Soulside Eclipse is a dungeon synth project by Xisuma. Back in 2010, just before he began publishing on Youtube Minecraft videos, he's produced some interesting music. Forgotten Conquest is his only dungeon synth LP but is very cool to listen to nonetheless.

A Journey Begins features a heavy atmospheres. You can well imagine an army preparing for a long and perilous journey, and setting sail to the unknown. They are full of pride and courage, but it's still full of an apprehensive tension. The second tune is a bit lighter and a bit more mysterious, as the boats sail in the fog, not knowing what fate has prepared for them. And then, the expedition is attacked. In Drowning Tombs, the prince is the only survivor and we follow his adventures in the next songs. Unfortunately for him, his future does not look great. He is traumatized by the attack, and his conscience fades away while still being on a silent ship full of corpses. This track does real wonders in showing the state of mind the prince is, from being traumatized and lonely, to having his consciousness fade in a coma. Surprisingly, he wakes up in a cave. This part has a nice kind of warm and sparkly atmosphere which contrast with the rest of the album. He wanders in a cold world, in the Snow which absorb all sounds and give a cozy atmosphere, until he finally escape the cold lands. In the lush forest he is, he finally find his father's body. The king had succesfully survived the wreck, but died before he could see his son again. This discovery mark a turning point in Heroes End, as the melody becomes chilling again. The grieving prince finally decides to go back to the Ice as he has no wish to live anymore. The album ends on his last moments.

I haven't heard many dungeon synth album, but Soulside Eclipse was a nice and varied experience. The album is well crafted and delivers the story promised. If you want to see Xisuma's comment on his album five years after the release, you can find his review here. You may also want to see what he thinks ten years after the release in the first video of his music channel. I really enjoy following his musical discoveries. I do not share his taste on everything, but I've discovered some albums I would've unfortunately missed on his blog (and now on his music channel).

You can download the album (for free) here.

I like atmospheric music, but it's rarely as ethereal as Dark Ocean by Arctica. This whole album is very aerial and you're never sure if the music is real or if you're just dreaming. The vocals have an echoey tone. It comes and fades just like some waves. The piano uses both bass and high-pitched parts which goes well with the singer. Overall, the tone of this album is cold and quite dark, but it can also be a source of appeasement. It develops several layers of interpretation which is very promising.

Unfortunately, this is the only realease of Arctica and seeing how it was made in 2017, it may be that the project was put aside.

And to top it all, if you watch it on Youtube, the video of Years Of Silence with a cold sea in the background is perfect.

Sometimes, I want to listen to something calming, something nice, something fresh. Then, I may pick Mort Garson's Mother Earth's Plantasia. Composed in the 1970s on the Moog, one of the first synthesizer, this records is dedicated to "plants and the people who love them". This record features a soothing, round electronic sound. It's a synthesized symphony for plants, giving a nice fresh breeze to the listener. It's not the kind of ambient music which can be overwhelming. The melodies are both simple and rich enough to fulfil your heart. After being forgotten for a while, it has been brought back to attention in the recent years. I hope all the plant-lovers here will enjoy it.