Tag Archives: dungeon synth

greyfleshtethered – The Dark Being (Self-Released)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

“On a fateful stormy night you receive a panicked phone message from your eccentric and mysterious neighbor Dr. Krick stammering that something terrible has happened and he must flee, begging you to watch over his infant daughter Amanda in his absence. After arriving at the monolithic lighthouse, you learn more about the doctor’s work – Krick’s research navigates the treacherous and unexplored territory of reducing the linear distance between planets and creating a proximity point by focusing electricity across a Fresnel lens, thus harnessing the electrical power stored in lightning to generate a portal to parallel universes. Before you have a chance to admire the vastness and complexity of the laboratory equipment, Amanda is snatched from her cradle by a dark ethereal creature and taken to a distant land in another dimension. Determined to rescue both Amanda and Krick, you follow them through the portal and into a strange world filled with sophisticated machines and bizarre architectures, a world once flourished but now largely destroyed, rendered nearly uninhabitable through the Dark Being’s malicious actions.”

“The Dark Being” is a journey through fantastic and harrowing cosmic realms. From torpid starfields to turbulent seas, from sunken submarines to a volcanic fortress, The Dark Being cascades through time & space as a veritable rollercoaster of sound & emotion. Intended to be perceived in its entirety, The Dark Being represents only one iteration of many possible journeys the listener can take as endless and infinite existential probabilities swirl around us at any given instance in time.

A world of thanks and gratitude to Brian Min for his masterful score to Lighthouse: The Dark Being, which on many occasions was the sole reason for this album’s continuation. Min’s compositions enthralled and captivated my young mind when I first played the game and were largely the reason I even considered this project in the first place.

Album mastered by Dan Paoletti, support their music here:
apostrophebeats.bandcamp.com

Synth work/dark ambience on track 4 composed by Luciform, support them here:
luciform.bandcamp.com/releases
soundcloud.com/luciform

Album art by 0ceanfloor, support them here:
twitter.com/0ceansfloor

Thanks to Krrrrrrk for the awesome promotional video, support them here:
http://www.instagram.com/krrrrrrk/
twitter.com/Krrrrrrk

And finally, a huge thanks to everybody else who contributed physically or emotionally to this project, you all mean so much to me. And biggest thanks to my prince Kodie ❤

Garden Gate – Canyon Of Blood (Library Of The Occult)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

“Canyon of Blood tells a story of transformation, longing, and resistance, ushering the listener through a psychological landscape that’s as lush as it is violent… feels like the baroque bloom of a cactus flower amid spikes in the arid desert night.”

— Roan Parrish, author Strange Company, The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy
released June 20, 2025

featuring (in order of appearance):

Jamie Flanagan (spoken word 1)
Tom Mcdowell (vocal samples, guitar 1)
Brian Hall (bass guitar 1, 4)
Mark Saddlemire (gtr, bass, keyboards, drums, sfx 2, addl percussion, synthesizer, sound effects 9, drums, claps, shaker, synthesizer 11)
Renato Montenegro (classical, acoustic, electric guitar 3)
Claire Piazza (vocals 5)
Drew Mulholland (additional vocal processing, atmospherics 5)
Frances Castle (synthesizers, strings 15)
Violet Cutler (saxophone 15)

Spoken word co-written with Roan Parrish (1)

Mastered for vinyl by Kevin Montenegro at Elemental Zoser Sound Studio

Album art and design: Hypnotist design (Thomas Moe Ellefsrud)
Cover stars (L to R): Jackie Soro, Roan Parrish, Timmi Meskers

Recordings From the Library of the Occult and Artemis Pictures International present Canyon of Blood
Original soundtrack recording by The Garden Gate

written and recorded by The Garden Gate (Timmi Meskers) at Maison d’Octobre Studios

Heartfelt gratitude to Tom at LOTO, Kevin Fermini, Esteban Sanchez, and the brilliant collaborators who brought this album to life, with special thanks to Roan, Jasper + Hal

The Cube Of Unknowing – Bog Summoner (Library Of The Occult)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description: Renowned composer and sound artist Francis Heery, under his alias The Cube of Unknowing, announces the release of his latest sonic expedition, ‘Bog Summoner’, via Library of the Occult. This immersive electronic album blends kosmische, motorik rhythms, and spectral atmospheres, drawing listeners deep into the mysterious heart of the Irish Midlands.

A visionary in avant-garde music, Heery’s compositions have been performed by ensembles including the RTE Symphony Orchestra, Crash Ensemble, Quiet Music Ensemble, and Talujon Percussion Ensemble. With ‘Bog Summoner’, he channels his deep-rooted fascination with science fiction, occult mysticism, and bio-aesthetic philosophy into a record that pulsates with both history and otherworldly energy.

Evolving organically during the recording process, ‘Bog Summoner’ became a sprawling, shape-shifting entity. Influences range from the live recordings of Harmonia to the cosmic explorations of Tangerine Dream’s ‘Phaedra’ and ‘Rubycon’, all while steeped in what Heery describes as ‘Bog Gothic’—an eerie evocation of East County Galway’s mist-laden bogs and buried histories.

One key track, ‘Uí Máine’, takes its name from the medieval Irish clan that ruled the region. Heery was particularly intrigued by the 16th-century alchemist Edward Kelley’s claim to be a descendant of the Uí Máine, weaving an esoteric connection between occultism and the forgotten landscapes of rural Ireland. ‘Bog Summoner’ imagines Kelley’s spectral presence lingering in the bogs, appearing to seekers and outcasts, summoning spirits among ancient burial mounds.
Adding another layer of inspiration, the album draws from Ithell Colquhoun’s evocative writings on Ireland, particularly ‘The Crying of the Wind’, reinforcing Heery’s exploration of landscape as a portal to the arcane.

Neil Mason of Moonbuilding magazine describes ‘Bog Summoner’ as “a kosmische transmission from a distant realm, fed through a Berlin School conduit. Heery teases suspense with hypnotic, slow-burning tension, maintaining a delicate yet relentless momentum for the entire 45-minute duration.”
With ‘Bog Summoner’, The Cube of Unknowing crafts a soundscape that bridges past and future—an astral ritual invoking the echoes of lost worlds through dense synth textures, undulating rhythms, and cosmic reverberations.

Chris Alexander – Body Double (Library Of The Occult)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

Celebrated Canadian filmmaker and composer Chris Alexander joins Library of the Occult records with his album ‘Body Double’

A sinister fusion of 80s horror aesthetics and cinematic electronic soundscapes, Body Double throws listeners into a shadowy world of pulsating synths, eerie melodies, and haunting atmospheres. Alexander’s signature approach to sound design captures the spirit of classic genre film scores while pushing into uncharted sonic territory.

In the words of Shawn Macomber from Decibel: “Chris Alexander is easily one of the most fearless, imaginative, and iconoclastic world-builders currently operating in the worlds of cinema, and music. And when it comes to conjuring the magic and menace just beyond the veil, the man is damn near peerless.”

With Body Double, Alexander channels the sonic legacy of icons like John Carpenter and Goblin, weaving a tapestry of sound that feels both familiar and otherworldly.

Ivy Chalice – Noctifer (Library Of The Occult)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

Ivy Chalice release their highly anticipated follow up to last years ‘Nachtmahr’, with Noctifer, on Library of the Occult Records. Drawing inspiration from classic cinema and the evocative sounds of the 1960s and 70s, Noctifer blends acoustic textures and ethereal vocals with a shadowy electronic edge, crafting a musical experience that is as haunting as it is hypnotic.

Noctifer (“bringer of night”) is an album of shadowed landscapes and eerie tales. Ivy Chalice conjures a soundscape where dark folklore, dreamlike acoustics, and modern electronic elements meet. The album’s narrative threads echo the haunting charm of films like The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Wicker Man, as well as the spectral allure of British folk revival acts.

Maria Perez Query of Hellebore writes:
“The dense, dreamy atmosphere conjured by Ivy Chalice reaches its zenith in “Der Wald, Die Spiegelwelt,” which has echoes of the classic folk horror series Moondial (1988). Ethereal and eerie, Noctifer feels like wandering into the woods to find a ruined chapel, like opening a gate that leads to a secret realm.”

Featuring tracks that balance fragility and foreboding, Noctifer is both an homage to and a reinvention of folk horror soundscapes. The combination of acoustic instrumentation and shadowy electronic textures offers a contemporary twist on timeless themes of nature, ritual, and the unknown.