I've got this silly old tape case and a bunch of band stickers idk what to do with so I decided it gets to be my travel case when I lug the portable stereo around.

MUD WIZARD FANCAM!

[Album of the day] Various Artists - HDK 151 † Hell Night

Milan, ITA // 2023 // Heimat Der Katastrophe (HDK)

[Genres] dungeon synth, synth rock, prog rock, doom metal

[Themes] Hell's generals have escaped onto the material plane and you're a biker who has to track them down and drag them back, one by one

[FFO] indie RPGs, liturgical metal, Lingua Ignota

[Thoughts] This is the first album I've picked from the label HDK, an independent group of synth-loving Italians. Quoth their Bandcamp page: "DIY label focused on ambient punk, minimal-synth, dungeon-drone, wartime music and post-nuclear wave. Managed by a creative punx collective from Milano city."

As a fan of dungeon synth, I think HDK is grand. Most of their releases can be split into about three categories:

Old-school, fantasy dungeon synth (e.g. Kobold, Gnoll). Great music for classic TTRPGs. If you purchase the cassette release, you'll typically get a mini dungeon map and a scenario for any old-school RPG.

Cinematic synth music in the Italian tradition. Think Claudio Simonetti's Goblin, films like The Long Good Friday and Tenebre, bands like Zombi. Check out TEETH OF GLASS and A. RALLA.

Cold-War synth/signalwave, typically with a focus on the atomic era (i.e. sovietwave).* Conceptually interesting and a little underrated. I'd recommend RNLT and TSAR-BOMB.

Other frequent features in the HDK catalogue are proggy synth rock (e.g. POLONIUS), space rock (e.g. LOGIC GATE), and synthwave (e.g. MAX ROGUISH). HDK also has several official soundtracks to indie RPGs, most famously GNOLL's soundtrack to MÖRK BORG and CASIOTOMB's soundtrack to ALTNYC88.

Today's album is an official soundtrack to the indie RPG of the same name, Hell Night by Gavriel Quiroga (link to the DriveThru RPG page below). I haven't played the game,** but I have listened to this soundtrack about a dozen times. I love it. It's a compilation album but feels very proggy; all the tracks are from different artists and different musical styles, but they fit together really well.

Give the album a listen, try out the game, and check out HDK's other releases. I subscribed to their label on Bandcamp a while back, and I haven't regretted it.

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* These tend to remind me of the menu screen for CoD: Black Ops.

** But I would like to, it looks like a lot of fun.

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[From the band/label]

"As these last words were spoken, an explosion of blinding white light filled the black palace, cowing even the grim death lords. The angelic messenger was gone, the message delivered, and outrage soon broke among the ranks of the defiled, cacophony of blasphemy and cursing that announced the arrival of dusk and the beginning of a... HELL NIGHT".

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

I haven't had this good of a time since watching Hell Comes To Frogtown, and more recently the awful sequel Frogtown 2 (which has somehow endeared itself to me). As long as we're talking about frogs, wait'll you get a load of the record we've cued up for you today.

'A Frog in the Bog' (2022) hosts two of doom's dankest acts separated by an ocean's expanse: FROGLORD situated along the River Avon in Bristol, England and BOG WIZARD hailing from the Michigan habor.

Envisioned as a concept album, this split LP relates the story of "the Froglord and his congregation trespassing into the Bog Wizard's swamp, and the ensuing confrontation between the two." High drama ensues! You'll hear several tracks in which vocals are shared, which I think was a master touch as it gives the record a unified and cohesive feel from side-to-side...not to mention that it sounds simply monstrous.

The troupe tells Doomed & Stoned:

We're really proud of what we put together, musically and narratively, it ended up being a lot of fun to do, and we're hoping it will be just as fun for listeners.

There are tons of memorable musical moments too, some of which are imminently quotable, such as the unholy chant: "Bow down to the power of the Froglord." There's even a You son of a bitch! moment that rivals Predator's Arnold Swarzenegger on its delivery. Clever instrumental touches, samples, and pedal effects immerse us fully in the murky mystery of the fetid swamp. "What is it? The bog of eternal stench!" The net experience is not only fun, but quite powerful.

Look for A Frog in the Bog to gurgle up April 1st on limited edition vinyl, CD, and cassette via The Swamp Records (pre-order here, here, or here). In the meanwhile, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a chance to revel in all the mud and magic a day ahead of time!

Give ear...

Bog Wizard vs Froglord: A Frog in the Bog (Split) by Bog Wizard, Froglord

Official Guide to the Battle

A Frog in the Bog is a collaborative concept split album. What that means is that this split has been written from the ground up to tell a cohesive story. Both halves of the split feature shared vocal parts between the bands, in the conclusionary tracks.

Bog Wizard and Froglord are both very narratively driven bands, telling tales of their respective characters. The Froglord is a god-like swamp dwelling being with a congregation of worshippers and followers. The Bog Wizard is an angry hermit wizard whose only preferred company is the creatures he summons to do his bidding, and he’s highly protective of his territory.

A Frog in the Bog tells the story of their fateful meeting, as the Froglord encroaches into the Bog Wizard’s well-guarded territory with his congregation, from each of their unique perspectives. It describes the Bog Wizard’s anger as he realizes this being has intruded on his land, the curiosity of the Froglord as to who and what lies in the swamp, their ultimate battle, and face to face meeting. Who will win?

"Reptilian Death Squad"

With the intention of protecting his domain, the Bog Wizard has set out a lineup of loyal lizardmen to patrol the Swamp of Doom, and the news they bring back is quite the opposite of what he wished to hear.

"The Frog Lord"

The Froglord and his followers have intruded, seeking to gain territory! This cannot stand of course, and after some observation, the Wizard decides to force a confrontation with the group. What will happen? Will one best the other? A true battle of two great powers shall commence!

"The Bog"

After overthrowing the humans and defeating the alien invaders, Froglord stands as ruler and protector of the earth. But rumours of a powerful bog creature begin to rise. Summoning his closest Sages, Froglord sets off to discover the mysterious creature and destroy it before it can rise to power.

"The Wizard"

As Froglord and his Sages enter the great Swamp of Doom after wandering far and wide, the swamp creatures inform the Froglord of a great wizard that lies at the heart of the swamp. As they descend deeper and deeper, shadowy figures dart through the undergrowth...watching...leading them further in.

"The Bog Wizard"

The air grows heavy and stale. As the dense trees begin to part, Froglord and his Sages gaze upon the great swamp. In the centre stands a creature, covered in moss with hollow, empty eyes. The Bog Wizard! Froglord steps into the bog. Battle has begun!

More Bog Wizard