Tauregorath - Nocturnal Council
Been ages since last time Kalteldur have done a review in the name of Dungeon Synth! So let us all have a go at it, something BRAND new and FRESH from Freiburg, Germany (Just released today the 22´th of January). A 10 track only-digital-Bandcamp debut-album release.
I do not know ANYTHING about this act, but I have tried examining the info which comes along with the album. The band name doesn't reveal much, other than a name for a spinoff Harry Potter author and the second one about a Japanese sci-fi movie. Other than that the band name sounds great when you say it, sounds like that kind of demon which you probably should not summon... maybe the cover-art is clearly showing that demon? The body of a bat with the head from some member of the Residents? With the album title called Nocturnal Council, we are clearly dealing with a secret council engaging themselves in forbidden nocturnal pleasures of some kind?. The bürhermeister and all his servants perhaps?!
The first track In der Wolkenhalle of Azurebel, tells the listener of something sinister but hidden. A sacrificial ritual being committed, to please the bloody-thirsty demon! Maybe the demon gives that person a certain degree of power? He/she gives the demon sacrificial virgin, and that person will remain in the seat of power. A very powerful and atmospheric sinister treat with evil ritualistic intent. Second track drops down the epic feeling of the first track and lets the listener walk down the corridors/cellars of torture and despair. All the ghosts from days of old still remain there. Spine-tingling dungeon-horror synth (soundtrack to 7th Guest anyone?) with something which sounds like distorted guitars?. Interesting. The third piece gets back to that good old and rusty 8-bit dungeon sound meets Conan the Barbarian. Sounds like a sinister (but relaxing) celebration going on, something IS about to happen at any time (No doubt about it). As the track-title suggest Goblins Wizards Dungeon, a slightly martial merry but sinister tone being present. Fourth track Forbidden Hateful Spell starts as action-packed Dungeon Synth, but slowly slows down to calculated sound-intrigues.
I will not explain the rest of the tracks for you readers since the album in itself being well worth the exploring!. Obviously, it has been made by someone being... quite mad. The melodies and the moods are very naive BUT also eccentric in nature, which overall makes everything on the album very interesting. Very unique kind of dungeon synth, the sort of dungeon synth you could imagine to a horror-themed Dungeon and Dragons game (Ravenloft?). I loved it, will you?!.
Bandcamp (band):