The news of Out Of Season’s July 4th weekend sale hit me at just the right time. And by just the right time I mean while sitting on the couch during the first night of a four-day holiday weekend after I had a few drinks in me. Before I knew it I’d clicked the confirmation button on an order of not one, not two, but three different box sets – one vinyl, one cassette, and one CD, which is a little too close to comfort to one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer. But I had no regrets, especially when the box arrived with all of it’s dungeon synth goodness.
The first thing I sat down with was this new CD box set re-release of the first four Fief albums, simply titled I, II, III, and IV. Originally put out into the world individually between 2016 and 2018, this music quatrain has seen packaged releases on CD and cassette in 2019, 2020, 2023, and most recently in 2024, which speaks highly of the continued demand for these albums. This 2024 set features all four albums on CD, the sleeves capturing the original artwork, and all packaged in a slipcase. While I generally prefer my dungeon synth on cassette, when faced with the choice between the 2023 cassette box set for $40 and this one for $20 the CDs seemed like too good of a bargain to pass up.
I opens beautifully, the music capturing what we perceive as the sounds of a medieval court. I’d be hard pressed to say precisely what instrumentation is being used, but we are treated to a combination of keys, strings, and woodwinds. At its simplest dungeon synth tracks may feature only one instrument at a time, but Fief creates layered sounds that, while seemingly simple, display intricate interwoven layers that make the tracks absolutely delightful and bright. II is a thematic continuation, though tracks like “Deep Forest Dance” are perhaps a bit more uptempo than their predecessors. III builds upon both, Fief finding subtle new ways to up their game, most notably on “Morning In The Misty Valley”, which offers a slightly more orchestral approach, though one that retains the overall vision.
Often one album is a good, full dose of dungeon synth for my ears. But with I-IV, Fief gives me something I can listen to for hours, small moments of joy occasionally bubbling up to the surface and into my consciousness to put a smile on my face.
Fief I-IV is available on the Out Of Season website HERE, and you can order with confidence. The CD box is in an edition of 500, so I don’t expect it to sell out super fast, but given how excellent these albums are, you’d have to be crazy to pass it up for the $19.99 price. As a bonus it also comes with a download code, which is handy should your CD player not connect to your computer or devices. You can also listen online and purchases digitally for just a few dollars per album at Fief’s Bandcamp page HERE if you’d prefer to support the artist directly.