Dungeon synth is a genre that merges together elements of black metal, dark ambient, and electronic music, along with influences from videogame soundtracks. As the name suggests, dungeon synth music deals with themes of fantasy worlds, myths and legends, and the cryptic and obscure.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4HDCk8HF4wyY1dJp0ciu5M?si=SuMh5qc6RLm6U7Wsn5tj_w&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/album/0BcQaNQJpqMG7759XhsZzZ?si=i41S_12PS2qZ7eXK7Lp6-g&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/album/1r3q10dSoUrTb7j2WB42Du?si=HR0wUcltQS-ynif7S7Sk-w&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/album/25h0q2av5lsgpRehtjEqQH?si=wPZTEOm8S9CfkntYtQacWw&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/album/1fHT0bmstN6nutVrLsW2gV?si=9LYN0Z9uQZ6w9cxL1CiOJw&dl_branch=1
Sadly dungeon synth is often called one of the most 'obscure' music genres, so there's going to be way more content online than on Spotify. But if you're really into the genre, the best places I'd recommend you go check out would be The Dungeon Synth Archives and The Comfy Synth Archives. They've got a really diverse array of albums and artists to listen to!
Dungeon synth is split into many subgenres, some of them merely tags for albums while others are subgenres in their own rights. Here are what I believe to be dungeon synth's three biggest genres:
Dino Synth: This genre deals with prehistoric life, such as dinosaurs or cavemen; besides the primitive and tribal sounds, Dino Synth songs will likely have stock animal roars and/or documentary narration.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3UywJblPsPvARpW5Gl7IEm?si=VJ9GPQHwRgefcxgonju5Iw&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/album/3nZCkORZ00WEuqpe3mvmYq?si=Q8ZkmBz4TquGVegwbW3U8w&dl_branch=1
'Old School': Old School includes initial dungeon synth albums from the 90s (when the genre began), along with throwbacks. Old School dungeon synth is usually dark in nature and tone due to its black metal roots; this is something many later artists later abandoned. A few albums are inspired by classic fantasy works such as Dungeons and Dragons or The Lord of the Rings.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7xphoD2yVP6PcjFkm2vAIh?si=Qxs5mmx4T9-DCESRcTdL5A&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/album/0gx64COFIr2aZLjtbYwQFG?si=4ovYoq5SSAa0gOzCHFXa3g&dl_branch=1
Comfy Synth: One of the most recent genres, emerging somewhere around 2019-2020 (the COVID-19 pandemic likely had a helping in this), Comfy Synth deals with the comfort and nostalgia of childhood. Common themes and imagery include food, folk art and music, family, illustrations from picture books, holidays, and games.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2GETXDhQbhtmUSUCy1aaZ1?si=YDceaXg7Tjq15wDY_iVBvA&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/album/2XPrRGtFq0cX2mJLr49elf?si=212gj4VER1qKrK24Eo1-Dw&dl_branch=1
I'd love to see favorite artists/albums of this genre; discussing your opinions on dungeon synth wouldn't hurt as well!
