Dark, Ambient Dungeon Synth
RIYL: Mortiis
From the band’s Bandcamp page:
OLD TOWER is the creation of a mysterious entity from The Netherlands known as The Specter who, through the vessel of OLD TOWER, creates alluring yet meditative otherworldly lo-fi synth music that transports the listener to a long forgotten age of memory’s past. OLD TOWER started in the summer of 2015 with the first recordings being rather minimalistic and primitive. It was through the split with Orodruin when the concept of OLD TOWER and The Shadow Kingdom came into existence and since then, OLD TOWER has collected an alluring repertoire through split-cassette releases and cassette EPs that culminated with the first OLD TOWER full-length “The Rise Of The Specter” released early 2017.
The whole concept surrounding OLD TOWER and The Shadow Kingdom is that they are both very personal projects. In an age where a lot of “dungeon synth” is just dull fantasy music without too much thought behind it, this is not the case with OLD TOWER. OLD TOWER is a reflection of The Specter’s personal inner world and experiences in real life. The Shadow Kingdom can be seen as a dimension, a metaphor for the world that everyone experiences, but cannot see or do not want to feel; the solitude and darkness that resides in us all. OLD TOWER is a resistance towards modernity and the shallow values which our society is built upon.
The visions that are formed when consuming the sounds of OLD TOWER are that of mystical desolate landscapes, majestic ancient ruins, deep dark decrepit dungeons, murky chambers, and ghostly moonlit forests. Meditative audial spells dedicated to the eternal dark war.
This two-track record serves as the first new release to 2017’s Rise of the Spectre. From the mind of dungeon synth master Old Tower, the record serves as a prime case for the power the genre can bring forth. In some ways minimalist, and in others, replete with dark, brooding fantasy, Stellary Wisdom swells and grows, like a monolith, overlooking a pyre on cold winter night. Despite the short run time, the record serves as a journey, with both songs containing movements, like a well-orchestrated symphony.
The lead tune “Deep Withing My Sombre Castle Halls,” is replete with a dark, somber tone conveyed with it’s slow, lingering keys. As Old Tower builds the track, adding layer upon later, the song’s atmosphere swells, and grows toward a grandiose end. Akin to Candlemass’s “Marche Funèbre” from their record Nightfall, the title track recalls the dark, spellbound ages of grandeur, with a hint of something eerie lurking in the shadows.
While this foray into dungeon synth might not be for everyone, rather than feeding on raw aggression, this release aims at giving a different, somber perspective to all things sonically heavy. Old Tower has once again proven that he is the torchbearer for a genre. While dungeon synth has been distilled by others into a pedestrian listen Stellary Wisdom commands your attention and dares you to look away.
