Once again Old Tower conjures forth an album that leads listeners into a shadowy realm of haunting tranquility. “The Old King of Witches,” is more than just another dungeon synth album, but a journey across a mysterious archaic landscape where darkness reigns and one might begin to question all they once knew to be possible.
The Specter, the creative genius behind Old Tower, has proven to be an extremely brilliant composer within the world of dungeon synth and ambient music. In the absence of lyrics, one must be able to hook listeners with profound ambience, while also seamlessly guiding listeners through mesmerizing pieces of music that creates a cinematic sounding world. Old Tower’s last full-length release, “The Last Eidolon,” was an extremely impressive release, and an album that I considered to be one of the best albums to come in 2020. Compared to, “The Last Eidolon,” I find this new release to be even more darker and dives into this eye opening horror themed world in which there is an evil force lurking amongst this forbidden domain.
Each track serves as a small yet powerful piece in relation to the overall frightening story as you progress throughout the album. The Specter makes sure to add enough detail into eacb track order to really establish a vivid sounding environment. Right away you hear a bit of a departure from the traditional old school dungeon synth sound, and instead you can hear a more ambient style that feels like something that could be used as a film score. “Wych Totem,” is the album’s opening track and builds up suspense with eerie noises which throws you straight into the heart of this forbidden musical realm. At the end of the song a sharp ear piercing sound breaks the calm silence, as if you have reached the boundary line into an evil dominion.
During the song the, “The Dwelling,” I could imagine myself entering a decrepit old den where a cauldron is bubbling and candles surround a book used to summon malevolent forces. I really must applaud The Specter for arranging such compelling and realistic sounds, because once you start listening to a track you become completely possessed by every little noise that comes out of the speaker. On most dungeon synth albums you hear a triumphant yet melancholy sound driving the music forwarded, but on this release the gloomy and ghastly compositions lead you through a more mysteriously sinister atmospheric cloud of sound.
Other tracks on the album like, “Red Dragon Bones” and “Winter Embers,” continues to incorporate a plethora of sounds in order to provide more fascinating detail to an already monumental musical tale. The sounds of a crackling fire during, “Winter Embers,” that break through the glossy synth arrangement, leaves you feeling like you are standing all alone in a forest nestled away under a sea of dead mangled trees. A track for me that really stood out was, “The Drifter of Duskmire,” because the layering of different sounds during the song really hooked me from the beginning until the end. The synth arrangements are extremely well recorded and the other noises compliment the music’s insidious tone.
I would describe, "The Old King of Witches,” as a great example of how The Specter has a plethora of creative depth that is still being shown on each new release. This album is one of the most well produced releases to come out this year, and the fact that this album does not need words to create such strong mental images only reaffirms my respect for this artist. In my opinion, Old Tower is the king of dungeon synth/ambient acts right now and the kingdom established by The Specter is one that I hope continues to flourish in the dark confines wherever this artist dwells for many years.
Link to the teaser video for the album:
Old Tower Bandcamp:
https://oldtower.bandcamp.com/album/the-old-king-of-witches
Always great reviews Robby.
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