In terms of great battles that are held in ancient fantasy lands from far, far away, there is nothing better than a good dungeon synth release to provide the soundtrack for its ethereal existence. For our protagonist in this story, a wild adventure awaits and music provided by Mausoleum Wanderer is just what is needed to motivate him for suitable action. On debut album, ‘Kabal of the Ashuvrahqt’Aild: A Rasataalian Adventure’, the listener is treated not only with the sounds of traditional dungeon synth tunes, but also battle hymns that span more than just the DS genre that are worthy of multiple listens. Although the beautiful album cover depicts a lone warrior on a hilltop in a mystical land, standing his ground in the face of adversity, he is prepared for battle, and Mausoleum Wanderer is leading the way.
On the album opener, “On A Certain Day, Under A Certain Sign”, an incoming rain shower drifts over the land as haunting – but subtle – keyboard melodies provide a light in the darkness and crash into an introduction filled with battle-like drum patterns and fantastic thematics. “Peer Through The Sage’s Eyeless Sockets” begins with an Egyptian- like keyboard arrangement and then morphs into an upbeat, island-like tune due to the use of the conga drum sounds. This works rather well with the dungeon synth sounds that compliment them. At about the halfway mark, the song goes into more of an ambient (and cinematic) feel, and then soon winds down with just a single keyboard track playing. On “Glades Betwixt Sleep And Wake”, the sounds of supernatural keys come to the forefront and paint a vivid picture of what’s to come once the battle commences. At this time, there is peace, but it’s only temporary, as the protagonist prepares his garrison for war. Up next is “Halls Scarred By Defiled Magicka” and if the album has its climactic battle-track, this is it. Soaring synthesized drums are in sequence with the rest of the arrangement as the adventure of infiltration has occurred. “Hymn’s Of Eaba’a, The Unsatiated Corruption” is a superb mix of dungeon synth tones but played in an ambient-style setting. Although this is a minimalistic track, it depicts the devastating outcome of the battle that has taken place. Next up is “A Debate Of Spell And Blade” and with its heavy cinematic overtones, sounds like a harsh victory song, yet with more battle left to play out. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album and could easily be used as a black metal intro/outro track. The final track, “Wealth Beyond Measure”, features a lovely acoustic guitar sound accompanied by lush keyboard soundscapes. More than an outro, this song signifies a new beginning to a new adventure.
Mausoleum Wanderer’s debut is a brilliant dungeon synth album full of cinematic elements, a touch of ambient, and multiple instrument sounds from around the world. The element of story telling, from the album art, song titles, and music in general are incredible and I can see many more adventures for the protagonist in this story coming soon. I highly recommend this if you’re into fantasy synth or cinematic score, so please click on the link below and support this outstanding artist.
Please Like/Follow my blog so that you’ll get first hand updates every time I post a review. Thanks for visiting the Dungeon!!
Link:
Dungeon Synth & Dark Ambient Reviews!! 
My favorite is “Halls Scarred By Defiled Magicka”!
LikeLike