MOANING SHADOWS – FROM THE DARKEST HERITAGE (REVIEW)

Title: From The Darkest Heritage

Artist: Moaning Shadows

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Genre: Dungeon Synth

Year: 2015

Country: Germany

Label: Swampkult Productions

Links: https://moaningshadows.bandcamp.com/releases
http://swampkultproductions.storenvy.com/collections/222804-swampkult-productions/products/15997608-moaning-shadows-from-the-darkest-heritage

Moaning Shadows is a new Dungeon Synth project from Germany which made a strong impression on me instantly. His debut “From the Darkest Heritage” is likely the closest release I’ve heard that resembles early video game soundtracks. The soundtrack influence is obvious in many Dungeon Synth projects, from RaevJager to Barak Tor. Moaning Shadows truly resembles the early video game days of old by approaching music with a more “8-bit” style. Not only are the synths used very primitive and in the vein of old 8-bit video game sounds, but the songs follow a similar structure. There are typically only a couple of instruments playing at any given time, sometimes only a single instrument. Old video game soundtracks were often limited due to data space restrictions, but Moaning Shadows is able to take this similar “limitation” and use it to his advantage.

In terms of composition Moaning Shadows also seems to be more advanced than the majority of Dungeon Synth musicians. His melodies are very developed and complex at a level I haven’t really seen since the demo days of Depressive Silence. Although the songs average at about 3 minutes each, the high level of composition and music theory displayed give the songs a quality that doesn’t leave the listener feeling as if they are short. This review is also based on the CD version released by Swampkult Productions, which features 11 songs rather than the 7 available on the bandcamp page. Fans looking for minimal yet complex Dungeon Synth should not be disappointed by the wonderfully primitive work of Moaning Shadows.