Kraslander - Kraslander's True Villainy
It’s always amazed me how much dungeon synth there is online. Somehow the idea of listening to video game music outside the medium feels tacky and lifeless. Kraslander's True Villainy, released by Kraslander (a side project of Gazers) on September 24th, 2021, does little to change my mind.
A shame, as there are some truly impressive moments early on. Tender Moisture has a beautiful synthy soundscape that could have been the perfect backdrop to a more developed song. The Plains at Night’s atmospheric ambience is heightened by well-placed bells and immaculate horns. To tie it all together is a wonderful production, with an admirable attention to detail. Outside its standouts, there’s far too much fluff, dragging the experience down. Songs such as the opener, Karikkas Burning, the laughable The Pump, Dragonslayer(loop) and the final three 59 second loops are all as dull as they are unimaginative. The album is very inconsistent in tone, jumping from ambience to EDM, prog rock and house without any context or smooth transition, resulting in a jarring experience.
Kraslander's True Villainy is missing is a drive; there’s a fairly consistent atmosphere throughout that is enjoyable, though it bears nothing of substance to glue it together, and often comes across as cheesy. It’s no wonder Gazer’s Nightmare Vision (2022) impressed me far greater, as it was able to utilise these soundscapes in a more meaningful manner. Sadly, I can’t recommend it to a fan of the band; they were smart to release it under a different name.
Bad
Listen to it here:
