Rattenkonig - Realm of Rats
Not to be confused with another Rattenkonig from Australia doing black metal. This Rattenkonig hails from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in France. Quite new and fresh, released the 3rd of December. And is second release from this dungeon synth act. First one was the Frozen Hills of Anzar, which came out back in October 2017. 2 only-digital mini-album releases, no physical releases (yet!).
It is a strange thing with Dungeon Synth really. You don´t have to be a talented mastermind behind the synth, but to do some of that and some of that can sometimes just be... enough. A simple and evocative achievement, using the right synth sounds to create the right atmosphere. And that is what Rattenkonig is all about, creating a mood which works. Not super tight and precise on the synth, but who cares? ... If the mood is right, then everything is right in my book.
It´s a dark world, a village stricken with rats... and the plaque. So who do you call?... The Rattenkonig!. For those who don´t know, the name for the act can be associated with the classic adventure tale. About the Pied Piber, who took care of a rat problem with his magic flute. Playing a tune or two, and made all the rats follow him away from the village. BUT, he isn´t paid a dime for it. So in revenge, he plays that flute once again and makes all the children follow him... who then all disappears. Another strange and more mysterious association is this :
"A rat king is a collection of rats whose tails are intertwined and bound together by one of several possible mechanisms, such as entangling material like hair or sticky substances like sap or gum. The number of rats joined together varies from a few to as many as 30. Historically, the phenomenon is particularly associated with Germany, which produced many reported instances. Rat kings occur so rarely that they have sometimes been thought to be cryptids, but there are several well-attested modern occurrences."
And that´s it. A wonderful and simple achievement with the right synths and mood. Sadly short, but works perfectly in the background for reading classic Brothers Grimm. Or for some dark medieval Roleplaying Game (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying?). A cassette release? ...
Bandcamp: