Mining Metal: Aeturna, Beaten to Death, Boss Keloid, Comploratio, Dissimulator, Gudsforladt, Lugubrious Garment, Molocchio, Neuronal Autolysis

Mining Metal is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence contributing writers Langdon Hickman and Colin Dempsey. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts. Dungeon synth is often misunderstood. Or, more accurately, the music’s appeal is muted as discussions about its merits as a genre circle around how it builds communities, how tight-knit it is, how friendly the artists are and how permeable the layer between artist and enthusiast is. Else, they praise the aesthetics; the castles, the forests, the cozy mice (though this one is contentious), and the like. These are all appealing but they fail to get into the meat of the music itself, poking its tendrils but not stabbing at its core. Often, I describe dungeon synth as being anti-ambient music even though in many cases, it’s not dissimilar. Ambient music transports you from your current destination. It’s “as ignorable as it is interesting,” as Eno put it. Conversely, dungeon synth transports you to a specific destination. The former drops you in purgatory and asks you to bask in the emptiness. Dungeon ...