considered a classic by now!
Love this genre.
Great insight into this fabulous genre. Keep up the good work.
Much appreciated! One of the best things the Internet has every allowed to form.
Dude thank you sooooo much for introducing me to Grandma's Cottage!!!! I love this project now
Great, accurate, informative video. Enjoyed watching the whole way through. That said, unlike many of the newcomers from a different background of musical interests, I've never been able to properly delve all the way into official, "modern" dungeon synth from after the coinage of the term in 2011. I like early Lord Lovidicus and Erang, and some Vindkaldr. But for me, there have been some things that have... distracted from the core spirit and original vision of pre-definition, 90's, cassette distributed, analog synth dungeon music.
1. The introduction of video game music as a major influence. A handful of game OSTs are masterpieces in their own right, but games with a fantasy vibe typically have music that differs from, say, early Burzum or Mortiis, even if they overlap in terms of timbres and instrument aesthetics (harps, harpsichords, horns). The chord progressions on early dungeon synth albums feel more like they come from Summoning or Emperor than Daggerfall or King's Quest. Bringing in those looser, more instrumentally dense, less minor key song structures with much better production value tends to make the music sound more like it's intended for actually playing a video game or doing some tabletop roleplaying, and not wandering around in the woods to check out an abandoned pagan altar in the middle of the snow by yourself. At that point, you might as well just refer to it as fantasy music inspired by video games. This attracts the reddit, comic book, board game crowd, which is fine for what it is, but it's also missing that arcane, lone wolf, misanthropic feeling.
2. Just the existence of the Internet in itself is a double-edged sword; without it, I'd never be able to hear the majority of these incredible releases, but because of it, there are just too many releases at this point to keep up with. You get used to hearing the same chord progressions over and over, so you sample something on Bandcamp or TH-cam, and you have to skip ahead twenty minutes to see if there are any surprises, or something that sounds really gripping, before moving onto the next release. It's a problem of oversaturation that can make new music hunting a bit of a chore -- that is, unless you're a sucker for the same thing, over and over.
3. As hinted at above, over-production. Without the crackle and hiss of the cassette, or old analog equipment, or warbly, distorted synths that melt into each other and become indistinguishable from one another, it sounds like a robot made it, tinkering with it on the latest Macbook Pro to perfection, not understanding that with imperfection comes charm and expression.
3. All the happy synth, comfy synth, dino synth, Greek synth stuff is fun and interesting, but it should really be its own thing at this point. I think some of it is a neat idea, but the more attention it receives, the quicker we forget the days of weird nihilistic Scandinavian kids standing in the woods by themselves, or writing about trolls.
In the spirit of the classic releases, I think these above all else among newer releases deserve the highest of praise:
Foglord - New Realms and Forgotten Lands
Foglord - Winter Dreams
Foglord - Celestial
Forlorn Kingdom - Walking the Paths of Old
Forlorn Kingdom - Distant Apparitions
Hate Forest - Temple Forest
Narghaash - Durch Wälder depressiver Stille
Til Det Bergens Skyggene - Til Det Bergens Skyggene
Til Det Bergens Skyggene - Vandringen I (Skoglandskap)
Lord Wolf - Darklands of Hate
well said, I love the darker sound of older dungeon synth and now it's becoming harder to come across
I feel like losing the black metal aspects from the genre entirely has been detrimental to the music
Agreed, Don’t get me wrong, I can love new releases, but it seems the “mysterious, gloomy true dungeon” feel is being slowly eroded as black metal influence wains and the genre becomes more and more diluted with video game like tracks.
My favorite dungeon synth artists is probably Wallachian Cobwebs, who are considered vampiric dungeon synth I guess. Their album A Night Sobbed a Potion Diseased was the first DS I ever heard and I was hooked
This is the genre I’ve been painting for but never realized why
Finally, a forklift album for people like me.
I've never even played Shenmue.
This was a phenomenal video essay. Professional, academic, passionate... Re-kindled my love for a genre I kinda forgot about. I can't overstate just how well worded and carefully planned this documentary is. I'm gonna have to go through it again and write down all the individual albums mentioned so I can check every one ❤️
One micro-genre that I feel is worth mentioning is 'Pumpkin Synth' - dungeon synth themed around Halloween. The likes of Cursed Pumpkin, November Mourning, Pumpkin Witch, Fiendish Imp... definitely make it a recognizable branch of DS.
I love dungeon synth. I discovered it randomly a few years ago and really fell in love with it.
I grew up on stories of my Dad's old D&D campaigns from the 70s as well as being introduced to both Tolkien's literary works and being the perfect age to see the LOTR films in theaters as a wide eyed child. All this created a bedrock in my soul of love for this older atmosphere and style of fantasy. I discovered dungeon synth from the works of Fief a couple of years and I've become obsessed with the genre, this documentary was an amazing watch.
i'm new to these genres of synth music, and have started trying to create them myself. this video is wonderful for introducing newcomers to recommended listening. thank you
Really liked this video. Had basically everything in it that i can think of about the genre.
I love the genre since i listened to summoning and got a recommendation to the album "Fief II" from the same named artist "Fief" in 2016.
(Though i can't tell if i listened first to Hedge Wizard or Fief since i listened to both in the same week. But i think Fief was first from both since it came out in that year.)
Though what surprises me is that i thought i was just surfacing the genre, but i knew nearly everything in the video like bands, artists and history of the genre EXCEPT "Cernunos forest", "Neanderthalensis" and "The Canterbury tales". And "Erang" as well as "Stronghold Guardian" and "Summoning" were my inspirations to attempt to try to make a song of my own. (Uploadet it on youtube as "private")
I watched back then Erangs series about Dungeon Synth "Tutorials" (More an collection of advice and personal experiences though. But very inspirational to be honest) in which he also encouraged in the comment section to just test yourself out when i mentioned there that i tried doing music but have no talent for it.
Also the DungeonSynthArchives as well as Bandcamp was and is my main source to find new stuff in that genre.
I know about the DS forums and heard about the quote from 2011, but never visited them to be honest.
When i was interested in something, i researched stuff outside of the forums for some odd reason.
it's always the same with these videos I always end up with 999 youtube tabs open and too little time
AMAZING VIDEO!!! Thank you for providing me with my dungeon synth bachelors degree.
The Archive got me hooked from the beginning. Odd to think how long I've been a fan at this point. Also, mention of "Grandma's Cottage" is based.
Hey! Never would've guessed you love Dungeon Synth :) Love your videos man!
@Fathomage right on, thanks! Yea, I got into it a few years back when I found the Dungeon Synth Archive channel. Maybe 5 years or so.
@@OrthodoxReviewyooo, fancy seeing you here. So when I finally get the ambition to make an Orthodox inspired dunegon synth project I can count on a review? hahaha
@@NavelOrangeGazer absolutely!
I love how I discovered Diploticus and memery around Dungeon Synth years before I actually sat down to listen to Dungeon Synth proper.
Great video.
I fucking love esoteric internet bullshittery so much
Saw some familiar groups in here. Especially love Grandma's Cottage.
Excellent video, thanks for this!
Thanks, this makes it a lot easier to adquire this new taste, great video
I gotta say I love lamentation, and I’m glad I saw this video to give a good look on the genre as a whole
Very well done, would love to see your take on Doom Jazz/Noir Jazz sub genre -- Bohren & Der Club of Gore, The Killimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, the Dale Cooper Quartet, Angelo Badalamente etc. 😎
I met Mortis once. Nice guy. I was working at a venue in San Francisco he was playing at. This Goth girl I knew really wanted to meet him, so I arrainged it. She was really disapointed when she learned that his prosthetics were just makeup and not permanent body manipulation. The end of the last milinum sure was a fun time.
My favourite channel. Professional, informative, passionate and good taste!! Respect!
Thank you so much for doing this video. I just discovered Dungeon Synth. Then I discovered your video. Now I'm learning of Comfy and Dino Synth. Holy! I never knew this sound existed. This is why I love the internet because it holds treasures that I likely would never have learned about anywhere else. Your video is a wonderful education into this. Thank you. Peace.
Fenriz also did some stuff, like Neptune towers that crosses over with this. But also there's food synth, which is maybe almost obnoxiously silly but I love it too
The Passing of the Grey Company by Summoning was the song that introduced me to the genre, havent looked back since
Thanks a lot for this concise description of dungeon synth genre. I can't say that I'm completly new to it, but with this material it will be easier to get to know base of DS. Good recognition of those 3 paths leading to genre (blog, bandcamp, The Dungeon Synth Archives). I'm from the last one.
Thank you for this great documentation. ❤ I love the whole idea, concept, and evolution of the dungeon synth genre almost more than the music and artworks themselves
ooh neat. that master of dragons cover has a picture of elric and the black blade on it.
Nothing like playing dungeon synth while playing valhiem. It's a great experience.
This was a really good little documentary! I wish Secret Stairways had a mention, but overall this is a solid introduction.
One of my favourite albums that's a got a more Egyptian twist to Dungeon Synth is Cradle of Civilisation by Anubis, but...the project was finished and it just seems to live on my hard drive now. Getting into this genre and its spin-offs have made me so much more appreciative of archiving the older albums that were really only released on very limited tapes.
Great doc. Love that you carried it all the way through "comfy". As someone who came into the genre via a Mortiis and a lot of the Cold Meat Industry era acts it was great to see where the genre is heading. Was buying band camp albums as I watched.
I kept seeing dungeon synth recommended to me and I always wanted to figure out what was going on. so glad you made this!
Dungeon Synth and Dino Synth are easily among my favorite music genres. Even created a playlist called Dungeons and Dinosaurs on Spotify. ⚔️🦖🏰🦕
I've been listening to Dungeon Synth for longer than I realized, due to the fact I didn't know it had a name besides dark ambient or dark synth, but for logistics sake, I'd fall into the second generation of discovery. This is just my personal thoughts and musings on the matter; I think pinning down what exactly is DS, is a rather difficult task because it's still sort of drifting in an ethereal state of self-discovery. You can track it's origins and it's evolution, but I think eventually, DS will become a subgenre of a larger genre that separates itself from dark synth or dark ambience altogether into a cohesive ideal that unifies Dungeon Synth, Comfy/Cozy Synth, Dino Synth and Primal Synth. This including others like some Crypt Wave, which emulates the soundscape of older horror/creepy vibes from classic tv serials like the Twilight Zone, 50s-70s horror and Tales from the Crypt, or Barbaric Synth, which is inspired by Age of Conan or Golden Axe.
I personally call it Astral Synth (or Vision/Dream Synth) because it conjures to the mind concepts, emotions and imaginations of a realized soundscape, creating a sense of escapism, immersion and ubiety. All of these different types of Dungeon Synth and their branching subgenres are, in sticking with one of the inspirations of dungeon synth, astral projecting the user to their worlds, much like Erang's the Land of the Five Seasons. Dungeon Synth feeling like you're in a gloomy and dark dungeon or oppressive/melancholic atmosphere, Dino Synth makes you feel like you're standing amongst prehistoric giants...etc.
Just the wistful musings, but fun to think about the future nonetheless. I do hope Erang gets to hear Reggae-inspired Dungeon Synth some day, he seems keen on wanting someone to craft it.
immersing myself in the genre for a dungeon noise project, been listening to dark ambient, classical, industrial, and many ds acts
I see Dungeon Synth , I click
Hope you liked it. I tried to give the semi-established history and mixed in some of my own ideas.
@@Pseudiom I did enjoy it, thank you very much for making it!
EPIC video. Very well done, cheers. Now we need episode two!
I do not completely agree that dungeon synth has no manifesto.
I think it is genre that is very much against modernity and modernism in some ways fills the spiritual void
that is left from it and the detachment from the organic spiritual roots.
Wow, I've been playing daggerfall the past few days because of its resurgence on TH-cam, after not playing it for 5 years. Today I decide to watch a video NOT on Daggerfall but instead a music genre that's near and dear to my heart, and low and behold, it's the intro! I thought I was on the wrong video! Great game, great music, and great video!