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Although initially deriving its thematic influences from black metal and associated acts, the underground genre evolved. Medieval themes began to appear, calling out Music/{{Satyricon}}'s ''Dark Medieval Times'' for insufficient Dark Medievality (incidentally, Satyricon's Sigurd Wongraven was one of those early part-time dungeon synth creators). It began to move away from black metal, and into more clear {{fantasy}}. While fantasy fiction was always there as a source of inspiration -- just remember where did Burzum get its name -- it only became more and more overt, with acts moving away from implicit Tolkienisms to quite open {{worldbuilding}}. Again, Erang provides a good example by basing his entire musical output on a fantasy world of his own devising.

to:

Although initially deriving its thematic influences from black metal and associated acts, the underground genre evolved. Medieval themes began to appear, calling out Music/{{Satyricon}}'s ''Dark Medieval Times'' for insufficient Dark Medievality (incidentally, Satyricon's Sigurd Wongraven was one of those early part-time dungeon synth creators). It creators; other big acts to follow within this trend are ''Utred'' and ''Chaucerian Myth''). In leaving black metal purity behind, it also began to move away from black metal, and into turn towards more clear {{fantasy}}. While fantasy fiction was always there as a source of inspiration -- just remember where did Burzum get its name -- it only became more and more overt, with acts moving away from implicit Tolkienisms to quite open {{worldbuilding}}. Again, Erang provides a good example by basing his entire musical output on a fantasy world of his own devising.


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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Since it wasn't a coherent genre for at least a decade or two before people decided to label it this way, there's plenty of retroactively labelled dungeon synth that sounds more like odd sort of neo-folk or dark ambient as performed by people who are not competent in playing either. The thematic influence also has less to do with dungeons or fantasy than with pagan themes, etc.
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* GenrePopularizer: This role is usually attributed to Andrew Werdna as the one who brought the genre out of obscurity, and to Erang for his consistent and consciously labelled creative output.


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* HollywoodPrehistory: A staple of dino synth, one of the more tongue-in-cheek subgenres. The title of Diplodocus' first album, ''Slow and Heavy'', tells you what to expect from the subgenre; true to dungeon synth's deliberately antiquated aesthetics, it is fond of the old, outdated vision of dinosaurs as slumbering beasts living in a steamy swamp.

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Useful Notes / Media Notes are not tropes


+ BlackMetal, {{Ambient}}, FolkMusic, UsefulNotes/MedievalMusic

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+ BlackMetal, {{Ambient}}, FolkMusic, UsefulNotes/MedievalMusic MediaNotes/MedievalMusic



* UsefulNotes/MedievalMusic: Like we said, at some point some dungeon synth creators decided to go beyond fantasy Middle Ages and into the actual Middle Ages. The big acts to follow within this trend are ''Utred'' and ''Chaucerian Myth''.
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Indeed, with the Internet, came proliferation of acts and subgenres alike. Ca. 2020 (give or take some two years), the genre seemingly left the dungeon in which it had languished for so long and gained a measure of recognition. No, not really ''mainstream'' recognition... but now you only need to be familiar with odd stuff on the Internet, instead of being neck-deep in isolationist and at times intentionally repulsive subculture. Though some stood true to the "old-school", Internet-based acts began to differentiate by gimmicks, such as various genres of fantasy to draw inspiration from, or specific themes or moods to evoke within the broader set of genre conventions. Tracks sounding like classic old fantasy video game soundtracks appeared. At the far end, exist such things as "Cozy Synth", which share only a loose and much-stretched link with the original black metal acts.

to:

Indeed, with the Internet, came proliferation of acts and subgenres alike. Ca. 2020 (give or take some two years), the genre seemingly left the dungeon in which it had languished for so long and gained a measure of recognition. No, not really ''mainstream'' recognition... but now you only need to be familiar with odd stuff on the Internet, instead of being neck-deep in isolationist and at times intentionally repulsive subculture. Though some stood true to the "old-school", Internet-based acts began to differentiate by gimmicks, such as various genres of fantasy to draw inspiration from, or specific themes or moods to evoke within the broader set of genre conventions. Tracks sounding like classic old fantasy video game soundtracks appeared. At the far end, exist such things as "Cozy Synth" or "Comfy Synth", which are LighterAndSofter and share only a loose and much-stretched link with the original black metal acts.

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Mix And Match is now a disambig.


* MixAndMatch: Inverted; it's more of a "X Minus Y". Black metal minus the metal.


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* JustForFun/XMeetsY: Inverted; it's more of a "X Minus Y". Black metal minus the metal.

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Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for the murder of Euronymous only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now. British musician Jim Kirkwood, who between the late Eighties and mid-Nineties produced several albums of Tolkien-themed electronica, is nowadays considered an honorary founding figure of this early dungeon synth despite having no connection to the black metal scene.

to:

Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for the murder of Euronymous only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now.

Of other early influences,
British musician Jim Kirkwood, who between the late Eighties and mid-Nineties produced several albums of Tolkien-themed electronica, is nowadays considered an honorary founding figure of this early dungeon synth despite having no connection to the black metal scene.
scene. Also, the year 2001 saw the establishment of an Internet-based fantasy music radio station, Radio Rivendell. As with Jim Kirkwood, this is relevant as much as the radio is sometimes alleged to have had an influence on development of dungeon synth, by providing a source of fantasy-themed music unrelated to the black metal world.



The year 2001 saw the establishment of an Internet-based fantasy music radio station, Radio Rivendell. As with Jim Kirkwood, this is relevant as much as the radio is sometimes alleged to have had an influence on development of dungeon synth, by providing a source of fantasy-themed music unrelated to the black metal world.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for murder only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now. British musician Jim Kirkwood, who between the late Eighties and mid-Nineties produced several albums of Tolkien-themed electronica, is nowadays considered an honorary founding figure of this early dungeon synth despite having no connection to the black metal scene.

to:

Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for the murder of Euronymous only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now. British musician Jim Kirkwood, who between the late Eighties and mid-Nineties produced several albums of Tolkien-themed electronica, is nowadays considered an honorary founding figure of this early dungeon synth despite having no connection to the black metal scene.
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->-- '''Andrew Werdna''', [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170421121726/http://dungeonsynth.blogspot.com/2011/03/dungeon-synth.html Dungeon Synth blog]]

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->-- -->-- '''Andrew Werdna''', [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170421121726/http://dungeonsynth.blogspot.com/2011/03/dungeon-synth.html Dungeon Synth blog]]
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-->''Dungeon synth is the sound of the ancient crypt. The breath of the tomb, that can only be properly conveyed in music that is primitive, necro, lo-fi, forgotten, obscure, and ignored by all of mainstream society. When you listen to dungeon synth you are making a conscious choice to spend your time in a graveyard, to stare, by candle-light, into an obscure tome that holds subtle secrets about places that all sane men avoid.\\

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-->''Dungeon ->''Dungeon synth is the sound of the ancient crypt. The breath of the tomb, that can only be properly conveyed in music that is primitive, necro, lo-fi, forgotten, obscure, and ignored by all of mainstream society. When you listen to dungeon synth you are making a conscious choice to spend your time in a graveyard, to stare, by candle-light, into an obscure tome that holds subtle secrets about places that all sane men avoid.\\



-->-- by Andrew Werdna, [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170421121726/http://dungeonsynth.blogspot.com/2011/03/dungeon-synth.html Dungeon Synth blog]]

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-->-- by Andrew Werdna, ->-- '''Andrew Werdna''', [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170421121726/http://dungeonsynth.blogspot.com/2011/03/dungeon-synth.html Dungeon Synth blog]]

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--> ''Dungeon synth is the sound of the ancient crypt. The breath of the tomb, that can only be properly conveyed in music that is primitive, necro, lo-fi, forgotten, obscure, and ignored by all of mainstream society. When you listen to dungeon synth you are making a conscious choice to spend your time in a graveyard, to stare, by candle-light, into an obscure tome that holds subtle secrets about places that all sane men avoid.\\

to:

--> ''Dungeon -->''Dungeon synth is the sound of the ancient crypt. The breath of the tomb, that can only be properly conveyed in music that is primitive, necro, lo-fi, forgotten, obscure, and ignored by all of mainstream society. When you listen to dungeon synth you are making a conscious choice to spend your time in a graveyard, to stare, by candle-light, into an obscure tome that holds subtle secrets about places that all sane men avoid.\\



Dungeon synth is a small and mostly Internet-only genre of music that nonetheless has surprisingly long history. In general, it is a genre of electronic music that merges elements of {{black metal}} and {{ambient}} to create dark musical soundscapes evoking images of medieval times, castles, dungeons (it's right there in the title), and fantasy themes.

Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for murder only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now. British musician Jim Kirkwood, who between late Eighties and mid-Nineties produced several albums of Tolkien-themed electronica, is nowadays considered a honorary founding figure of this early dungeon synth despite having no connection to the black metal scene.

At that time, apart from scattered instances of the word [[MadLibThrillerTitle "dungeon"]], the genre did not yet have its name. It was a Weird Thing that existed, again, as either a side project of some black metallers who wanted to do something moodier than the average metal recording, or as a primary project of those black metallers who could not afford a proper set. If black metal was a much-avoided, but notorious castle existing in some far-off grim and frostbitten kingdom, this was its dungeon.

So what happened? Internet happened. It turned out the acts weren't restricted to a casette release of 666 copies available only through personal acquaintances of the musician anymore. Also, in 2011, a certain fellow by the handle [[SdrawkcabName "Andrew Werdna"]] set up a "Dungeon Synth" blog to record and review all these. He is credited with slapping the word "Synth" next to already present "Dungeon". Debuting a year later, Erang was the first to intentionally create music to be labeled as dungeon synth.

to:

Dungeon synth is a small and mostly Internet-only genre of music that nonetheless has a surprisingly long history. In general, it is a genre of electronic music that merges elements of {{black metal}} and {{ambient}} to create dark musical soundscapes evoking images of medieval times, castles, dungeons (it's right there in the title), and fantasy themes.

Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for murder only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now. British musician Jim Kirkwood, who between the late Eighties and mid-Nineties produced several albums of Tolkien-themed electronica, is nowadays considered a an honorary founding figure of this early dungeon synth despite having no connection to the black metal scene.

At that time, apart from scattered instances of the word [[MadLibThrillerTitle "dungeon"]], the genre did not yet have its name. It was a Weird Thing that existed, again, as either a side project of some black metallers who wanted to do something moodier than the average metal recording, recording or as a primary project of those black metallers who could not afford a proper set. If black metal was a much-avoided, but notorious castle existing in some far-off grim and frostbitten kingdom, this was its dungeon.

So what happened? Internet happened. It turned out the acts weren't restricted to a casette cassette release of 666 copies available only through personal acquaintances of the musician anymore. Also, in 2011, a certain fellow by the handle [[SdrawkcabName "Andrew Werdna"]] set up a "Dungeon Synth" blog to record and review all these. He is credited with slapping the word "Synth" next to already present "Dungeon". Debuting a year later, Erang was the first to intentionally create music to be labeled as dungeon synth.



By the early 2020's, whether or not the individual artists are, the genre at large is not anymore underground; since technical and financial requirements for entry are quite low, the number of acts keeps going up and new releases appear on [=YouTube=] almost weekly. And yes, some old-timers -- by which we mean "folks who were in at ca. 2010", Mortiis himself seeming to be just surprised and mildly amused with the impact that little phase he had in the Nineties had -- see it as [[ItsPopularNowItSucks A Bad Thing]]. Time will tell what is yet to come out of the dungeon.

to:

By the early 2020's, 2020s, whether or not the individual artists are, the genre at large is not anymore underground; since technical and financial requirements for entry are quite low, the number of acts keeps going up and new releases appear on [=YouTube=] almost weekly. And yes, some old-timers -- by which we mean "folks who were in at ca. 2010", Mortiis himself seeming to be just surprised and mildly amused with the impact that little phase he had in the Nineties had -- see it as [[ItsPopularNowItSucks A Bad Thing]]. Time will tell what is yet to come out of the dungeon.



* FaceOnTheCover: The face being a barely-lit and corpse-painted visage looming out of the darkness, per black metal tradition. Covers of albums not striving for old-school cred tend to be either straightforward fantasy art, or a piece of public domain artwork.

to:

* FaceOnTheCover: The face being a barely-lit and corpse-painted visage looming out of the darkness, per black metal tradition. Covers of albums not striving for old-school cred tend to be either straightforward fantasy art, art or a piece of public domain artwork.



* RecycledInSpace: At some point, acts inspired from genres other than Tolkienian fantasy began to appear. It may be PlanetaryRomance (''Knights of Nvrul''), SwordAndSorcery, or even ''Franchise/StarWars'' (''Bespin Moons'').

to:

* RecycledInSpace: At some point, acts inspired from by genres other than Tolkienian fantasy began to appear. It may be PlanetaryRomance (''Knights of Nvrul''), SwordAndSorcery, or even ''Franchise/StarWars'' (''Bespin Moons'').



* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: "Three chords" being dunn-dunn-dunn on a synthesizer, and "the Truth", the all-important mood.

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* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: "Three chords" being dunn-dunn-dunn on a synthesizer, and "the Truth", the all-important mood.mood.
----
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Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for murder only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now.

to:

Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for murder only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now.
now. British musician Jim Kirkwood, who between late Eighties and mid-Nineties produced several albums of Tolkien-themed electronica, is nowadays considered a honorary founding figure of this early dungeon synth despite having no connection to the black metal scene.



So what happened? Internet happened. It turned out the acts weren't restricted to a casette release of 666 copies available only through personal acquaintances of the musician anymore. Also, in 2011, a certain fellow by the handle [[SdrawkcabName "Andrew Werdna"]] set up a "Dungeon Synth" blog to record and review all these. He is credited with slapping the word "Synth" next to already present "Dungeon".

Although initially deriving its thematic influences from black metal and associated acts, the underground genre evolved. Medieval themes began to appear, calling out Music/{{Satyricon}}'s ''Dark Medieval Times'' for insufficient Dark Medievality (incidentally, Satyricon's Sigurd Wongraven was one of those early part-time dungeon synth creators). It began to move away from black metal, and into more clear {{fantasy}}. While fantasy fiction was always there as a source of inspiration -- just remember where did Burzum get its name -- it only became more and more overt, with acts moving away from implicit Tolkienisms to quite open {{worldbuilding}}.

The year 2001 saw the establishment of an Internet-based fantasy music radio station, Radio Rivendell. This is relevant as much as the radio is sometimes alleged to have had an influence on development of dungeon synth, by providing a source of fantasy-themed music unrelated to the black metal world.

to:

So what happened? Internet happened. It turned out the acts weren't restricted to a casette release of 666 copies available only through personal acquaintances of the musician anymore. Also, in 2011, a certain fellow by the handle [[SdrawkcabName "Andrew Werdna"]] set up a "Dungeon Synth" blog to record and review all these. He is credited with slapping the word "Synth" next to already present "Dungeon".

"Dungeon". Debuting a year later, Erang was the first to intentionally create music to be labeled as dungeon synth.

Although initially deriving its thematic influences from black metal and associated acts, the underground genre evolved. Medieval themes began to appear, calling out Music/{{Satyricon}}'s ''Dark Medieval Times'' for insufficient Dark Medievality (incidentally, Satyricon's Sigurd Wongraven was one of those early part-time dungeon synth creators). It began to move away from black metal, and into more clear {{fantasy}}. While fantasy fiction was always there as a source of inspiration -- just remember where did Burzum get its name -- it only became more and more overt, with acts moving away from implicit Tolkienisms to quite open {{worldbuilding}}. \n\n Again, Erang provides a good example by basing his entire musical output on a fantasy world of his own devising.

The year 2001 saw the establishment of an Internet-based fantasy music radio station, Radio Rivendell. This As with Jim Kirkwood, this is relevant as much as the radio is sometimes alleged to have had an influence on development of dungeon synth, by providing a source of fantasy-themed music unrelated to the black metal world.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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And somewhere at that point, roleplayers got in on the fun. Dungeon synth became recognized as just the perfect kind of {{background music}} to put on as [[KillerGameMaster you push your players]] through [[DungeonCrawling the dungeon you devised]]. Some dungeon synth acts were clearly alluding to this, their names being puns on TabletopRPG titles -- and in at least one case, having openly been published as a promo to ''TabletopGame/MorkBorg''.

to:

And somewhere at that point, point -- although the UrExample of this trend is likely Corvus Neblus' 1999 ''[[TabletopGame/CurseOfStrahd Strahd's Possession]]'' release -- roleplayers got in on the fun. Dungeon synth became recognized as just the perfect kind of {{background music}} to put on as [[KillerGameMaster you push your players]] through [[DungeonCrawling the dungeon you devised]]. Some dungeon synth acts were clearly alluding to this, their names being puns on TabletopRPG titles -- and in at least one case, having openly been published as a promo to ''TabletopGame/MorkBorg''.
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\\
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Created from YKTTW

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[floatboxright:
Primary Stylistic Influences:
+ BlackMetal, {{Ambient}}, FolkMusic, UsefulNotes/MedievalMusic
]
[floatboxright:
Secondary Stylistic Influences:
+ ClassicalMusic, ElectronicMusic, Music/VideoGameMusic, ScoreAndMusicTropes
]

--> ''Dungeon synth is the sound of the ancient crypt. The breath of the tomb, that can only be properly conveyed in music that is primitive, necro, lo-fi, forgotten, obscure, and ignored by all of mainstream society. When you listen to dungeon synth you are making a conscious choice to spend your time in a graveyard, to stare, by candle-light, into an obscure tome that holds subtle secrets about places that all sane men avoid.\\
\\
\\
I shall do my best to make you, gentle readers, aware of this genre. This genre that only attracts the most tortured of outsiders, those who long for the forgotten magic of the dead, to remain forever in the shadows of decaying tombs.''
-->-- by Andrew Werdna, [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170421121726/http://dungeonsynth.blogspot.com/2011/03/dungeon-synth.html Dungeon Synth blog]]

Dungeon synth is a small and mostly Internet-only genre of music that nonetheless has surprisingly long history. In general, it is a genre of electronic music that merges elements of {{black metal}} and {{ambient}} to create dark musical soundscapes evoking images of medieval times, castles, dungeons (it's right there in the title), and fantasy themes.

Dungeon synth's beginnings are traced to the early Nineties and the second wave of black metal. Black metal musicians often included ambient-ish tracks (particularly but not always the intros) on their albums, striving to evoke the same kind of dark, mysterious, and more than a bit scary mood without the typical black metal instrumentation. At the same time, the do-it-yourself, ThreeChordsAndTheTruth mentality of the scene meant that the tracks often had a peculiarly low quality to it -- as if they were recorded, you know... in a dungeon. The big names of this period -- although neither musician claims to be the TropeMaker -- are [[Music/{{Burzum}} Varg Vikernes]], who during his prison term for murder only had access to a synthesizer, and Music/{{Mortiis}}, whose Era I ambient albums were quite much the UrExample. Other black metallers also engaged in side projects which, while back then generally interpreted as off-shoots of various {{black metal}} sub-genres, are now seen as stepping stones to dungeon synth as it is now.

At that time, apart from scattered instances of the word [[MadLibThrillerTitle "dungeon"]], the genre did not yet have its name. It was a Weird Thing that existed, again, as either a side project of some black metallers who wanted to do something moodier than the average metal recording, or as a primary project of those black metallers who could not afford a proper set. If black metal was a much-avoided, but notorious castle existing in some far-off grim and frostbitten kingdom, this was its dungeon.

So what happened? Internet happened. It turned out the acts weren't restricted to a casette release of 666 copies available only through personal acquaintances of the musician anymore. Also, in 2011, a certain fellow by the handle [[SdrawkcabName "Andrew Werdna"]] set up a "Dungeon Synth" blog to record and review all these. He is credited with slapping the word "Synth" next to already present "Dungeon".

Although initially deriving its thematic influences from black metal and associated acts, the underground genre evolved. Medieval themes began to appear, calling out Music/{{Satyricon}}'s ''Dark Medieval Times'' for insufficient Dark Medievality (incidentally, Satyricon's Sigurd Wongraven was one of those early part-time dungeon synth creators). It began to move away from black metal, and into more clear {{fantasy}}. While fantasy fiction was always there as a source of inspiration -- just remember where did Burzum get its name -- it only became more and more overt, with acts moving away from implicit Tolkienisms to quite open {{worldbuilding}}.

The year 2001 saw the establishment of an Internet-based fantasy music radio station, Radio Rivendell. This is relevant as much as the radio is sometimes alleged to have had an influence on development of dungeon synth, by providing a source of fantasy-themed music unrelated to the black metal world.

Indeed, with the Internet, came proliferation of acts and subgenres alike. Ca. 2020 (give or take some two years), the genre seemingly left the dungeon in which it had languished for so long and gained a measure of recognition. No, not really ''mainstream'' recognition... but now you only need to be familiar with odd stuff on the Internet, instead of being neck-deep in isolationist and at times intentionally repulsive subculture. Though some stood true to the "old-school", Internet-based acts began to differentiate by gimmicks, such as various genres of fantasy to draw inspiration from, or specific themes or moods to evoke within the broader set of genre conventions. Tracks sounding like classic old fantasy video game soundtracks appeared. At the far end, exist such things as "Cozy Synth", which share only a loose and much-stretched link with the original black metal acts.

And somewhere at that point, roleplayers got in on the fun. Dungeon synth became recognized as just the perfect kind of {{background music}} to put on as [[KillerGameMaster you push your players]] through [[DungeonCrawling the dungeon you devised]]. Some dungeon synth acts were clearly alluding to this, their names being puns on TabletopRPG titles -- and in at least one case, having openly been published as a promo to ''TabletopGame/MorkBorg''.

By the early 2020's, whether or not the individual artists are, the genre at large is not anymore underground; since technical and financial requirements for entry are quite low, the number of acts keeps going up and new releases appear on [=YouTube=] almost weekly. And yes, some old-timers -- by which we mean "folks who were in at ca. 2010", Mortiis himself seeming to be just surprised and mildly amused with the impact that little phase he had in the Nineties had -- see it as [[ItsPopularNowItSucks A Bad Thing]]. Time will tell what is yet to come out of the dungeon.

A decent outline of the history of the genre can be found e.g. in this video: ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG6Svb0f_sM Dungeon Synth, A Long Introduction | Esoteric Internet]]''.

!!This genre exhibits the following tropes:
* DroneOfDread: There's some of it to build that gothic horror dungeon feel many acts aim for.
* EchoingAcoustics: Let's face it, if you want to sound like you recorded in a dungeon (the more so if you did actually record in a dungeon), you're gonna have those.
* EpicRocking: Really, it's hard to find a single track that ends in just a few minutes.
* FaceOnTheCover: The face being a barely-lit and corpse-painted visage looming out of the darkness, per black metal tradition. Covers of albums not striving for old-school cred tend to be either straightforward fantasy art, or a piece of public domain artwork.
* HeavyMithril: Yeah, the depths-of-Moria kind.
* IndecipherableLyrics: While initially it might have been an outcome of poor production quality second-wave black metal was infamous for, nowadays it's a conscious stylistic choice. Whether to emulate the "old school", or to evoke the imagery of something being spoken to you from a distant mythic past.
* {{Instrumentals}}: Quite common, really, to the point that having sung lyrics are more than unusual for a dungeon synth record.
* UsefulNotes/MedievalMusic: Like we said, at some point some dungeon synth creators decided to go beyond fantasy Middle Ages and into the actual Middle Ages. The big acts to follow within this trend are ''Utred'' and ''Chaucerian Myth''.
* MixAndMatch: Inverted; it's more of a "X Minus Y". Black metal minus the metal.
* RecycledInSpace: At some point, acts inspired from genres other than Tolkienian fantasy began to appear. It may be PlanetaryRomance (''Knights of Nvrul''), SwordAndSorcery, or even ''Franchise/StarWars'' (''Bespin Moons'').
* {{Sampling}}: Use of samples occasionally happens, though it's not common.
* SpokenWordInMusic: Quite common, with the words usually dramatically spoken, put in reverb, and indecipherable. Understandable speech might mean it's one of the early borderline examples.
* StylisticSuck: Lo-fi quality of the recording, poverty of instrumentation, and overall underground fantasy cheesiness are all a feature of this genre, not a bug.
* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: "Three chords" being dunn-dunn-dunn on a synthesizer, and "the Truth", the all-important mood.

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