Flickers from the Fen - Stoned in Gielinor II

Angry Metal Guy

I love dungeon synth, man. It’s the kind of thing I’ll throw on whenever I’m aimlessly scrolling through my Bandcamp collection, and it always hits the spot. It gladdens me to see the smattering of dungeon synth coverage this site has featured over the years,¹ but the albums reviewed hence are from the more traditional, spooky scary dungeon synth artists with harsh, raw instrumentation that hearkens to the genre’s roots as an offshoot of black metal.² Being a powerful wizard, I’ve always been more into medieval tavern gnomecore; the good stuff with comfy synths. What a blessing, then, that the promo Palantír would reveal Stoned in Gielinor II by Flickers from the Fen unto me, a comfy synth album based on the world of the timeless MMORPG Runescape.

This is a cozy album of warm, lush instrumentation, and is a real pleasure to listen to. The album evokes a lively medieval fantasy aesthetic through harpsichords and a live string quartet while maintaining the campy aura of old-school RPG’s with MIDI instruments. The MIDI soundscape of Gielinor II is similar to that of Quest Master, while the string instruments and songwriting lend the music a delightful whimsy akin to The Shakespearean Frog. Look to “For Guthix (Charge!!)” for Gielinor II at its best: a marching drum rhythm propels a triumphant MIDI melody and harpsichords that are somehow both powerful and utterly doofy, like a glorious brigade of funky little polygonal gnomes. The production is pleasantly lo-fi; the MIDI keys and the harpsichords are warm and soft, the strings sound clean and vital, and the drums, notably far back in the mix, are gentle and unobtrusive.

Stoned in Gielinor II by Flickers from the Fen

Nostalgia for bygone nights spent eating pizza and gaming runs deep within Gielinor II, but thankfully the music isn’t dependent on nostalgia by cynically asking the listener “man, remember Runescape?” Rather, Gielinor II stands strong due to its joyful songwriting and musicianship. I even logged back into Runescape to compare Gielinor II with the game’s soundtrack, which I have plenty of nostalgia for. Gielinor II is more energetic and richly layered. “Scuzz and Flame” harmonically weaves a harpsichord and MIDI melody together, building into a joyous fanfare. “Silly Beast” is a playful waltz that closes with a stringed instrument refrain that always seems to surprise me with how emotional it makes me. That live-string quartet is such an effective aspect of the music. When the strings are paired with the simple strength of Gielinor II’s melodies in the swelling peaks of “Morning in Catherby,” “All is Not Quite Lost,” and “Halfway to Isafdar,” the album’s nostalgic heart resonates in a way that goes beyond memories of Runescape and strikes a deeper, more profound chord.

Gielinor II is an easy, unassuming listen that doesn’t ask much of you. The album spans an unintimidating 30 minutes, segmented across 14 bite-sized songs, where the longest track doesn’t even break three minutes. No song outstays its welcome, and it’s only a few short moments before the next quaint idea begins if you ever find yourself disengaged from a song. Rarely did I find myself disengaged, but it did happen; the fuzzy bass guitar in “Gaunt’s Chapel” is a singular sonic departure that, while not unpleasant, somewhat clashes with the rest of the album’s vibe. “Gods in the Keller” is perfectly fine whenever I play it alone, but I’ve found my mind often glazes over it, perhaps because it’s the only neutral point in an otherwise stellar second half. This is fairly minor, but I think “Roots in the Rafters” is an unnecessary 21-second prelude to “Gielinor Hardcore” that easily could have been absorbed into the latter and still end up under 2:30. But really, there’s nothing that hurts the overall experience, which has remained consistently positive after many replays.

It isn’t lost on me that Gielinor II is a fairly severe departure from the usual AMG fare, and the margin of interest in a hyperspecific genre like Comfy Nerd Synth is probably narrow. It could be said that if you haven’t acquired a taste for dungeon synth, Gielinor II won’t be the album to change your mind, but I invite you to prove me wrong. Gielinor II is a delightful, easily digestible platter of strings, MIDI synths, and whimsy that revels in nostalgia without drowning in it. It’s the perfect soundtrack for 30 minutes of wearing a smile.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self Release
Websites: Bandcamp | Runescape
Releases Worldwide: September 6th, 2024

The post Flickers from the Fen – Stoned in Gielinor II Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.