As is true of so many dungeon synth performers, the person behind Lord Bakartia also puts out music under a variety of other noms-de-musique – Grim Keep, Hiányzol, Sublime Solitude, Lord Orots, and others (as well as being the person behind the Dungeonlord Records label). About the only thing I do “know” is that they’re from Spain. And honestly that’s enough. One of the beautiful things about dungeon synth is that it’s fairly easy for an artist to remain anonymous if they choose. While the increase in the number of genre zines in recent years have introduced us to many performers in more depth, sometimes… sometimes it’s nice to have an air of mystery about music that is itself often mysterious.
Where Silence Speaks In Hushed Tones is one long, singular composition. The digital version runs for an hour and was originally released digitally in 2024. As near as I can tell the recently released cassette version, put out by Gondolin Records, contains the full track split across two sides. This is right in my dungeon synth wheelhouse, a few layers of simple MIDI chords drenched in gloom, the occasional cymbal crash or vocalization to break the hypnotic spell of the music. The effect is trance-inducing, the music rolling like low, wide waves, almost imperceptibly rising and falling. It conjures up images of dark, mist-shrouded forests, horse hooves running across soft ground, an armored rider with a sword at his side moving quickly not because he’s afraid, but because he’s on a quest that he must see through…
You can listen to and purchase Where Silence Speaks In Hushed Tones digitally on the Lord Bakartia Bandcamp page HERE. The cassette version was released in a numbered edition of 150 copies, but unfortunately it’s showing sold out on the Gondolin Records Bandcamp page (HERE), though it may be worth checking back from time-to-time in case they do a repressing. You’re probably going to have to find it on the secondary market, I’m afraid.