u/AvelineBaudelaire

*** DISCLAIMER: the intention of this post is not to gatekeep or invite gatekeeping behaviour, but to explore the evolution of the term and how modern fans & artists define it ***

Werdna wrote in the first post on the dungeon synth blogspot: "Dungeon synth is the sound of the ancient crypt. The breath of the tomb, that can only be properly conveyed in music that is primitive, necro, lo-fi, forgotten, obscure, and ignored by all of mainstream society. When you listen to dungeon synth you are making a conscious choice to spend your time in a graveyard, to stare, by candle-light, into an obscure tome that holds subtle secrets about places that all sane men avoid.

I shall do my best to make you, gentle readers, aware of this genre. This genre that only attracts the most tortured of outsiders, those who long for the forgotten magic of the dead, to remain forever in the shadows of decaying tombs."

His first posts included albums like Mortiis - Keiser av en Dimension Ukjent, Wongraven - Fjelltronen, and Gothmog - Medieval Journeys. The albums Werdna was using to define his 'dungeon synth' sound all shared similar sonic traits.

Contrast that with modern or contemporary dungeon synth where there is a super wide variety of sound and meaning. What dungeon synth is to me likely differs from what it is to you, almost certainly so. I've been pretty outspoken about defining tighter genre boundaries or last least naming conventions, if only from a listener perspective. I get annoyed when I search 'dungeon synth' and see stuff like Fief and Erythrite Throne show up at the same time. They couldn't be more different in sound & mood. Sometimes I want music that sounds like Fief, sometimes like Erythrite Throne, etc. It would be nice to have specific terms to show only (or at least mostly) what I'm seeking.

Obviously we know from history that music genres tend to have different waves. 1st wave vs 2nd wave vs 3rd wave of (PICK YOUR GENRE) are inevitably different. At a certain point the newer artists haven't even listened to the 1st wave artists, which adds a new flavour & direction to the sound. Somewhere along the path subgenres begin to form as the sound diversifies and new sonic conventions are formalized. An example of this would be atmospheric black metal vs blackgaze vs DSBM, or hard rock vs prog rock vs indie rock. the former could all be called 'black metal', the latter 'rock'. But each is a more or less fully-formed entity of their own, existing within their own space.

Which brings us to... how would YOU define dungeon synth? What are the sonic characteristics that make it so? Visual or thematic characteristics? How much wiggle room is there? Other criteria? Any questions of comments or additions to this little informal survey? Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! <3

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Addendum

There are sound-specific subgenre & microgenre pages for those interested. They need more traffic, so let's give it to them :)

• Comfy Synth
• Fantasy Synth
• Space Synth
• Winter Synth
• Forest Synth
• Sea Synth
• Food Synth

What is it?

Why do you like it?

How do you use it?

When does it shine the brightest?

Would you ever consider replacing it and/or parting with it?

This is more geared towards physical hardware instruments & tools. Feel free to talk about your favorite virtual thing if you'd like. My hope is that this post will be a treasure trove of information for people in the future. Thank you to everyone for sharing! <3

Here's my performance from last night, as heard by my cell phone on the floor in front of the amp.

Performed live with a Roland Juno Di, Elektron Model:Samples with a couple drum loops I programmed before the show, and Boss RC-20XL for live looping. All run through a DV Little Jazz amp.

Live looped DIY dungeon synth is where it's at ⚔️

Hails to Tree Gardener, Desolation Plains, Grace Center, and MNDS. Thank you for listening! <3

https://ampwall.com/a/woodenvessels/album/live-at-grace-center-summer-mmxxvi

https://cavebirdrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-grace-center-summer-mmxxvi

Love the composition of these pieces. Fairly diverse instrumentation and orchestral-driven sound with good hooks. I especially like "Emerald Waves". Easy to imagine being at sea with this music.

Cozy sounds to accompany you, complete with piggy wheeks :) have a wonderful day everyone!

A lovely album about trees <3

I'd love to hear how you all approach live performances. Including but not limited to...

How much gear do you bring?

What gear do you bring?

Do you have any innovative ways to transport gear? From vehicle to venue, then back to vehicle?

Do you do any live looping?

Is everything in your set performed live?

Do you use backing tracks? If so, how do you set them up?

Do you sell merch? If so, what kind?

Do you record your performances on audio and/or video? If so, how do you capture it?

If you have other tips or want to ask further questions feel free! Thanks everyone <3

Yesterday I whipped up this little artist & label resource sheet after seeing that some older resource sheets no longer existed. It's a list of companies that make merch - tapes, vinyl, CDs, patches, buttons, shirts, posters, etc. I also included a list of visual artists and labels. I'd love to expand it, so feel free to send suggestions of quality companies that you've had good experiences with.

Greetings. Today I released Xeroxed Castles, a dark & lofi rompler-based dungeon synth journey. huge thank you to Lily of the Valley for including it in their latest release batch!

I have also set up a Bandcodes site with free codes for most of my solo albums.

Enjoy & be kind to one another <3

kzld-7dnd
uypp-vl5h
lk9b-ge25
4ztw-3usf
q2zq-hvha
bxt6-e8pb
5czk-3r7w
bp3t-hlm4
dfxt-vaya
s5cy-6b27
xxvc-uckk
jqgq-exg9
6ru7-bprz
zxwv-wfc6
zqp8-ha4y
z8f2-525r
ykdw-7cnd
3yqe-vh5h
wt8f-g525
szzx-bfsf
p3tj-xqha
6j7p-gz4h
ufwr-3zj5
xah5-c6zr
q6eb-xgkl
f37l-e3zj
ld54-uwkk
eq6j-54g9
gbnr-barz
ydda-wnc6
tqqg-he4y
tgr3-5b5r
x7lz-j5ta
hmsz-k337
jrqu-k4lv
fxbd-6mp8
mcvs-kzb2
9pbe-g64h
3fxb-36j5
w5cm-ckzr
p6jf-xykl
rnbx-5rzj
dwas-7skk
hkzd-3ncf
jnte-hj4a
7dzg-5geb
mhtz-b3fw
fenz-xxv4
lrdk-vpta
cmht-6r37
ebe2-kllv
rx7w-6jp8
a45c-k6b2
8p7q-gk4h
kje9-x5hy
kg7u-5rar
ktld-7sud
nkpp-vlah
ly9b-ga35
4ttw-37cf
enzq-hv4a
bwt9-5yeb
ahzk-3rfw
rq3t-h4v4
drxt-vata
7ubw-e2kj
xwvc-uczk
jpgq-ex89
9fuf-35bz
zwwv-wfs6
zpp8-hphy
y9f2-52ar
yydw-7dud
2kqe-vhah
dz8f-ge35
stzl-3ucf
vhah-k9r2
6e7p-g9hh
urwr-3zq5
lmh5-czkr
qgeb-xgzl
bu7l-ebkj
wl54-uwzk
ep6j-5489
87nr-bpbz
tlda-wns6
tpqg-hahy
7j2y-xhm4
xblz-jeya
hasz-k327
qfqu-6xxv
fwbd-6qe8
5hvs-kzr2
gqbe-gzhh
3rxb-36q5
dvcm-c6kr
pgjf-xyzl
r2bx-e3kj
xk8r-gp25
hyzd-3nsf

June is Pride Month. Let's celebrate it by sharing your favorite Queer artists. Maybe this includes YOU!

Happy Pride everyone <3

The May 2026 Dungeon Shamble is drawing to a close. If you weren't quite able to meet the deadline, fret not! You can share it whenever it's finished, and I'll add it to the past Dungeon Shambles document.

Here are all the submissions thus far:

• A Garrison of Trees - War of the Rows

• Armored Manticore - Peasant Uprising

• Athmus - The Summoning

• Bartizan Chill - Gatekeepers of the Infinite Tower

• Cazataire - Storm Over Aneto

• Clay & Claw - Waves, Swathes and Flocks

• Cromorne - Maudite Soy La Guerre

• Discalced Carmelite - Battle Shamble: Armageddon

• Dracomancer - Adventure & Ruin

• Ervald & Problonged Demise - Grief-Stricken Dreams ov a Soldier's Maiden (split)

• Feast of Maunder - Those Left Behind

• First Prince of the Sword - First Prince of the Sword

• FØG - The Eternal War

• Galbadian - Death of a Knight

• Goosehiss - The Great Unraveling

• Hydraknight - Immanent Heraldry

• Iron Keep - Shamble: A Collection of Lamentations

• Kindheart - The Immolation of Kindheart

• Machynlleth - Yr Hanes

• Maudlin Key - Ftumch the Gnome: The Hollow War

• Nameless Cartographer - Excavations of the Sundered Field

• Rorkug - Stele

• Round Tower - The Siege of Castle Grey

• Secret Minotaur - Battle

• Spellplague - Skullseeker

• Tom Azkaris - Gods of Conflict

• Ultra Medium Frequency - My Hand, the Sun, the Body, and its Spoils

• Wat Tyler's Blood - The Death of Wat Tyler

• Wattle Hog - Lightning

• Weald Knight - Nameless and Forgotten

• Wooden Vessels - Gorgon Salter

Dungeon Shambles are hosted every May & October, and are high points in my year. It's wonderful seeing the community come together and amp each other up. Listening to each album really illustrates just how diverse and talented the scene truly is.

Kap is hard at work collecting submissions for the community compilation. We host these on the Dungeon Synth Compilation Bandcamp. If you wish to be on the compilation you can submit one song from your album here: dungeonredditmods [at] gmail. Kap will leave a pinned comment with more info.

A sincere thank you to everyone participating in these challenges. They're fun to organize, and even more fun to complete. It's so great hearing what you all come up with. Till next time <3

Here's my Dungeon Shamble album. It's available on Ampwall & Bandcamp. I made a digital collage of public domain artworks for the album cover. The songs follow a warrior and his animal companion as they hunt down gorgons and destroy them. Songs are sung in their honour. They're given special titles. They come and go as they please, seeking only to find a worthy opponent. Will they meet their match?

https://ampwall.com/a/woodenvessels/album/gorgon-salter

https://cavebirdrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gorgon-salter

Bandcamp codes

mm8x-er8z
98zh-us76
yu3p-elpk
y5v8-3a38
y8gy-c7dn
tzu3-xexe
2y5m-j3a3
x7xu-6ffq
hmcv-kqjz
jbpr-6z8g
9xfd-yz7u
z4ac-76mq
npfe-56kt
56df-byz7
gy4m-wukv
32p7-xp69
am6d-e28z
8gys-ud76
hvkg-j6su
jfyy-ygxp
7duz-7um2
mh5z-vvkc
fe7k-k8tx
lrl2-6nfq
cvsa-kmjz
ebqb-668g
gdrw-y67u
t4m4-7kmq
2erq-5kkt
kknu-xple
uz5a-jr53
vt68-kd7s
fky3-ghpl
l3k5-ujbe
4ay9-jksu
efkz-yyxp
bw3k-ufm2
5sat-jqkc
rqft-kttx
dbd3-67fq
vv9w-5bgz
69t4-7wf6
k2nq-5xek
zva6-3p28
zg6t-cfwn
zt32-xale
3zv5-j253
5ygg-kc7s
rkkn-gxpl
dnym-uvbe

The Shamble is half over. How is yours coming along? Have you done any neat experiments? Think up any interesting stories to base the battle synth on?

As for me, i wrapped up my album today. I'm very busy the rest of the month so mine was more of a Dungeon Jog than a Dungeon Shamble. I'll be releasing it after the Shamble ends.

Looking forward to hearing what everyone comes up with!

Sharing on behalf of a Shambler who doesn't use Reddit. Book of Revelations-inspired battle hymns for armageddon.

q23n-jsb7

glvm-kdsv

3cg6-6lw8

ajuu-yjd2

89la-76wc

23s8-vklw

kj43-ysqq

u9sl-74gt

vt44-vmr7

9kph-gtcv

n39h-37l8

mays-cjv2

g9kp-wytc

333g-c3ux

dvvz-csjq

s9gz-xd8t