Dungeon Synth/Experimental: Chiodata

Dungeon Synth/Experimental: Chiodata - Lucestas (2021)

74 / 100

The blend of psychedelic and modern dungeon synth feels both surprising and subtly nostalgic.

Alright, finally meeting Chiodata from Chile. The person behind this project is Claudio Cisterna, who has been active since 1999 and joined the label Ojo de Apolo under the name Flipper, while also founding the netlabel Impar. Despite his long activity, only four albums across four different labels are visible on Bandcamp. This time, the release I am reviewing is Lucestas.

Lucestas was released through Umé Records on December 18, 2021, featuring seven tracks that are more colorful and psychedelic in nature than what Bleu System offers. This may be closely related to the label’s description about humans creating all things unreal within virtual worlds or imagination.

From what I gather, Chiodata combines synths, bass, and other instruments to create abstract, imaginative bursts on “Delicsites” and “Fuscias” as the two opening tracks. Then “Lucestas” adds an ambient touch that enriches the fantasy texture, continuing into dungeon-synth nuances in the following tracks, reaching its culmination in the cold, subterranean airflow of the strongest and somewhat quietest piece, “Dominoes,” though there is a synth surprise at the very end.

Well, this turns out to be rather surprising, as I almost thought Chiodata would present a style least similar to Darren McClure’s or something dominantly synthetic, yet it actually sounds somewhat retrospective. This one is indeed unexpected and cannot be judged by its cover. In short, if you enjoy modern dungeon synth, I think Lucestas is quite recommended. Personally, I might choose “Dominoes,” although I am still slightly hesitant to include it in my favorite playlist.

Comments

Breakcore: Subheroine - End. (2025)

77 / 100 End. is Subheroine ’s most immersive and emotionally textured work yet ... Is being a week late enough to make a new release feel cold and stale? Maybe it’s the effect of our fast-paced modern world and the FOMO trend. Who knows. Whatever. Alright then, let’s welcome a new breakcore/drum & bass album (though it runs under 30 minutes) from Subheroine : End. ! End. by SUBHEROINE Released just on November 7 via Japan’s veteran breakcore label, Lost Frog Productions , End . delivers a noticeably more atmospheric vibe this time. So, tagging it as atmospheric drum & bass makes perfect sense, while the “depressive” tag seems to apply only to the cover art. But is that really the case? As always, there are surprises when reviewing music—those unexpected moments that make certain tracks sound more intriguing than expected. The most prominent depressive elements appear in the sampled voice of an anime girl sounding shocked or weakened in...

Soundtrack: Dragica Kahlina - Ava Chapter 1 OST (2022)

78 / 100 A compelling dark ambient soundtrack , best enjoyed by fans of atmospheric and cosmic soundscapes rather than traditional game OST seekers. Ava is a mobile puzzle game inspired by tarot cards , developed by Stardust LLC . It was released in four chapters, rolled out periodically between February 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. While there’s a claim that the game won an award, it was never explained exactly where or what it won. For the soundtrack of Chapter 1, Stardust LLC collaborated with local, Zurich-based artist Dragica Kahlina . Ava Chapter 1 OST by Dragica Kahlina Although the game came out in 2020, Kahlina only uploaded the OST two years later on Bandcamp , using cover art from Level 11: The Crown that features Ava herself. The atmosphere of darkness and cosmic vastness is strongly felt throughout the eleven tracks, built primarily on dark ambient foundations and layered with various sounds: echoing stick-like noises...

Avant-Garde: 1024756 - Dead Star Escape (2022)

65 / 100 A dense and dizzying journey into experimental and avant-garde territory, Dead Star Escape trades conventional structure for abstract textures and jazz-inflected grooves, shifting far from 1024756 ’s earlier hip-hop/soul leanings. Best suited for listeners who crave disorienting, free-form soundscapes rather than playlist-friendly tracks. Dead Star Escape is yet another abstract single from Brisbane , Australia’s experimental/avant-garde project 1024756 , even though neither genre tag appears on their Bandcamp page. Released on May 5, 2022, this track marks the artist’s second single. AUM173.3 - DEAD STAR ESCAPE by 1024756 Running for seven minutes, the song opens with the roar of machinery from a synth drifting in outer space, layered with the hum of alien waves. This slowly transforms into avant-garde rock territory, driven by drums and bass, with an array of keyboards and synths in a jazz-like manner, though notably without an...

Search This Blog