#wyndcrawler

It is a little surprising that the theme of dragons has not appeared more commonly in Dungeon Synth since its inception, and since its revival. (There was Vaelestrasz's excellent "Adventures of the Red Whelpling", which was quite an exhilirating release, and I can't think of many others.) In part, this could have to do with the variety of meanings and significance Dragons have in various cultures throughout the world - the modern fantasy perception of a dragon is, after all, an amalgamation of eastern and western perceptions of size, nobility, sentience, and other qualities.

This release aims for a majestic, windswept sound design. Everything is drenched in reverb, many of the melodies seem driven by strings and organs, and there is a definite melodic focus to the longer compositions here. "In Great Halls Ov Old Kings" alternates a percussion and organ-driven opening section, before giving way to an alternate section with a slowly faded-in buzzing synth, and a higher, stirring string melody. We build with some arpeggiator-like organs, and some very subtle percussion almost buried in the mix, while choirs fade in, adding to the density and texture. The thickness of the reverb here makes it a little hard to distinguish the elements from one another in the mix, and I find myself wondering if it was possible to have less reverb without losing the feel. The final bit of the song feels like a build without a drop - somewhat anti-climatic, given the extremely strong start of this lengthy track.

I am extremely pleased however at the seamless crossfade between tracks 2 and 3, a choice that adds to listener immersion even on an album like this which clocks in at under 30 minutes. The murky production here does lend to the impression that you're glimpsing a majestic creature through the clouds. But it does also make the first third of "Even with the Night (Does the Sky Glow with Hellfire)" a bit of a wash, without much to grab onto except a murky two chord-harmonic progression that seems to be laid out with organ and choirs and a low drone. A narrative poem attached to the bandcamp page indicates that the music is rendered from the perspective of the dragons, but the music makes it feel as though it is portraying we humans, on the ground, catching only a fearful glimpse of these creatures. This impression is the strongest part of this track, and while I think I understand the choice to bury these mixes in reverb, it really does the majesty of the music a bit of a disservice. The final track, "Weeping in the Ash", follows a similar harmonic progression of the previous two tracks. I should say that this is not an album-killing quality - there's enough diversity of keys to avoid the whole album feeling samey, and the discernable details of the arrangement/orchestration are juicy enough to really sink one's fangs into. But I must emphasize that the sound design, while conveying the majesty of flight and the ancient, unknowable qualities of dragonkind, does seem to obscure some of the details of the arrangements, which upon this third listen, feel like absolute strengths.