Subterranean Music Index: #15. DJ Count Olkoth- …Welcome To The Dungeon House

Year Of Release: 2022

Label: Northern Doom Records

Genres: Tänzelcore, outsider house

Tracklist:

1. Entering The Castle Walls (0:32)

2. Vampyric Desasters (3:05)

3. Messages… From Beyond! (2:40)

4. The Living Dead Who Follow Strangers (1:23)

5. Wherein The Black Death Has Reaped Its Harvest (2:45)

6. Lord Of The Rats (2:37)

7. The Invisible Priest (1:47)

8. The Cruel River Continues… (1:34)

9. Lightning O’er The Gates (3:00)

10. Vânător (2:12)

11. Trapped Forever (2:40)

12. Our Vile Drummers Play On! (2:06)

13. Wings (1:52)

14. Infernal Grasp (1:38)

15. Sangromancer (2:53)

16. Exiting The Castle Walls (2:14)

So, for those unaware, tänzelcore (“tänzeln” is German for “dancing”) is one of the many, many offshoots of dungeon synth. In this case, it mixes the moody fantasy atmosphere of dungeon synth with influence from various EDM subgenres, usually (but not always, as today’s album demonstrates) techno and freakin’ gabber of all styles. It’s closely related to Keller synth, a DS scene that interprets black metal themes and atmosphere entirely within a dungeon synth context. It should be noted that this scene does have a bit of a reputation for quite a few artists being very sketchy, if not full on fascist, but from what I could find researching this artist, he doesn’t seem to be into that Nazi bullshit and has made several antifascist statements throughout his various music projects and on social media. Now that the little introductory lesson is over, let’s get on with the review!

See, this is the kind of creative, “out there” shit that I just can’t get enough of! Taking the epic high fantasy computer RPG trappings of dungeon synth tunes and turning them into party bangers was an ingenious decision. It’s still highly atmospheric, but it reinterprets that atmosphere with raw, lofi outsider house beats that’ll surely make anyone want to dance. And something I appreciate about the dungeon synth elements in particular is the unique vibe this goes for. While the medieval realm of wizards and knights and dragons and the crown are generally the order of the day, this one instead goes for a gothic horror kind of feel. With references to vampires, spirits, and all manner of dark magic, paired with the gloomy, eerie, haunting synth melodies, it’s kinda like exploring a creepy, almost certainly haunted castle, but you just can’t help but to bust a move. Even Dracula likes to let loose sometimes!

Let me just put it this way: if good music existed in the 19th century, this would surely be a hit in all the Transylvanian nightclubs.

FIND IT HERE-

Bandcamp: https://northerndoom.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-the-dungeon-house

YouTube: https://youtu.be/FHG68i2wSnY and https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_leFpKDe3WTtjv9szKnUn1yCOPO5PJBl08&si=ETMVI36WzM6qveIN (playlist)

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/welcome-to-the-dungeon-house/1652368115

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/3395807367 and https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/2948921023

No Mames Distro: https://nomamesdistro.bigcartel.com/product/dj-count-olkoth-welcome-to-the-dungeon-house-cassette

RATE, CATALOG, AND DISCUSS-

Rate Your Music: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/dj-count-olkoth/_welcome-to-the-dungeon-house/

Album Of The Year: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/590184-count-olkoth-welcome-to-the-dungeon-house.php

Last.fm: https://www.last.fm/music/DJ+Count+Olkoth/...Welcome+to+the+Dungeon+House

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/25463377-DJ-Count-Olkoth-Welcome-To-The-Dungeon-House