brickhed
User

Reviews 37
Approval 96%

Soundoffs 22
Album Ratings 202
Objectivity 85%

Last Active 05-11-23 10:17 pm
Joined 05-11-23

Review Comments 930

 Lists
07.16.25 music to hunt down06.26.25 gribbe solemn dungeon synth
06.23.25 Bad Album Binge: Death Metal ♦05.24.25 666 posts n dm digzzzz
05.19.25 gibbe your worst albums04.10.25 rec some goregrind/brutal death metal a
04.09.25 brickhed's new noise/idm album??04.02.25 CD/Cassette Grab Bag
03.13.25 Brutal Prog02.20.25 Music Pet Peeves
01.23.25 A Descent Into Noise11.27.24 complex and wild albums

gribbe solemn dungeon synth

i'll give a couple examples of what i'm looking for below
1Burzum
Daudi Baldrs

examples: Móti Ragnarokum, Illa tiðandi
2Burzum
The Ways of Yore

examples: Emptiness, From Hel and Back Again
3Secret Stairways
Enchantment of the Ring

this album mixes some melancholic atmosphere very well, examples are i dunno the whole album
4Pumpkin Witch
Hovel of the Pumpkin Witch

reced by hawks

this is way too repetitive. i do like the ultra lo fi aesthetic here, but things almost feel padded out with how very little new elements are introduced in each track. you better like the main melody, you're gonna hear it for 7-8 minutes. other than the main problem it's pretty cool, but with how repetitive it is I'm not gonna return to this often.

the last track is actually pretty good, instead letting a good loop of music do most of the work. the other loops used in the other tracks are just not good enough for 8 minutes. Dawn Breaks Over the Pumpkin Patch does justify its runtime, so go listen to that track.

final score: 3.0
5Summoning
Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame

reced by RVAHC13

yeah this is pretty overly epic music. i'm usually not a big fan of this type, since it feels like it alienates me in the process. but not in this album. this is good, but not what i'm looking for. it kinda seems like dungeon synth with a black metal flair, which is nice.

the raspy black metal vocals are pretty cool and the drum machine is used well, and not in a "lets hide it in the mix" context. the synth leads are quite catchy, too. i really love how everything is mixed, with the black metal rasps not too bold in the mix, and it kinda seems like all of the elements get their time to shine.

solemn score: not sad, which makes me sad
final score: 3.0 (may revisit, though)
6Drowning the Light
The Longing

reced by RVAHC13

(2nd listen rewrite)

The main image i associate with this album is a dark wizard exiled from the local kingdom. Being secluded in the woods, the extreme isolation has damaged his mental state. In turn, he's become depressed. His shack is sparce, but does good enough to cope in the state he's in.

With storytime out of the way, this music is very depressive. I may have even produced some tears listening to Drowning the Light and Howling Forests of Desolation. Maybe I was close on Tortured Overture. It is a bit hit or miss, but when it hits, it hits very hard. Azgorh's black metal rasps are actually kind of scary paired with the depressive nature of this record. The drumming is pretty top notch most of the time, with some of the fills leaving me that it was more than just that.
If the music can move me that much emotionally, then brownie points must be given.

solemn score: borderline suffocating. when it clicks, at least.
final score: 3.5
7Burzum
Burzum

reced by RVAHC13
song: Channelling the Power of Souls Into a New God

damn we really have Varg pioneering this niche subgenre of music. this came out in 1992, which was the genre's absolute infancy. this feels equal parts evil and melancholic, which fits the action of channeling the power of souls into a new god. tracks like this let your imagination run wild, and i love it. it has a light aura of cheese around the synth tone, but that by no means holds it back. god damn, this might be one of my favorite dungeon synth tracks of all time.

go listen to it now, this is top tier dungeon synth. if there's a ds album out there with this level of songwriting i need to get my hands on it. seriously, how does Burzum both knock my socks off with this style of music and also make some bafflingly bad shit? it's insane.

solumn score: evilness incarnate, off the carts.
final score: 5.0
8Old Nick
Crisp Winter Dawn of my Night Moon

reced by hawks

wow. this is sure a record. this ep prefects fun music in a way that i haven't heard. even the cover art alone should give a good indication of the wack in this album. for one, the drumming excellent, even if it is super over compressed on purpose. the dungeon synth is only a foundation for the goofy, off the wall sound. is this what i'm looking for? not in the slightest. am i all for it? hell yeah, count me in. Old Nick knows how to make a depressive genre such as black metal super fun.

solemn score: so fun i don't care.
final score: 4.0
9Shadowland (RUS)
A

reced by budgie

this is decent dungeon synth, nothing spectacular. some of the songwriting is nice, but it does little to keep my attention. the black metal riffs do blend seamlessly with the dungeon synth. I'm just not feeling it most of the time. the whispers on the first track do suck. the drum machine serves its purpose, and is barely there when it's doing its job. the last track is pretty cool, but thats it.

solemn score: pretty nice, not too suffocating though.
final score: 2.5
10Castlesiege
The Council of Trees

reced by ToSmokMuzyki

if i wanted to play old school runescape i would. yes i have an account i barely play on anymore, its clumps23.

its generic dungeon synth, for the better or worse. at times the songwriting is interesting, but it has to be somewhat top notch to get me invested in the 'stereotypical dungeon synth' sound. the nature samples are pretty interesting, but when it comes to this type of music simplicity is key. its why i tend to stick to old school dungeon synth. the semi lo fi aesthetic and simple nature is kind of lost on some of these revival acts. most of the time it's okay.

solemn score: it's there a little.
final score: 2.5
11Skarpseian
Fragmenter Av Trolldom

reced by ScuroFantasma

now we're talking. this takes the foundations of old school ds (semi low fi production and cheap synths) and creates an intimidating and sad atmosphere. it gets downright depressive at times with Sorg I Stein. this feels like you're finding out the lore of an entire castle and village in ruins. exploring areas once vastly populated, but now nothing persists, and hasn't since it went down decades ago. Dungeon synth that really helps you fill in the blanks with your imagination, which is where the best stuff in the genre is.

solemn score: sad and at times depressing. great stuff
final score: 4.5
12Fortress of Mystery
La Rose de Fer

reced by ScuroFantasma

now this is a dud. i get it. you want to use cheap synth presets to the fullest. that's what Burzum did on Daudi Balders, right? But it seems like Fortress of Mystery took the worst aspects of it (the awful cheesy presets) and ramps it up tenfold. and its for the entire album. if i wanted an atmosphere that would drive me insane, this would be great. all of the presets clash together like slamming a square block in a circle hole.

yeah this kinda sucked. on paper its interesting, but in execution it really feels like they're brute forcing it, hoping something works. hearing the vocal presets suddenly cut out ruins any and all potential at an atmosphere when they do appear. i'll give it another chance later but right now its not really clicking.
final score: 2.0
13Aindulmedir
The Lunar Lexicon

reced by bach

very minimalist 'winter synth' as they call it. it mostly gives off a forest vibe, but i do get some winter vibes with some of the wind samples. it's quite repetitive but that's not a problem most of the time. it doesn't overstay its welcome with its 35-minute runtime. a highlight is Snow Above Blue Fire. everything is paced so perfectly that i'm surprised its only 3 and a half minutes. will need a re-listen but as it is i'm diggin it.

solemn score: dreary and lonely. good nuff.
final score: 3.5
14Vindkaldr
Enchantments Of Old Lore

reced by bach

this feels very much inspired by 3. but it does feel a lot more ambient in how subtle the melodies are. but thats not to say the melodies are bad when they appear, they're pretty great. a lot of the time it's moreso dishing out sound textures, which is fine but can feel a tad played out when the album is over. the melodies feel like a special treat to reward the listener, which is nice.

when i first looked at the 1 hour and 24 minute runtime, i thought it would waste my time. but it utilized the time pretty well, but i still feel it could be trimmed down in certain places. the last track is where it could be trimmed down the most. the vibe ranges from mysterious and melancholic to somewhat depressing in one track. its a different take on most DS, which i like. pretty cool, i dig.

solemn score: mysterious indeed.
final score: 4.0
15Wongraven
Fjelltronen

reced by mystagogus

really not feeling this one. the vocals overpower the synths a lot in a say that feels offputting, and it kind of feels like the dungeon synth was put off to the side. the fourth track does a decent job at actually doing DS, but as for the rest it kind of doesn't fit. its all right.

solemn score: its there
final score: 2.5
16Lunar Womb
The Sleeping Green

reced by mystagogus

this type of dungeon synth does not do it for me. it feels overly epic to where i feel alienated, and i don't find the loops to be interesting enough to be invested. i've found that i like minimalistic DS best, and this is not it. there's a lot of stuff being thrown around that doesn't fully work in the beginning. also this is nowhere near the vibes i was looking for.

this feels like DS that fills in the blanks for you, complete with nature samples to make sure your mind is exactly where the artists wants it. kinda spoils the fun for me, but its a personal preference. i can see others really liking this, but not me.

solemn score: null. was the prompt read? probably not.
final score: 2.5
17Ornatorpet
Bergtagen

reced by garas

not really finding the vibe. the typical mediveal vibe from a lot of ds is not really what i'm craving all that much. but its still a pretty good release.

solemn score: null
final score: 3.0
18Path of Giants
Melted Ice on the Coast of Destiny

reced by ToSmokMuzyki

nice, more depressive dunegon synth. this rivals Drowning the Light (though is still outclassed) in just how bleak the atmosphere is. judging from the themes i though i wouldn't be able to take this seriously, but nah. it manages to be just minimalist enough to paint a powerful sense of despair and helplessness. theres also a very strong winter synth vibe here, which i like. cool stuff.

solemn score: borderline suffocating.
final score: 4.0
19Darken Wood
I

reced by Pho3nix

(2end listen rewrite)

this album has good ideas, but most of them don't really stick with me. the melodies are okay most of the time, with the last 2 tracks actually getting my real interest. that being said, those are very good DS tracks. Friends in Unexpected Times has a nice melody in the back that serves as the backbone, with An Unexpected Path being great all around. it has an oppressive atmosphere paired with a more melancholic and uplifting one, trading off of each other. its a real nice track that makes me wish the rest of the album was the same.

solemn score: when it works, its very nice. but its rare.
final score: 2.5
20Skeld
The Ghosts of Ancient Kings

reced by Pho3nix

this feels like a soundtrack to a tyrannical kingdom, like something out of Ultima 5. Its dark and brooding, and when it is sad it's with oppressive undertones. Simulacrum sounds downright evil and sinister, like some type of dank dungeon. A Light in the Ruins does a good job at sending the album off. it's a very interesting listen in how it mixes an oppressive atmosphere in different ways.

solemn score: a good mix of different types of sad atmospheres. nice.
final score: 3.5
21Quest Master
The Twelve Temples

reced by bach

saving this for last, per recommendation

this being the last album was really the best thing. god damn, on first listen this is a perfect album. there is nothing i could wish that could be more. everything about it is perfect. let me go one step at a time.
first off: the theming. it puts just enough dressing to give you a vague plot, but lets you fill in the blanks. this is mainly due to the music. its just minimalistic enough, but not too much. this was the first album here that i didn't need to close my eyes and really use my head, the imagination aspect came very naturally.

the songwriting is top notch, rivaling the Burzum track from 7. the best aspect is that it really makes you feel like you're on a grand adventure like no other. there will be ups, downs, death, and loss. but also triumph, in rare doses. but even the closer gives a melancholic feel, making you wonder if the quest was all that it seemed.
22Quest Master
The Twelve Temples

In a lot of dunegon synth, it oversells mystical whimsy to the point where i can't take it seriously, like some type of cartoon. this album really makes sure to give a real weight and balance to all of the moods that the album has. there is some whimsy, but that's before you see the reality of your quest. on the second track it really makes you feel like you're in for it.

anyway, might be the best dunegon synth album i've heard.

solemn score: very, very well balanced with similar moods.
final score: 5.0
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