Unexpected Shadowdark music
I just stumbled across an artist that rewired my brain, and immediately made it onto my personal Shadowdark playlist, so I had to share with this group. I'm starting a thread on: what are your favorite unexpected Shadowdark background tracks and/or artists?
By Unexpected I mean not the standard recommended ones. Please no: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Castle Rat, Dungeon Synth, etc. -- these are covered extensively in other threads on this topic.
(Note: I have no affiliation with the artists below whatsoever.)
I'll kick it off with recommendations #1 and #2:
1) Father Dionysos Tabakis, Paradise Metal
This is blowing up on the underground music internets right now. I just listened to the album and my brain screamed WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!?! Father Tabakis is a 53-year-old Orthodox priest who plays traditional Byzantine music on a 7-string tanbur plugged into a distortion pedal, over techno beats, with Gregorian chanting. It slaps so hard, haunting, and gritty.
"The inspiring debut from a 53-year-old priest in Greece pinballs between drone metal and techno Christmas carols, field recordings, and hymns."
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/father-dionysios-tabakis-paradise-metal/
https://musicyouneedtohear.com/fr-dionysios-tabakis-paradise-metal/
https://swimintothesound.com/swim-selects/2026/5/5/father-dionysios-tabakis-paradise-metal
I'm putting this straight into my playlist for our current Gloaming (Cursed Scroll #1) campaign.
2) Peter Gabriel, Passion & Various Artists, Passion Sources
Two inter-related albums, a blast from the early 90s past:
Peter Gabriel, Passion (https://open.spotify.com/album/3vFH2pqPVm7RVUcoiSBBFP): alternatingly driving & atmospheric, could be used either underground / in a traditional Shadowdark campaign, or aboveground in a desert or other non-traditional-Medieval-European kind of setting. Think: Cursed Scroll #1, or #2.
Various Artists: Passion Sources (https://open.spotify.com/album/0O15qI8UmvV2G1dUxdZJWe): original source music inspiration for Passion, more straight-up desert / Middle Eastern / Mesopotamian / North African / Silk Road kind of setting. More Cursed Scroll #2, or even #6 if you want to flavor City of Masks that way.