#lord lovidicus

[mukuuji]

I wish… 😢

Lord Lovidicus and his family

[dungeonsynthguide]

Lord Lovidicus Autumnal Winds and Times of Yore (2013, Obscure Dungeon Records) Medieval dungeon synth / Gothic dungeon synth

[musicmakesyousmart]

Lord Lovidicus - Daulu Bûrz​-​Ishi

Self-released

2010

[albumarchives]

Lord Lovidicus | Wandervogal des Waldes (2014)

[oldschool-rpg-pride]

Dungeon synth is a subgenre of dark ambient music that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The genre employs aesthetics and themes typically associated with black metal and applies it to dreamier ambient songs. The use of dark soundscapes suggests medieval or fantasy motifs, often with a nocturnal aesthetic. The style is often compared to video game music, as it is occasionally applied in those settings.

Dungeon Synth is one of my favorite kind of music and I think it doesn't get enough love, the sound is perfect for old school games and especially dungeon crawls, it really helps to come back to the 80's.

Today I want to share with you my favorite author, Lord Lovidicus, and more authors will follow in the next days.

The Forges Fire

2010 - EP The Forges Fire

[hearthedungeons]

Saeculorum, by Lord Lovidicus

7 track album

It’s sometimes hard to know what to make of Lord Lovidicus, who was one of the earliest active figures in the current wave of Dungeon synth, and quite prolific in the early days, and who is now fairly withdrawn from the scene, having slowed his output considerably. 

What can be said about the present album is that it is an astonishing work of virtual orchestra music, with complex arrangements full of counterpoint, alternating instruments and instrument-groups, driven with lush harmonies and active melodies. In terms of complexity and level of detail alone, this music has maybe 3-4 peers in the scene - Trogool on the high-fi end, Chaucerian Myth on the more old-school end. This project stands in the middle of the two aforementioned projects in terms of quality - probably from 10 paces this could be mistaken for a live orchestra, but the effect is achieved whether or not the ear is fooled by these VSTs.

And what is the effect? I am put in a kind of mythological mindset by this music, given the feeling of antiquity existing alongside the mystical and magical. Plaintive harps, swelling choirs, busy strings, and timpani rolls make up the fabric of this music. At times I feel a little of what I could describe as neo-classical alienation, where the details are so pristine that I don’t immediately appreciate what it is I’m hearing. Probably doesn’t help that there are a lot of very ornate, Baroque-sounding moments throughout - but it’s not really a problem, just a momentary disorientation. This album could probably give a good opportunity to discuss the difference between dungeon synth and neo-classical and soundtrack music, but I’m not sure if I can take that opportunity in this review. But the things that take me out of the dungeon mindset are still thoroughly imaginative - more modern harmonies here, a video-gamey hook there, even thoroughly grounded in the virtual orchestra sound palette. I’m not always moved by this album, but the level of craft on display is truly educational, and it is always stimulating.

[flyingwerekitty]

I feel bad for Agronak (the Gray Prince)’s father. Yeah, he was an idiot for thinking his pregnant lover would be totally cool with bearing the son of a vampire, but like... she locked him in to starve. He’s lost to blood lust by the time you get to him, you have to put him down like a dog. I wish you could calm him somehow and get him a drink so you could have a serious discussion about his late lover and his illegitimate son. Reconciling Agronak with Lord Lovidicus somehow could lead him to retire from the arena, and you could become Grand Champion without bloodshed. It would have been more interesting than him being a big baby about it and begging for death. I mean, being half vampire doesn’t change anything. Sure, he’s stronger than the other combatants, but that’s mostly training. He doesn’t have special abilities and even if he did, there are no rules against it.

[musicmakesyousmart]

Lord Lovidicus - Wandervogel des Waldes

Self-released

2014