When I bring my first kid to kindergarten, I have a ~10 minutes drive home all by myself, and I like to put on some DS, as it is one of the precious few uninterrupted moments I have all for myself. In December 2023, there was a debut with shorter songs that fit perfectly the length of this trip.
At the first listen, I thought it was a nice project, even if a little rough around the edges. I thought I'd listen to it once or twice and then move on. But, even in my limited time, the music brought me on a wonderful journey through a lot of different settings: the sea, the mine, the road home, the Great Dark of Kaldah... And I was completely amazed by the unique character of each place and by the awesome background ambiance complementing each track. At home, I listened again to the whole album and, the next day, on my return trip, I wanted to listen again to the mine. The day after, I wanted to reach the swamps... It turns out that, in all its apparent simplicity, Moss Knight is terrific for telling a strong story in such a short time, and I revisited this album more and more, to the point that it conquered a place in my heart.
In March, Adventures Across Hearth was featured on The Hearthen Ring, described by the artist as 'a fictional dungeon synth collective set in the fantastical world of Hearth'. Alongside this album, there was a second chapter in The Hearthen Tome.
Druidic Mudrites, published under the alias Moorlock, builds on the strengths of Adventures Across Hearth: catchy and well-characterized melodies, a seamless integration between songs and background ambiance, plus amazing worldbuilding and storytelling. It goes without saying that I was hooked from the very first listen. Compared to Adventures Across Hearth, right from the first notes it's cleart that we're not on the way home after many adventures; instead, we're gearing up for an epic confrontation, expressed marvelously by the more energetic riffs throughout the album.
This second chapter already hints at one of the strengths of Moss Knight, that became evident with their third release.
If you asked me what to expect from the next chapter of The Hearthen Tome, I would have never imagined a foray into Comfy Synth territory. Homestead, however, manages to both capture the canons of the genre, and stay true to the Moss Knight's perfect blend of well-crafted melodies and appropriate ambiance. I find it lovely when artists aren't afraid of showing their range and embrace wildly diverse atmospheres for their music: from a whimsical and relaxed journey, to a high-stakes quest filled with frantic moments, and finally to a soft and intimate retreat into the countryside, Moss Knight's music and storytelling is always spot on. And he achieved this while also retaining a cohesive overall feeling across releases.
By the way, this is also what I hope to achieve with my project. No matter how diverse my music, I hope that, when diehard fans put on a new album, some passages already have them saying: "aha, this is a typical ᚼᛁᛆᚱᛐᛆᚿᛋ trick!".
Back to Homestead: with this release, my respect and admiration for Moss Knight increased immensely. I'm not alone in thinking this, as tapes are available from the wonderful Fiadh Productions.
If you asked me today to guess what the next chapter in Hearth's unfolding sagas will bring, this would be my reply: everything can happen and, no matter what, it's going to be amazing.
Another DS artist who in 2023 started a multi-chapter epic with his diverse releases is Fenmoss. (And what a coincidence that both Moss Knight and Fenmoss have moss-related names ^^").
Great and nuanced compositions, epic lore that grows in scope at every release, and a fundamental interconnectedness between each release, Fenmoss is a recent DS project to follow closely. Reawakened Wisdom adds yet another layer of nuance and depth to an already amazing discography. But, as usual, let me start from the beginning. My first point of connection with his music - and epic - was Last of Dreams, a lovely EP with cosy overtones, perfect for the winter celebrations. It feels we can indeed enter Fenmoss-town with only a few steps, ending up in the tavern with a tankard of ale and sharing wintry tales with old and new friends.
The theme of tavern music was further developed in Permungus' Tales. The compelling music and the bickering characters (fully voiced as in an audiobook, with a fantastic level of detail) further consolidate the Vale of Dôm as a truly alive place, with tons of backstories that we're discovering as we delve further into Fenmoss' discography. In that release, it's possible also to appreciate how Fenmmoss is honing his skills further and further, and how he's shaping a unique sound that makes justice to the diverse cast of characters, settings and events of the stories he's weaving.
One of the aspects I love about Permungus' Tales is that it helped me connect also with earlier Fenmoss releases, such as The Puzzle Door. According to Fenmoss himself, this release and the wonderful Skullduggery are not 100% stories of the Vale (even if Permungus clearly knows at least one of The Puzzle Door songs!), but are inspired from the same love for classic tabletop RPGs and retro videogames. Nevertheless, in hindsight they feel very organic with Fenmoss' discography and also as far as storytelling is concerned.
I want to spend a few more words about Skullduggery, as it's such a unique and juicy EP. Pirate Dungeon Synth wasn't high on my list of genres to look out for, but Fenmoss mixed the right amount of traditional sea shanties and 80s metal and obtained two excellent songs worthy of the fiercest buccaneers. I dare you to listen to The Wild Runner without getting inspired to set sail on quests of your own. What's more exciting about Skullduggery is that Fenmoss promised it's going to be a part of a bigger release. I can't wait to hear that album!
Back to the present and to Reawakened Wisdom, I really encourage everyone to get carried by the tale and experience it as a book or a movie. The narrative is impeccable and the album includes some of Fenmoss' best tracks so far. I'm so glad and grateful to have met this artist and will follow him closely as he reveals more and more of the stories, history and legends of the Vale of Dôm.
ᚼᛁᛆᚱᛐᛆᚿᛋ, May-June 2024