01. Taur Nu Fuin - The Mountain Path
02. Undiscovered Moons of Saturn - Drowning in Magellanic Clouds
03. De Occulta Philosophia - Seventh Poseidon's Siren
04. Septic Flesh - Mythos (Part1 Elegy, Part2 Time Unbounded)
05. Капiшча - Калі ўвахожу я ў лес
06. Enid - Satan and Candida
07. Lord Lovidicus - Flying Past Extrasolar Wonders
DStapeB2 (free from genre constraints, at least related to dungeon synth in spirit):
01. Pogo - Tunnels (Howl's Moving Castle Remix)
DStapeB2 (free from genre constraints, at least related to dungeon synth in spirit):
01. Pogo - Tunnels (Howl's Moving Castle Remix)
02. Amber Asylum - Riviera
03. Utred - Armorial Beast
04. Ultima IV - Intro
05. Arcana - Like Statues in the Garden of Dreaming
06. Midnight Odyssey - As Dark and Ominous as Stormclouds
07. Ice Ages - Eternal Sleep
08. Shadowgate - Entryway
09. Dimmu Borgir - For All Tid
10. Gail Laughton - Lemuria 16,000 B.C.
Finally I've got some time to listen them.
ReplyDeleteIt's remarkable how the first tape shows the wide scope of the dungeon synth genre.
Thanks for the mixtapes!
Hi, great blog! Just a short question: does anyone know what kind of synth Mortiis used in the recording of his side project "Cintecele Diavolui"? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIts a long time since you write something new. Will you continue with this blog? I miss it very much!
ReplyDeletegtfo you nazi cunt
ReplyDeleteI'm not a nazi. I'm not even a conservative. What did I post that offended you?
Deletelol I didn't mean to write that as a reply to the OP, I replied to that idiot Baldur who wrote a comment above. He has the Sonnenrad as a pfp... Nazis have no place in this space!
DeleteAh, I see, my mistake. Unfortunately I think dungeon synth will always have a strain of this tormented thought, considering Varg was a major progenitor, but I think it could be a lot worse as far as the current scene goes. Most people seem to prefer ignoring politics and keeping DS detached from the real world and its mundane stressors. But I agree, overt nazi stuff should be challenged where possible. "Separating art and artist" made a lot more sense in 2014, not so much nowadays...
DeleteIt's cool hahahah it was my bad actually. I should have replied right under his/her comment instead of writing a new one. I believe in "Art and artist separation", but only if their beliefs are not represented in their works in any way. For example I 'd never listen to nsbm or support such a band in any way, but I 'll gladly listen to Burzum any day.
DeleteI have thought a fair bit about this, but it still seems very complex to me. There's so much I could say, but I'll try to keep it brief. I think Varg's beliefs actually are represented in his work, not directly in the lyrics necessarily, but certainly in the themes and the broad awareness of the ideology that motivated his art. But I'll also say that I do still think Burzum is worth listening to and even appreciating, but just that it's something more to be grappled with rather than treating as some sort of pure detached aesthetic experience. It often presents a very beautiful vision, and that comes with a self-satisfying ideological narrative that will be tempting for vulnerable individuals who are unprepared to challenge the full ramifications of those beliefs with reason and compassion. But I think for those who are prepared it's quite valuable to grapple with this stuff and recognize that these hateful ideologies can be inspired by enticing beautiful visions, and that makes artists like Burzum a lot more dangerous than the stereotypical NSBM thugs who just present dumb ugly imitations.
DeleteYou 're not wrong on this one. Varg's work presents beautiful/aesthetic visions and it creates a certain euphoric atmosphere in some of his albums. This, though, doesn't mean that those sceneries should belong to everyone (according to his beliefs). For example a seemingly innocent Varg's song about nature could actually refer to the supremacy of the "Norwegian" nature over the other countries along with some elements of racism in it which he 's really good at hiding. And the problem is that the most listeners don't get those hints and they 're sort of being brainwashed. That's my approach towards Varg 's work. But I have to admit I still listen to him to this day. His music is out of this world.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tricky thing. I still listen to his music too and think of it as some of the best black metal, but I'm also sympathetic to the leftists who try to limit its exposure as much as possible. I'm not sure if that's necessarily the right way to go about it, but none of the possible alternative approaches I can think of seem much better. All that I know is that I disagree with the idea that anyone can entirely separate art from artist in their listening, and that by thinking that they can they make themselves vulnerable. So I would say one should either engage with it only with their defenses up or avoid it entirely (a respectable position, as long as they don't dismiss is as brutish thug music devoid of beauty, they weaken their position by doing so). I think music like that should be thought of like drugs; there are certain drugs some people should never touch, there are some people who should never do any drugs, and there are some people who can dabble in many different drugs without abusing them, becoming addicted, or losing their minds. I think Burzum is a gateway drug to far-right extremism, and there's no stopping people from taking it, but I think limiting its exposure and only presenting it with the annoyingly-frequent but necessary warnings and statements of opposition is the best way to ensure that people consume Burzum responsibly.
DeleteLoved the drug comparison. It's a pretty accurate one, actually. I actually agree with your pov. Burzum's music is to be listened with our defenses up. However I believe that people shouldn't limit themselves when it comes to music unless it's straightforward messed up shit. I mean DS specifically doesn't have any lyrics most of the time. When a thoughtful individual with proper education, beliefs, etc. listens to such music they should be able to be safe from the "brainwashing" element of the music, if any.
ReplyDeleteI agree, generally there shouldn't be much of a concern about limiting oneself in what kinds of music to explore (apart from just keeping one's mood in check, not making oneself miserable by always listening to depressing music for example). In the case of dungeon synth, most of the time yeah there's little one can know or decipher about an artist beyond assumptions and speculation (though I think that is still part of the experience), and it is almost never directly political, so there is little risk for any sort of ideological persuasion. If nothing were known about Varg then Burzum would be a lot less dangerous imo, but everyone who listens know about him.
DeleteHahah yeah, Varg's a special occasion. He's a musical genius imo and he's inspired many bands in both the DS and the BM space. It's extremely rare to come across a band which hasn 't been influenced by him, so in one way of another everyone pretty much know him and his controversial attitude.
DeleteI don't have anything else to add, but just want to say that this was a very interesting spontaneous conversation. Thank you.
DeleteSame here. Also, the pleasure 's all mine! Thanks a lot for the conversation.
ReplyDelete