From the deep, hollow forests where dragons sleep, to the kings mighty castle on an oceanside plateau; to the villages where younglings are pilfering goods from the local market, to the halls where knights proudly practice their craft, and to the mystical lands where witches conjure up spells to bring back their dead, Hexelwir’s ‘Manifestation Of Forgotten Souls’ runs the gamut Of audible damnation and provides the soundtrack for which these territories tell their story of war, peace and survival.
Musically, this album is much more than a product of the dungeon synth genre, it’s a score to an imaginary story set in a fantastical medieval times that adds multiple layers of acoustic instrumental passages, haunting field recordings, dark ambient textures and the occasional black metal vocals to provide a sonic layer of morbidity that mixes extremely well amongst the lighter, more traditional dungeon synth tracks. “Silent Night In Transylvanian Forest” begins with soothing choir-like vocals and some nighttime field recordings before easing into some spooky keyboard arrangements with the occasional evil laugh that can be heard in the distant background. “My Trees Are Your Coffins” takes you deep in the woods in the middle of the night with black metal-like vocal narrations (that seem to be backwards) and distant screams. An acoustic guitar passage eases in about halfway through the track and closes it out in that fashion. “Fire In The Night” is probably one of the lighter tracks on the album that reminds me of an after-battle party song, where everyone in the village is gathered at a central location and drinking until daybreak. “The Land Of Fire And Steel” is another track with traditional dungeon synth elements but also contains black metal style vocals, as if an Order of Chivalry are being prepared for battle by the Knight’s Commander. “Dark Medieval Ceremony” is a twisted track containing screeching vocals, choir-like chanting and layered dark ambience with a touch of sinister field recordings to add to the overall grimness within. These are just some of the standout tracks on this amazing recording that presents a story meant for the dark imagination.
Hexelwir’s fourth album is an extraordinary album that contains elements of dungeon synth, dark ambient, black ambient, tribal & medieval beats and atmospheric folk music. Even though firmly rooted in the dungeon synth genre, this album is sure to garner more fans from other musical genres as well. The album art is amazing, the production is spot on, and for fifty five minutes, your mind will be taken on the most satisfying journey like never before. Please click on the link below and support this fascinating artist:
Link:
https://hexelwir.bandcamp.com/album/manifestation-of-forgotten-souls
Dungeon Synth & Dark Ambient Reviews!! 