Review Summary: The purveyor of certain (horror) synth values and produces a steady supply of ambient with a lot of soul in it – and while Dungeon Synth Rituals is a step aside from his recognizable formula, the signature sound and approach are not to be mistaken.
Horror Soundscapes is back with another full-length that is as dark and elegant as expected – the trademark attention to details and sound is present and powerful, as usual.
This time the longplay is leaning towards medievil and dungeon synth, both stylistically and musically. The difference from more ambient previous works is highlighted by active use of keys and instrumentation, that add up a lot of structure and form.
The Old Castle and Winter Fields almost convince the listener that this release is a fully structured and rhythmical, but the deceit of the opening tracks is quickly dispersed by The Cellars – a 100% classic number by Horror Soundscapes, pure Lustmord ambient based on humming and droning.
Embers return with powerful piano chords (very few of them though) drowned in reverb and echo, still remaining very minimalistic and gloomy.
Further development of Bloody Swords is pretty much dungeon synth staple, that is unafraid to experiment with martial industrial – a short, but sweet track.
That is soon to collapse Forest Creatures, a dissociative and mellow drone, totally devoid of rhythm. Around that time I have come to an understanding of the concept behind Dungeon Synth Rituals: it’s a very traditional and familiar ambient work with bright spots of melodic pieces.
The Blind Beauty reaffirms my understanding with a beautiful acoustic guitar melody, that repeats with little variation – that further explores the methodology of choosing a bare minimum as a creative medium.
Forgotten closes the album with another ambient piece, the longest one of the release. It bring soothing comfort and serves its purpose in the best way possible.
In order to enjoy Dungeon Synth Rituals to the fullest one must not only enjoy the genre but also understand the context of Horror Soundscapes. The artist is the purveyor of certain (horror) synth values and produces a steady supply of ambient with a lot of soul in it – and while Dungeon Synth Rituals is a step aside from his recognizable formula, the signature sound and approach are not to be mistaken.
