Conjured in some remote location by a musician shrouded in mystery, Old Tower's, “Stellary Wisdom,” is a soundtrack into a shadowy realm where ancient castle ruins stand tall amongst hidden landscapes lost in time and space.
The mastermind behind Old Tower known as, “The Specter,” is an artist who has become well regarded in the old-school dungeon synth community. I still remember when I first heard Old Tower’s, “Ruination, the New Dawn Cometh.” The track was an emotional sounding odyssey of captivating dungeon synth with a magnificent overall atmosphere.
“Stellary Wisdom,” once again demonstrates Old Tower’s distinct and mysterious dungeon synth talents. I feel like what the iconic dungeon synth artist Mortiis established with the landmark album, “Født Till a Herske,” Old Tower continues by crafting even more mesmerizing sounding compositions. Also, the music on, “Stellary Wisdom,” is extremely well recorded and the album’s overall production is flawless in my opinion.
The album features two brilliant compositions that both happen to last around fifteen minutes. “Deep Within My Somber Castle Halls,” is the album’s opening track which begins with a powerful presence of synth and establishes a very melancholy atmosphere. You feel as though you are traveling through an isolated mountain fortress far away from the modern world. I find the music to be very therapeutic and helps clear my mind. If you enjoy classic dungeon synth music with a strong ambience you will truly enjoy this track.
The second track which is the title track off the album, slowly builds up with a more ambient celestial sounding style. For me the recording conjured up mental pictures of an endless black sky leading toward an abyss beyond Earth and into another dimension. The Specter seems to be a master of recording and his ability to convey such vivid emotional sounds throughout the composition is rather impressive. I also liked the dynamics of this piece and felt like there were some moments of unpredictability that kept me paying full attention to every sound coming through my speakers.
I believe, “Stellary Wisdom, “ is not just the strongest dungeon synth album to come out in the past few years, but the album is also one of the strongest and most well produced albums to come out this year so far. For fans of early Mortiis and dark ambient dungeon synth, I think Old Tower is a power rising from the darkness that you need to check out. I highly recommend going back and checking out the band’s previous releases as well as this new one. Sometimes when you need a break from the chaotic modern world, the sounds of dungeon synth can be a great escape and Old Tower provides a great sanctuary for those looking to escape.
Preview the entire album below. Also subscribe to The Dungeon Synth Archives on Youtube. The person who runs that channel has some great bands to check out:
Link to Old Tower's bandcamp. Physical copies of the album are available. (Already have mine!) :
https://oldtower.bandcamp.com/album/stellary-wisdom
So soothing and relaxing to listen.
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