Last month’s Mortiis show in Seattle was the first time I got to see some dungeon synth live and in person, and while I was certainly excited to see the OG himself I was also looking forward to the experiencing the other four artists on the card. One of these was Sombre Arcane (below), a wizard and warrior who conjured forth wave after wave of glorious dungeon synth anthems, the kind that left people pumping their firsts in the air and ready to plant their feet to receive the charging hordes on their blades. If their sound can be described in one word, that word is epic.
Originally released in 2021 (and earning a re-release on LP and cassette by Forsaken Relics earlier this year), Realmsong is Sombre Arcane’s second full-length album. Phranick and Naginah pair well together, combining electronics and analog instruments to create atmospheric, cinematic soundscapes that convey elements of fantasy, myth, and wonder. The mood is more somber (no pun intended) than their live set, but there is still heroism to be found here on tracks like “Dinomace” and “Return From Dragonspear” that will put you in touch with your inner us-against-the-world spirit and make you want to unsheath a sword or pull an arrow from your quiver.
The gems on Realmsong are the moodier pieces such as the Berlin School-esque “The Time-Space Conundrum” and the pastoral “A Day’s March Through The Ancient Elven Forest”. But if it’s uplifting you need, fear not my friends, because “Moon Sphere of the Dancing Court” is here for you, putting you in a tavern at that time in the evening when the kind of song begins that slowly ends all conversations, directing all eyes and attention to the performers as they invite the audience to join them on a journey.
You can stream and purchase Realmsong digitally at the Sombre Arcane Bandcamp page HERE. Both the 2021 and 2024 cassette versions are, I believe, long sold out, you can still get Realmsong on vinyl via Out Of Season HERE. As an added benefit, if you’re a gamer the vinyl version comes with materials for including Phranick and Naginah into your adventures as NPCs, as well as some short adventures centered on the Spiderweb Pub in Waterdeep, the setting of many a D&D campaign. As a gamer myself, if I’d have known that I might have gone for the vinyl instead because it sounds like a cool bonus.