One of the things I truly enjoy about dungeon synth is the extras some artists add to their releases. Cassettes, being much smaller than records, lend themselves to being packaged in boxes or pouches with all kinds of surprises. There are some in the scene, of course, who think this is dumb and gimmicky and “you should spend more time and effort on the music”. And that’s fine. Fun is optional. Feel free to toss away the extras if you want or buy the “standard” versions. As someone who put out his own dungeon synth cassette (if you’re interested, check HERE), however, I know that thought and intentionality go into the packaging. It’s intended as part of the overall artistic vision of the release. And I for one am all about it.
Which brings us to Castle Zagyx’s Oath Of The Dark Chivalry. Put out by France’s Ancient King Records, the cassette comes inside a brown burlap sack, a metal sword dangling from the drawstring. Inside, in addition to the tape you’ll find a paper scroll held closed by a metal serpent ring. Unrolling the scroll you’ll find it contains the story of the Black Knighthood, their quests to recover the relics of Mastor (the founder of their order), and their role in the War of the Murdered Lady. It’s a nice little piece of world-building. The cassette j-card is hand numbered, the entire edition limited to 50 copies.
Oath Of The Dark Chivalry certainly has a fantasy feel, but one done in a sensitive way, the music having an ethereal quality as opposed to bombastic sword-and-sorcery. There’s a fragility here, almost as if the songs themselves were made of crystal. The instruments communicate a medieval spirit that fits the overall theme perfectly. We don’t get any closure here, no triumphant finale, but that’s because the Black Knighthood story continues on, just as does the endless war cycle of Ertbe. Young men enter the order, become knights, quest for relics of their founders, fall in battle… very few of them ever reaching old age and the role of elder.
Oath Of The Dark Chivalry can be streamed on Spotify or listened to on the Castle Zagyx Bandcamp page HERE. Unfortunately the cassette is sold out so you’ll have to try to track it down on the secondary market.