Well, it's officially 2018 where I am, so I suppose I'll finally post my list:
(Keeping with my sadistically non-promotional treatment of the artists I work with through Path of Silence, I've excluded the albums and EPs released through the label this year, including releases that are yet to be released, since you should assume and take for granted that I adore with all of my heart the releases I assemble through the label. To those I've worked, am working, and will work with, you know what I think of your work. Endless respect, admiration, belief, love, and honorable silence to those treading their Paths. Your music speaks for itself.)
Top Dungeon Synth Releases of 2017
10.)
Pendragon - UtherSuch an immersive release, and a difficult one to place on my list. Very well-crafted atmosphere and thoughtful compositional choices. There's a hint of sadness, something dramatic behind it all that seeps out in an emotive way that makes this release quite memorable. Glad to have the pink tape.
Favorite track: Uther's Lust9.)
Chaucerian Myth - The Book of Margery KempeAnother trek through a literary world of magic. Astoundingly image-rich, but I expected no less. An excellent choice in in literature in which to craft an album. The forays into noisier textures fit just right and my attention doesn't dwindle. An album to experience. The booklet is essential, in my opinion.
Favorite track: Birth of the Virgin8.)
Neverlur - Op under Fjeldet toner en LurDoesn't mess around with anything that isn't essential in putting you right in the still and mystic cold of a place you didn't know existed. Of the multitude of projects being called old-school or traditional, few actually make the cut of that certain unspeakable feeling of 90s tapes and BM synth interludes, but Neverlur gets it without explicitly claiming influence from a bygone era. Stripped down, yet soft and careful. Speaks for itself. Beautiful EP. Rarely does Kittelsen art fly anymore, but this one gets a deserved pass since it just fits.
Favorite track: Taarnet i den dype Skogen
7.)
A Letter for Carmilla - MedievalThis is where my list got very difficult to arrange. Albums from this point are all practically taking up the same #2 spot with only small things setting them at different rungs of the list. It's hard to discuss this one. I think you just have to listen to it. There's beauty, horror, romance, melancholy, the whole dungeon package presented in a way that isn't kitschy. That dying flute sound is perfect. I have a lot of respect for this artist. If there's such a thing as 'true dungeon synth', this gets the badge, undoubtedly.
Favorite track: V
6.)
Witches Moon - Azazel BedazzleThe catchiest DS album I've heard in quite a while. Can't get enough of this one. Their other albums are good, but this is downright masterful. I return to this album quite often. Each track has its own respective feel, something I always appreciate. WM takes risks that others shy away from.
Favorite track: Six of Wands
(Seriously, how good is this track)5.)
Alder Deep - Chapter 1: The DescentThere's nothing else like this album. Dark, scary, noisy, and disorienting (almost dreadfully jazzy at times). Close your eyes and you're deep in forbidden earth. Slaps anyone who doubted 'dungeon noise' hard in the face.
Favorite track: Mouth of the Deep
4.)
Hedge Wizard - Local PortalHe went and did it again, another instant classic (and this one's only a demo). An unexpected turn from lo-fi DS to an above-ground dungeon with verses and choruses. Many people likened the vocal style to darkwave, but I felt more of a Manilla Road-esque delivery (a lot like "Necropolis", especially). Listening to the lyrics here is crucial, in my opinion. There's a self-awareness, an analogical understanding of fantasy, nostalgia, and magic in DS context. Fantasy seeping from the world around you, DS that doesn't transport you to another place to escape and forget, but alters your perspective of the world you currently inhabit. Listen to the lyrics of Kellogg Street and you'll know what I'm talking about. A real gem and a refreshing broadening of the definition of DS.
"Sidewalk SA!--"
Favorite track: Local Portal
3.)
Garvalf - The Hollow EarthI had the privilege of hearing a very early version of this album, and I'm glad this is finally out just in time to make my list. This album is pure magic. Every track takes you somewhere, to a place, a time, or just an abstracted synesthetic experience.
The tone consistently carries that bittersweet out-of-reach nostalgic essence that makes DS what it is. Just wonderful. You have to hear it.
Favorite track: Ildesyril (Daydreams)2.)
Minor Conquest - Year of the ChildIt is a
tragedy that most of you probably haven't heard this album. Only on tape, and limited, so seriously
buy it right now before you're unable. A monumental album, tragic and haunting. Really hits you hard and shows its industrial flair at the best of times. Immediately captivating.
Favorite track: Love Sickness1.)
Visions of Niften - Demo #2Not a single doubt that this is my DS album of the year. This has probably eluded most people since it's only on tape and LV hasn't posted the rip to the Voldsom BC page yet. This has everything I love about DS, from the xerox kittelsen art, to the recycled tape, the track names, the otherworldly music, the feeling this instills. A lot is accomplished here in only three tracks. If you enjoyed the previous VoN tape, I'm fairly certain you'll like this, but it might surprise you. Starkly fantastical and reclusive, experiencing naive madness, utter melancholy, and the truly expansive night-sky in the furthest most isolated woods. "Soul and Forest" is among the best DS tracks I've ever heard.
Honorable Mentions:
11.)
Synth Bard - Barovian SketchesMay not technically be DS, but I'm counting it anyway. I love this release. Lo-fi piano demos of some parts of the Ravenloft Unofficial Soundtrack. Just as transportative as DS can be, even without synthesizers. An old dusty room, windows open to the moon, candlelight and a portrait of a lost love. Really like that they've put out the sheet music with this. Piano has been the instrument of the year.
Favorite track: Sketch 212.)
Fåntratt - Tut i LurenA refreshing release that's as playful as it is thoughtful and introspective sounding. Reminds of the old BC days in ways that I can't quite place. Very honest and innocent. Good amount of tracks, too. Excitedly awaiting the arrival of the follow up release in the mail.
Favorite track: Vettskrämd i Vättarnas Våld
13.)
Hobbit - Leaving the ShireI was sold on this right away. True adventure music with a wide range of feeling and atmospheres.
Favorite track: Adventure in a Small Size14.)
Turonian - Skeletal MemoryThis album really pulls off having dinosaurs on the cover. An enormous and long release that somehow sounds how it looks. I want to say 'ancient', but its older than that. This isn't the brutish sounds of fire, stone, and primitive humanity, but a meditation on the size of time and the life the spirals through. Slow and enveloping.
15.)
Illusionment - EnsorcellmentAn understated album of loops that truly enchant and hypnotize. I have an appreciation for anything that makes the listener lose track of time or can warp one's sense of focus and perspective. Three minute tracks of reptitions and alliteration producing a hypnotizing and otherworldly effect that is transportative in a most DS fashion. I feel a loss of innocence here, a self-awareness and a feeling of difficulty. This deserves more attention, but I could see how it may not be for everyone.
Favorite Track: Enchantment----
There were a lot of great releases this year, but I'm keeping my list pared down to the 15 I've already listed. This was a tough one to put together. I look forward to what DS you'll all bring in 2018.