Magic Hilt is one of the many nom-de-dungeon-synth of the man known as Gray Friar, aka Forgotten Relic, Hidden Passage, and Lord Gloom, to name just a few of his other projects. For those not familiar with dungeon synth it might seem odd for one artist to perform under a half dozen or more different monikers, but I assure you it’s not even remotely unusual. Often stylistic differences separate them, but sometimes you just want to refresh and start over. It isn’t an abandoning of a prior persona; it’s embracing the intrigue and excitement of something new, dropping your bucket back into the well of inspiration and seeing what it brings up.
Saga Of The Glinting Steel leverages a robust organ sound as a foundational element. Slow, methodical, seeking more but in a minor key to maintain a sombre mood, trying to reach out of melancholy to grab onto something… a ray of sunshine perhaps, the warmth of it on the back of your hand reminding you what it means to be alive. The organ gives the album an internal consistency, creating its own ur-reality, a unique time and place that exists only to hold the music. Magic Hilt describes the inspiration for this project as exploring “themes of swordsmanship, warfare, friendship, exploration, and conquering those who are evil and, while it started as a grittier-sounding project, has embraced more of a fantasy-driven sound”1, and this is one of the beauties of dungeon synth – the listener’s own experience may be different than that of the artist, but both work, both are relevant, and both are enjoyable.
Let’s take a moment as well to talk about the packaging. This has been front of mind for me over the last week or so as I’ve been working on the design for a new cassette of my own (<— breaking news! More to follow soon!). The cover drawing for Saga Of The Glinting Steel is, frankly, perfection. It’s the perfect image for a dungeon synth album, so shout out to the artist Avery Bradshaw. The interior of the tri-fold J-card is given over to a single panoramic image of Magic Hilt performing live, taken by none other than Kaptain Carbon (IYKYK). This is one of my all-time favorite dungeon synth tapes from an aesthetic standpoint – everything about it just looks and feels right. Yeah, the music is the most important thing, I get it. But one thing I love about dungeon synth is the ways in which artists express themselves through their packaging, and this one is a beauty.
You can stream Saga Of The Glinting Steel on Magic Hilt’s Bandcamp page HERE. Unfortunately both the cassette (numbered edition of 75) and vinyl (numbered edition of 100) are sold out there and on the label’s (Realm & Ritual) Bandcamp page as well, so you’ll have to look to the secondary market if you want a physical copy.