Title: Into Darkening Woodland
Artist: Faery Ring
Rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Dungeon Synth
Year: 2015
Country: England
Label: Self-released
“After some time, and shortly after the slow ascent of the sun has commenced in earnest, the path widens, and the company finds itself looking down a hill at a large body of trees, into which their path leads. At the point of entry, the path has significantly widened, and has become a sunken lane. The tunnel effected caused by the trees makes the lane seem dark, and in contrast to the ever-brightening sky and the verdant greens of the trees, it cuts a dark, gaping maw into the view….
They are getting close to the forest….”
These are the opening lines of the booklet for the Into Darkening Woodland demo by English Dungeon Synth project Faery Ring. I first listened to the project just based on the demo name alone, which instantly invoked the feeling of a 90’s Dungeon Synth release. Since first obtaining this demo I have listened to it on repeat many times, constantly wanting more than the 12 minutes of runtime. Faery Ring has created a demo which is some of my favorite Dungeon Synth since the Hedge Wizard tape or Medhelan’s “The Minstrel’s Fireplace Tales” EP.
Faery Ring is a new Dungeon Synth project by mastermind Blackthorn, citing mutual favorites of mine such as Skarpseian, Exclamavit, Murgrind, and the Dungeon Lore label as influences, among other contemporary champions of the genre. Although this is a demo, the production is quite excellent. The opening track Nocturnal Journey Into Darkening Woodland instantly bombards the listener with crisp heavy brass and rumbling bass sounds, all while balancing soft woodwind melodies. Light percussion is also included, which add a nice folk element to the music before taking the listener back into the epic, adventurous sounds of brass, woodwind, and choir. The production enhances the experience of the listener to become lost in the mythical world that Faery Ring has created.
The second track Under Black Rain, Trolls Gather features a much darker approach with gloomy strings and stronger orchestral percussion, creating the image of a troll army gathering in the night. The written concepts behind each song are another reason that Faery Ring’s music is so impressive; each song is another chapter in an original story. While I won’t give too many details about the story here and I encourage everyone to purchase the demo to obtain the booklet, Blackthorn also shows a talent for creating original storyline ideas and arranging the written concepts in a sword and sorcery manner. This helps to further engage the listener and enter the hidden realm created by Blackthorn.
Dusty Corridors of the Fey Queen’s Castle is a short but nice key and flute interlude which leads into the epic finale, Vanquishing The Troll King. The heroic brass and percussion arrangements here are really excellent, bringing to mind some of the work done by Murgrind on his masterpiece “Inheritor of the Forest Throne”. Just as Nocturnal Journey Into Darkening Woodland actually sounded like the introduction, this track serves wonderfully as a closing song.
The last page of the booklet features a photo of Blackthorn in the woods, holding a walking staff and clad in a robe complete with medieval garb and mask, with the text “Keeper of lore, and reader of the runes and stars”. This leads me to my final point about why Faery Ring’s music is so great; he has mastered the art of Dungeon Synth aesthetics. Everything from the folklore inspired name of the project to the presentation of the music both in terms of composition, sound, style, and visuals, Faery Ring is the result of a Dungeon Synth purist who truly loves and understands this obscure form of music. While Faery Ring has not reinvented the genre or broken any stylistic boundaries, Blackthorn has simply harnessed the fire of Dungeon Synth and bears the torch in his own original way. Fellow Dungeon Synth diehards will likely not be disappointed by giving this demo an honest listen, and see how deep into the woods you can go in a mere 12 minutes.
