Title: Beyond the River Skai
Artist: Trogool
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Dungeon Synth / Orchestral
Year: 2017
Country: USA
Label: Stressball
Inspired by the strange worlds of Lord Dunsany and H.P. Lovecraft comes the bizarre entity known as Trogool, music which is as strange and awe-inspiring as the authors who helped make this project a reality. I’ve been waiting for a Trogool full length album since I first reviewed In The Mists Before the Beginning two years ago. Now that I’m finally holding the album in my hands, not only was it worth the long wait, but this album has exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable.
To label Trogool as just another Dungeon Synth act isn’t fair, especially since no synth is used as far as I can tell. Trogool is one of those rare acts that transcends genre. While it may be Dungeon Synth in nature and style, it is also orchestral in arrangement and sound. Very high quality virtual instruments are performed with a “soundtrack” feeling, yet the arrangements unlike anything I’ve encountered in another project. While the Basil Poledouris influence was heavily present on the EP (which shared similarities with Lord Wind), Beyond the River Skai explores even stranger territories. The range of moods are just as vast as the tales of Lord Dunsany himself. Epic adventurous tracks across deserts where strange towers spiral from the sand, medieval faires where bizarre creatures in colorful clothing perform gleeman feats, dark corridors where unseen malevolence lurks along twisted paths. These songs invoke a feeling of nostalgia similar to the experience of trying to recall a vivid dream which you can no longer remember, a dream which was so strong it is hard to distinguish it from weird reality. Otherworldly and dreamlike, Trogool has created a musical experience forged by creativity and mastery of the all that is inspiring and strange.
Trogool’s music is so unique and original that is truly is one of those projects that must be heard to be understood. Music aside, the packaging of this release is possibly the best I’ve seen in Dungeon Synth so far. The artwork is of fantasy novel level quality, which looks amazing on the A5 digipak format. I was fortunate enough to receive the Die Hard edition which came with a flag, patch, and pin; the entire presentation is incredible.
For those who have grown weary of this world and long for other worlds, Beyond the River Skai is for you.
