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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Oct 26, 2020 9:21:26 GMT -5
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Oct 27, 2020 17:30:04 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 4: DAVID THIÉRRÉE!
www.davidthierree.com/
David Thiérrée is such a perfect match for dungeon synth that it’s almost unreal. He has everything: the character, the art, the mentality. His paintings and sketches feel like they descended upon the Earth to suit the tastes of dungeon synth fans. Trolls, mysterious owls, wizards and bleak landscapes congregate within his frames. A bit strange, slightly autistic, feeling that he doesn’t really fit the world around him and if that’s true, there must be other realities into which he might escape… And the best one is the closest: the kingdom of his mind. DSZ: The next part of owl questions is much more complicated. Your animals, especially owls, bear strong anthropomorphic resemblance. It makes me think of Louis Wain, a British artist of French descent who painted cats. He started with simple cats, then anthropomorphized them, and after being sent to lunatic asylum, they were becoming more and more abstract, until unrecognizable as cats. Do you think you will take a similar turn when it comes to becoming more and more abstract as years go by? [Note: Louis Wain is known to alternative music thanks to Current 93's album covers] David Thiérrée: Ah I know well about Louis Wain. I don’t think it will be something that I‘ll have to endure, or be unconscious of, like Wain. I still have my head on my shoulders, but I think my head is more and more filled with shapes and colours that sometimes sprout out in my work. They’ll probably be more present and “free” than before, but I have a long way to go before that point. I have to change some paradigms. That’s the “voluntary” part, which puts me away from Wain’s madness. But hey, who knows, maybe opening too much my head might lead me to become paranoïd, eat my own shit and cut my own ear? Who knows? Being a “tortured mind” seems to be better for business, I think I might study my image more, and let people think I’m much deeper than I am.
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Oct 29, 2020 12:01:42 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 5: PAFUND TOUR! pafund.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/PafundOfficial/
Project: Pafund Time: Summer 2020 Place: Kingdom of Denmark Mission: Spreading dungeon synth over seven medieval sites and reporting back to the headquarters. (...) Denmark is an old kingdom, the oldest in Europe. Memories of this are scattered around our tiny country, from burial mounds to medieval towers. But what is more dungeony than ruins of ancient kingdoms where battles of old were fought? Thus the concept was born. I was granted the money for the tour a little over a week before the first show. The first thing I did was to get in contact with Gondolin Records (Danny) to see if I could get a hold of Henbane, to see if he would like to play along on the tour. I had seen him play an absolutely amazing show a couple of years back opening for Old Tower, which made him an obvious candidate to invite to the tour. Henbane loved the concept and agreed to play on two of the shows closest to where he lived. I had never played keyboard in front of an audience before, but I rented an old beat-up post van, borrowed a mobile PA speaker and embarked on this adventure.
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Oct 30, 2020 8:20:11 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 6: GOBLIN SYNTH ARTICLE! GOBLIN SYNTH
Drunkards, Businessgoblins and Goofballs
by Lord of Time (Arcana Liturgia)
Goblins are little, scabby, obnoxious and mean. How come then, that they appeal so much to humongous, velvet-skinned, beautiful and virtuous dungeon synth musicians? It’s a mystery that I can’t resolve. Does goblin synth really exist anyway? This I do not know, and if I knew, I’d write this article myself. But since my knowledge is limited, this task was left to professionals. To me, all those projects sound different, and indeed the motif of goblins is the only thing keeping all this stuff together. But then again, couldn’t goblins themselves be complicated creatures of many facets? More than we realize, since we tend to focus too much on their ugly faces? Maybe some of them are drunkards, and some of them businessgoblins, and others are goofballs, just like us. Lord of Time from Arcana Liturgia will shed some light on that... TOADLICKERS
Lord of Time: Your debut album “Hangover songs” is getting a good success and will be released on cassette. Are you satisfied with the result? How was this album born? Toadlickers: “Hangover songs” were born in the middle of an evening in a tavern between alcohol, dice and the stench of sweat. Some of us thought that our bad music had to come out of the taverns, so we took some microphones, a tape recorder and started playing. “Hangover songs” are the result. After a short time, a record label (Knekelput recordings) arrived and offered us to print the record. We said we wanted the money and the fame. He replied that he didn't have the money to give us but we accepted anyway. Buuurp! Now we're also on Instagram, we're famous in Goblin City, and goblin girls love us. We have little money, we keep drinking and playing dice. Thanks Knekelput! Yes, we are happy. Knekelput recordings Arcana Liturgia Andrea Bartuz Isutra Picture by Bard Algol
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Nov 3, 2020 13:14:24 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 7: GARGOYLIUM!
Gazing Upon the Horizon From The Towers and the Walls
gargoylium.bandcamp.com
Imagine that the world is a jigsaw. Now we’re colouring the continents. Let’s say that Europe is green, North America is blue, Australia and Oceania yellow, etc. Every continent has some idiosyncrasies when it comes to their dungeon synth. Europe is traditional, epic and monumental. North America is bold in experiments, even when they come to the final frontier of listenability. As for Australia and Oceania, sorry, I can’t say yet, but for now, it’s not that important. Now let’s say that the most experimental projects are the bluest puzzles, and the most traditional projects are the greenest puzzles. Of course, we would find some green puzzles in North America, and some blue puzzles in Europe, too, but the general rule of thumb is that there is a tendency to either side. In this case, Gargoylium would be very, very green, a tribute to the medieval past of the Old World. And Stuurm’s music is much better than my metaphors. DSZ: Finally, let’s say that your new job is organizing a bus tour around France that is strictly connected to the dungeon synth atmosphere. Which places would you choose? Stuurm Von Winterdämmerung: I don't really know, there are too many inspiring places right there in Burgundy, some of them are well known and others are, as dungeon synth, very underground and actually forgotten by most people. Only by driving on the roads, you will see castles on the hills, ruined or not, medieval churches and abbeys. Old stones are pretty much everywhere. Depending on the seasons, the weather and the moment of the day, many places can suddenly turn to magical atmospheres if you take the time to discover and experience them. Apart from that, I think that many people would be interested in Brittany, as it has a prolific mythological folklore, the ocean and wondrous wild landscapes, as well as many castles. Occitania in the South of the country can be a good place too, there are plenty of incredible Cathar castles. There are also famous medieval cities, among them Carcassonne and Aurillac. The fans of a more Gothic Atmosphere would probably love Rouen and its Cathedral… But, yes, after all, the places I know the best are still around my home...
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Post by crystallogic13 on Nov 3, 2020 14:33:27 GMT -5
Hey dungeonsynthzine, saw you are preparing a Depressive Silence interview, I hope you treat us some teaser in due time In other news, and my monthly plea for a digital release I'd say that now with Black Friday's postages, Christmas gifts postages and Covid's effect on postages,there was never a greater time to release some of the backlog for digital or maybe not, but still, get as a teaser at least for the Depressive Silence's interview and their future plans! Regards
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Nov 3, 2020 18:19:17 GMT -5
Hey dungeonsynthzine, saw you are preparing a Depressive Silence interview, I hope you treat us some teaser in due time In other news, and my monthly plea for a digital release I'd say that now with Black Friday's postages, Christmas gifts postages and Covid's effect on postages,there was never a greater time to release some of the backlog for digital or maybe not, but still, get as a teaser at least for the Depressive Silence's interview and their future plans! Regards I trust my guts about this, and they say that digitalizing would kill the spirit of the underground x and what would be dungeon synth without mystery? It would eventually get to the wrong people, kill the essence. I’m not talking about you, obviously, but DSZ being just two clicks away, like instant soup... Instant gratification, here and now... The strongest trees grow slowly, the slowest rivers are the biggest, as long as there’s a steady flow. I’m not ready for digital now.
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Nov 5, 2020 18:38:57 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 8: THE WORM! 2+2 WILL EQUAL ‘WORM’! the-worm.bandcamp.com/
Who made that meme about dungeon synth being an iceberg, which goes deeper and deeper, with names of projects attached, and THE WORM was on the very bottom? I don’t know, but whoever it was, THE WORM should thank him, because that’s how I entered The Church ov THE WORM and asked for the audience with THE WORM. Of course, it was not granted to me, BUT… I managed to speak to Jhed’Khuzuk Wormvomitt the Sixth, the spokesworm of THE WORM who wriggles and squirms. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA… THEY HAVE RISEN! DSZ: Why do you like to stick out of apples? Isn’t it rather silly? Jhed’Khuzuk Wormvomitt the Sixth: Think of the sheer disgust that befalls a human upon seeing us within their precious fruit. That is why we like to stick out of apples. DSZ: Charles Darwin spent 39 years studying earthworms. Is it possible to comprehend THE WORM’S mind? Jhed’Khuzuk Wormvomitt the Sixth: We admire Darwin’s efforts and interest in wormfolk but, regrettably, none can be allowed to uncover the full secrets ov Wormlore, as he very nearly did. Most humans believe that Charles Darwin died of heart disease. They are wrigglingly wrong! The truth is far… Wormier. For a human to comprehend the abhorrent ponderings ov THE WORM, they would first have to spend 60 days and 60 nights enveloped in mud and decay, consuming only that which layeth in front ov their gluttonous maw and squirming aimlessly ‘twixt rotting corpses and other filth-borne creatures. Fortunately, this scenario will soon be mandatory for you regardless.
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Nov 10, 2020 10:57:49 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 9: TOADLICKERS! We are Toadlickers and we play Goblin Synth n’ Roll! toadlickers.bandcamp.com/
It’s fascinating! At first I thought - as probably most people would - that Toadlickers is just another gimmicky dungeon synth project, just with good music (gimmicks and good music rarely go hand in hand, although it’s not impossible). And even if the interview below is pure entertainment, there is this little spark of pride at some point when our goblins share their musical influences, almost as if offended by my pseudo-accusation of simplicity. And you know what? It makes sense. It’s actually enlightening that such relatively simple - but not primitive - music might be so well-thought and catchy. And I’ll be damned, but the melody of “Now I wanna lick some toads” is as catchy as Fief’s “Deep Forest Dance”. Let goblins speak for themselves! DSZ: Alright dear Goblins, we can... No no no, please leave those bottles alone, those are mine... So where did we... NO, cigarettes are not for guests, and you would smoke the whole pack at once, seeing how many there are. Dammit, who's the spokesgoblin here? Alright, I'll talk to the ugliest of you, I guess he's the leader. Why do you lick toads? TOADLICKERS: Alright man… I will speak for all these drunkard goblins. You ask why we lick toads? Well… Have you ever tried? It's one of the most lisergic experiences you can find! When we are too drunk and most of us are under the table, we usually ask the bartender for some toads. All together we lick these toads...And we sing, laugh, cry… And sometimes we fight… But always in the name of pure fun! Man, you need to do this, trust me! We are goblins... but not at all ignorant... Sometimes... You must know that the skin of some species of toads (the genre Bufo for example) secretes a substance called Bufotenine. This substance is hallucinogenic. That's the reason why we like to lick toads! And now you know! Please let me drink something... My throat is dry...
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Nov 16, 2020 8:00:21 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 10: DISCIPLE OF DAGON! "Paying homage to my father" discipleofdagon.bandcamp.com
Lovecraft-inspired dungeon synth. Fair enough. Until the middle of the interview I was thinking that I was doing something wrong, since Mubu was answering questions in an unmistakably concise manner, as if he had already known them and spent the night thinking about them, and the result was surprisingly smooth. A longer excitement came with the questions about his Cryptic Explorers game that’s soon going to hit the shelves. Almost as if a secret lever was pulled, Mubu rambled on the details of the campaign, the art, the labyrinthine paths awaiting anyone who’s daring enough to cross the path of game making. No bullshit, no cliches. I like it. DSZ: It's not a secret that you're also the co-owner of Tempest Tome. And you told me recently that Disciple of Dagon is a very personal project related to your ancestry. I think that's a good starting point. So what does ‘personal’ mean in this case? Mubu: I'm Lebanese, so if you trace Lebanese lineage back, they are from the Phoenicians, and the Phoenicians descended in a large way from the ancient Canaanites of which Ugarit was their central city at one time. So very personal to me and at least being related to my ancestry, something I've always been interested in, especially growing up in the States. So culturally, I'm American, not particularly Lebanese. It was part of my digging into the history of where the Lebanese people came from. So I felt I had some connection to their roots. Beyond that, the Lovecraftian element is also a personal heritage, my father's very big into Lovecraft, and influenced him a lot, and he became an Egyptologist in no small way, I'm sure, due to Lovecraft's influence. So it's paying homage to my father for bestowing this writer's works upon me at the young age.
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Nov 30, 2020 7:57:28 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 11: ARCANA LITURGIA! "When I play on stage, I’m the music itself" arcanaliturgia.bandcamp.com
It’s a long road that you need to take to find appreciation at the very end. Andrea took this road and after a long break might finally bask in the sun of recognition. Arcana Liturgia and Moon09 are released beautifully by Skaventhrone and Knekelput Recordings. Speaking to Italians has always been fun for me: they usually express their thoughts in simple terms, with no unnecessary complexity, straight to the point, and Andrea is no different in this respect. We found numerous topics to discuss: his nerdiness, Alien saga, his city of Parma, cult of tapes, his numerous bands… Let’s dive right in and see what he had to say. DSZ: So we’ve already discussed Arcana and you bands, but there’s one more dungeon synth-side project, Moon09. What is it all about? Andrea: Moon09 is my side project and it’s a little different from Arcana Liturgia. The important thing behind this project is that it was born from the fact that I realized that dungeon synth is not the same music as in the late 90’s. Dungeon synth is, for me, old-school dungeon synth, like some call it today. It was always dark, obscure and related to black metal. But today it’s not the same, today we have a lot of projects with concepts from video games, movies, dinosaurs, everything. Moon09 was born to see if I’m OK with this new sort of dungeon synth. My question was: “Am I too old for this or not?”. I took my keyboard and computer and I thought: OK, I need to do something related to myself. What am I? I’m a nerd! I watched the Alien movie saga and started to compose the album “Transmission 1007”. It’s a good result, I’m very happy with this album. It was a very good thing for me, because today dungeon synth music is not the same as many years ago. And it’s good, because today we have a very large amount of projects with different concepts. A lot of people can find their own music, make their own choice.
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Dec 2, 2020 8:24:43 GMT -5
Heralding DSZ #4, pt. 12: USDS: EAST VS WEST COAST (AND WHY THE EAST COAST IS BETTER)! By Naginah from Sombre Arcane
The initiator of this article is Lord Cervos from Fvrfvr. Without him, I wouldn’t even know that there is any border, less or more visible, in the US when it comes to dungeon synth. And when I asked this question online, Americans were surprisingly enthusiastic and locally patriotic. Musicians turned out to be very proud of their micro dungeon scenes, and of course everyone thought that their scene was the best. Touching, isn’t it? Of course, as I had no idea what they were talking about, being from the other side of the world, the decision was made to leave this topic to the experts. Thank you, Naginah! === East Coast vs West Coast style: This is a topic that has come up in many music genres throughout the years, be it hardcore, punk, rap, metal, or even jazz. In this article I will explore the idea of a difference in sound between coastal Dungeon Synth artists in the United States. Firstly, I think there is some prerequisite information to review in order to frame this investigation properly. Discussions of the East vs West sonic differences in music have typically occurred during the eighties and early nineties. This was a time where you couldn’t take your phone out of your pocket, hop on the streaming platform of your choice, and listen to music from all around the globe. When it came to music discovery, you had a few options: You had local bands, the radio, physical record stores, touring acts, MTV, print zines, and tape trades. Every single crumb of information regarding non-radio music was hard fought for and well earned. A good deal of people reading this article might not be able to fully appreciate the extent to which this was true. Understanding this basic difference in reality is critical in understanding the history of regional sound as it relates to modern music. (The map will also be included in DSZ #4 article)
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Dec 5, 2020 16:30:33 GMT -5
HERALDING DSZ #4, pt. 13: THE HERO AND THE DRAGON - SHORT STORY!- Such an embarrassment - said the dragon, sitting heavily on the treasure heap with a sad face - normally, it never happens to me - it risked looking at the hero to check if he believed it. - I believe you - confirmed the hero hastily - Is it a permanent issue? - You don't even know how difficult it is to be a dragon - it shook its head. - I can't deny. - Do you know where the fire in dragons comes from? Phlogiston. - And what's that? - Some flammable substance. We breathe it, ignite it in the throat, and then it somehow works. Honestly, I was never sure how. - Oh - the hero nodded. He felt he was losing initiative - I'm sorry it isn't working - he added unconvincingly. - Well yes, it isn't - the dragon sighed - Because it cannot work if it's not yet produced. And to produce it, I must experience indigestion. You get that? I must first eat something that harms me, have a horrible indigestion, and only then will I be able to kill you - it said, pulling out a pack of Marlboro Light out of the blue - Entire life of eating those atrocities, because no one understands the sign saying "Stay Away!". - Smoking kills, you know? - said the hero impulsively. - Oh yes, I know it best - the dragon confirmed and held out a pack - Come on, smoke one too. Maybe in five minutes time I will amass some phlogiston and burn you. - Look, I have a better idea how to solve your problem. - Give me a break. You're just trying to save your life. - No, really. Listen to this.
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Dec 6, 2020 12:41:42 GMT -5
They say that the most powerful monsters always come last... HERALDING DSZ #4, PT. 14: DEPRESSIVE SILENCE!
Ancient Spirit Has Seized Upon Us a-spell-enraged.bandcamp.comIf that was an interview in DSZ #1, I’d be nervous. I’d think it’s too short, too succinct, that maybe RAL didn’t like the questions. Today I know that it doesn’t have to be the case at all. This is what interviews in the 90’s often looked like, and no one expected long rants from black metal musicians. For some readers, younger than RAL, or even me, it is the first zine ever, and they’ve had no chance yet to read such a concise conversation, but in fact, many musicians are even more brief (Revenge, for example, used to answer with one sentence at best, if not with one word). This is why the questioning below feels like a blast from the past. RAL is a man who was there, a man who made dungeon synth what it is today together with just a handful of people. And taking into consideration the scarcity of Depressive Silence interviews, the one you’re going to read is a treasure in itself, just because it’s Depressive Silence. Let the ancient spirit seize you and drag you to the dungeons where you belong. DSZ: What has been your most bizarre life experience? RAL: Life itself seems quite bizarre enough. Quite bizarre was when walking through the graveyard of Oslo somewhen in the mid 90’s and not finding Euronymous‘ resting place – later learned he was buried in Ski, hahaha…
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Post by dungeonsynthzine on Dec 9, 2020 18:41:59 GMT -5
January 1, 2021.
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