Dungeon synth is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the early '90s, but it didn't have a name until recently. Its most famous practitioner is Burzum, who worked depressive synth lines into his coarse black metal before making entire dungeon synth albums from prison, where the only musical equipment he was allowed was electronic. (In 1994, he was found guilty of murdering another musician, Øystein Aarseth, and burning down three churches.) The music invokes medieval and fantastical themes and typically has chintzy horns, strings and synth choirs. The mood can vary from funereal to wondrous—one of the best dungeon synth acts from the '90s, Depressive Silence, made disarmingly pretty music—but it's usually dark and desolate. Northern Electronics dips its toes into the genre with the first release from Abdulla Rashim under his real name, Anthony Linell, with predictably dark, stone-faced results.
The move into dungeon synth is a clever one for Northern Electronics, a label that has long used black metal aesthetics to underline its bleak style of techno and ambient. Linell's take on the style sheds the medieval pageantry of well-known acts like Wongraven in favour of bold synth lines, melancholy melodies and icy atmospheres. Rudimentary effects—like the reverb on "Melt To One"—help make the music feel cavernous and empty, while small variations in tempo or arrangement, such as the tentative rhythms of "The Earth Rises Again" or the decorous synth strings of "End Of Reign," keep it from getting monotonous.
Consolidate is a revealing look into the aesthetics and inspirations of one of modern techno's most distinctive crews, and, for techno fans, an introduction to the strange and sometimes silly world of dungeon synth. The album doesn't reach dungeon synth's most melodramatic heights, but it's pleasingly grim and ominous, fitting right in alongside recent releases from Ulwhednar, Acronym and Isorinne. Connecting the metal world to Northern Electronics and vice versa, Consolidate expands the remit of a label that was already about all things dark and electronic, without drifting too far from what made it great in the first place.
The move into dungeon synth is a clever one for Northern Electronics, a label that has long used black metal aesthetics to underline its bleak style of techno and ambient. Linell's take on the style sheds the medieval pageantry of well-known acts like Wongraven in favour of bold synth lines, melancholy melodies and icy atmospheres. Rudimentary effects—like the reverb on "Melt To One"—help make the music feel cavernous and empty, while small variations in tempo or arrangement, such as the tentative rhythms of "The Earth Rises Again" or the decorous synth strings of "End Of Reign," keep it from getting monotonous.
Consolidate is a revealing look into the aesthetics and inspirations of one of modern techno's most distinctive crews, and, for techno fans, an introduction to the strange and sometimes silly world of dungeon synth. The album doesn't reach dungeon synth's most melodramatic heights, but it's pleasingly grim and ominous, fitting right in alongside recent releases from Ulwhednar, Acronym and Isorinne. Connecting the metal world to Northern Electronics and vice versa, Consolidate expands the remit of a label that was already about all things dark and electronic, without drifting too far from what made it great in the first place.
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Published /
Wed / 5 Jul 2017 -
Words /
Andrew Ryce -
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Tracklist /
01. Royal Island
02. The Altar
03. Melt To One
04. Baptism By Fire
05. Seeking Immortality
06. Modern Templars
07. End Of Reign
08. The Earth Rises Again
Berlin
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