1 track album
See, the thing about DS is that no matter how good a result one can get with loads of polish and hundreds of hours spend on a recording, sometimes the thing most true to the sound is the one composed in an afternoon. The artist behind Cryptic Dungeon (also Vagor) admitted as much prior to the release of this extraordinary 20 minute track, but it really doesn’t matter because this is an extraordinary release choked with bleak otherworldly atmosphere. It begins as the type of ambient so minimal (drone and regular percussion) that when new elements are introduced at the 3 and 5 minute marks, it seems to shift your perception of the soundworld created. Finally around the 8 minute mark we are left with some brooding low winds that are slowly joined by more traditional DS orchestral elements, building to a very melodic second half that feels like an orchestral arrangement of a black metal song in terms of the harmony. Finally it concludes with a return of the drone element from the track’s beginning, making it feel like the rebirth of a slow, dreadful cycle. I’ll admit i haven’t loved everything Cryptic Dungeon has done in the past - he seems to be exploring all of the possibilities of the medieval Dungeon synth with varying levels of success. But as the Vagor project proves, the artist has a great sense of atmosphere (in that project accomplished with noise elements), and here the atmosphere takes first priority, which helps distinguish this release.
