Imagine an endless journey where the spectacles of nature inhabit the majority of your adrenaline-filled stimulation. As you cross boundless and threatening topography, your preparedness for battle is like no other, but fortunately the paths of the unknown have brought little to no campaign, limiting the possibility for senseless bloodshed. However, along the way, the dim and gloomy passage has brought on a variety of other undiscovered aspects. Welcome to ‘Archana’s Tales’, the somber yet soothing soundtrack for an unknown expedition filled with the unexpected and unexplained.
Like a pack of travelers hiking gallantly through a field of dreams, “Archana’s Tales” bold keyboard arrangements are the perfect opening sounds to this album. As if the morning dawn has signaled for the time to press forward with this harrowing journey, the lush key tones play a Medieval pattern that remain promising and victorious. Although the overall vibe is calming, there are a lot of layers and elements to give it a broad, ethereal sound. “Decorated Blade” is a great forest synth track that is very dreamy and distant. However, don’t let that fool you from the plethora of synth activity that is happening, as there is a lot of melodies combining to make this a great track. “Wayward In The Brume” is a mournful piece, as the main keyboard arrangement sounds like a dirge played at an ancient funeral. “Fray” begins like an anthem played at a kingdoms’ gate upon the arrival of the king after being away for battle. Not straying from the main cords, it’s meant to signal the return of the ruler, and this short piece succeeds in fulfilling that objective. “Mother Moon” is full of harmony and melody right from the start and provides a sense of warmth while envisioning a journey that crosses over into darkness, slowly fading from dusk as the sun sets off in the distance. “Boreal Kingdom” is one of my favorite tracks on the album due to the discordant key arrangement and the droning synth tones in the background. The final track on the album, is the near fourteen minute long “The Hyetal Shore”. Starting with some simple keyboard tones and rain field recordings, this is just a simple precursor to this well-rounded and excellent track. At around the six minute mark, the pace picks up a bit and more key arrangements are added to give a symphonic sound. There is still that Medieval element to the overall feel to this recording but this track is wonderfully composed in several sections to give it that grandiose appeal. The final few minutes of the song closes out with the continuance of the rain and occasional thunder sound, with a nice keyboard texture that signifies that the end is near.
Archana has composed and produced a rather unique dungeon synth offering with ‘Archana’s Tales’. This is somber forest synth at its best. There is nothing fancy or extravagant on this release, as it’s not needed. Simple keyboard arrangements and minimal use of field recordings are all it takes to draw the listener in and keep them captivated for the duration of the recording. When the songwriting is that powerful, that is all that is needed. Show your support for this amazing artist and download ‘Archana’s Tales’ from the link below.
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