ALBUM REVIEW: Starflesh – Spife/Sunken Basilica
With the high number of new acts that seem to appear on an almost weekly basis within the world of dungeon synth, there’s bound to be a few brilliant acts that slip under the radar and quietly go about their own thing for a while before a lot of people begin to take notice. SPIFE and SUNKEN BASILICA are two such bands; where the latter are a relatively new act that are focused solely on dungeon synth, the former draw a lot of influences into their sound, from dark ambient to black metal, and have even performed live on a few occasions, with both giving Tennessee a reputation for brilliant dungeon synth in the process. The two bands have joined forces for Starflesh, a great split that showcases the scope of what dungeon synth can sound like and how great it is as a storytelling device.
This record begins with SPIFE‘s tracks, the first of which, The Writer, sets the tone for what’s to come with a sonorous, droning sound over which haunting, disjointed violins are imposed, adding an eerie, ominous feel to the music that is hypnotic but also unnerving. It gradually builds this morose atmosphere as it progresses, making an immediate impact with the most spartan of musical tools. The Deadline Is Here And I’ve Naught For It is, if anything, more stark than the preceding track, with a thicker undercurrent and gothic flourishes pushing this firmly into the realm of dark ambient, with the end result being a monolithic slab of minimalism that draws the listener further into the record’s sound.
The Stars Through My Window proves to be a continuation of this sound, but shifts slightly towards an angelic, lighter sound that sees the jarring melodies of the album’s opener return with full force, tempering the crystalline backdrop with a primal, folky edge. When A Wish Comes True lurches away from the softer elements of the previous track and opts for a denser, darker sound that is, for the most part, uneventful and fairly reserved. That is, until its closing moments, when heavily distorted, tortured vocals appear, shifting the sound squarely into noise territory. Starflesh Audio Narrative Experience departs almost entirely from purely musical expression and turns into a spoken word narrative, with the exception of a few drawn out synth passages. It’s a great addition, and adds an immersive extra dimension to the record that has elements of both fantasy and Lovecraftian horror interwoven into it, with the story itself being incredibly well written.
Where SPIFE‘s side of this record featured expansive compositions built around ambience and drama, SUNKEN BASILICA adopt a punchier tone. On Starlight Currents has a classic dungeon synth sound, with the unpolished production not being able to detract from the grandiose hooks and soaring chords, providing a livelier contrast to what came before it. Icy Grasp Of The Heavens is reminiscent of some of Jim Kirkwood‘s best tracks, sounding as though it is being played on an organ whilst an icy tundra blows around it. Looking Down From Above shifts towards swampy, tinkling ambience that is quite subdued, but just as impressive in how ethereal its swirling sound is.
The Fright Of Empty Skies sees the organ-based sound return, but this time in a dissonant and uncomfortable way, departing from the softer elements of the previous songs entirely and creating one of the most unnerving tracks on this record in the process. Communing With The Stars returns to the jangling feel of Looking Down From Above, but places a greater emphasis on dancing melodies to drive the music, making for a catchier sound that should have been explored in more depth. Traveling Along Moonlight Beams is another great piece of traditional dungeon synth that combines epic fills with equally bombastic rhythms, making it instantly memorable and fantastic, although again it’s unfortunately fleeting.
Moonlight Beams finishes off this polished trio of excellent tracks with a blend of sharp synths and full blown ambience, mixing this together with dungeon synth and resulting in something extremely effective. The last two tracks, Lonesome Peace Amongst Heavenly Bodies and The Slow Consuming Maw Encroaches Around The World, take the sound of the last three tracks and apply a suspenseful approach to the songwriting that transforms this into a low-fi take on a horror movie soundtrack, completely departing from the core formula of this half of the record and creating something that is both powerful and cinematic.
Although you would expect a split featuring two acts, even ones within the same genre, to have some contrast within them, the difference between the material both bands contribute to this record is quite stark. Where SPIFE seemingly draw a greater influence from dark ambient, sharper production quality and longer musical forms to create something that’s genuinely cinematic at points, SUNKEN BASILICA remains much truer to a classic dungeon synth sound, with the murky mix and light melodic touches making their songs, in spite of how short some of them are, that much more effective. Both SPIFE and SUNKEN BASILICA are two of the more impressive bands to emerge within dungeon synth over the last couple of years, and it’s great to see both bands collaborating here and creating something that is varied and complementary in its vision and execution, meaning that hopefully Starflesh will gain both of these acts some well deserved wider attention.
Rating: 8/10
Starflesh is out now via Fiadh Productions.
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