Ready for part 2? :)
Part 2: Growing up + present
I was definitely what many would consider an introverted and nerdy kid during my teenage years. I won’t lie; times were rough in those years. Luckily, I had some friends with which I could share some of my geeky interests (before the term -became cool). The Final Fantasy video game franchise on the PS1 and PS2 was definitely a highlight during these complicated years. The cinematic storytelling and the characters’ stories in these games were unlike anything else I had experienced before and even helped me to understand myself on a rudimentary psychological level (I owe much to Final Fantasy VIII in this regard). Me and my friends recalled the adventures we had experienced in these games. Indeed, stories became my main thing in games, and other media in general.
Another change occurred in my later teenage years, when I discovered the literary fantasy genre (in no small part thanks to the Lord of the Rings movie Trilogy), Warhammer Fantasy Battle, and Heavy Metal. These I could enjoy with my closest friends, and was essentially the first time I truly felt like I belonged somewhere. The role Metal played in my life cannot be overstated; I’m still an avid listener, and expect I will continue doing so for the rest of my life. My eyes opened when I went to a metal gig for the first time almost twenty years ago, courtesy of Blind Guardian, and even moreso the next year when I went to the Graspop Metal Meeting for the very first time in 2007. Thousands of people came for the very same thing, even though metal genres can vary wildly in concept and composition. There was a common understanding between the fans, a kinship I had never experienced before. I felt liberated in a way. I owe it so much.
During my college years, I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons, which essentially combined all the elements I had enjoyed in my earlier years: fantasy, freedom, adventure, genuine connection with the people at the table, and the promise of a story. Not long after, I started my first campaign as a dungeon master, which I’ve been doing on several occasions ever since. I consider these to be my creative hay days, so to speak.
One of the most formative records of my life.
And so the years went by. I maintained contact with many of my friends, I got married, we bought a house, and lived a life which was by all standards good and sensible. That craving for fantasy and games never really went away, but it definitely became a “hobby” thing. However, not all was well, even though I didn’t see it back then. My creative spark had given way to an ambition to try and fit in both a job and society which relied on mundane productivity (because that’s what many of us are supposed to do, right?). Over the last fifteen years, I have had two burn-outs and bouts of moodiness tend to cloud my mind ever since. I lost a job in between these two burn-outs mainly because I didn’t fit in with the rest of the staff, and that part lingered for a long time.
A couple of years ago, I got sidetracked on a Youtube listening spree and came across Fief III. I was looking for music which could boost my inspiration for a D&D setting I was creating. At first, I thought it was peculiar and quirky. However, it didn’t take long for me to appreciate it for what it tried to evoke; that very sense of adventure the Exile games so many years before had promised. I started listening to Quest Master and Thangorodrim not long after, two projects which opened a portal to a world I had barely scratched the surface of. My friends and my wife were not into it, so like many years before with Warcraft II and the Exile series, I experienced this media alone. I slowly developed a soft spot for Dungeon Synth. It was a weird combination of nostalgia, innocent wonder, and an enchanting atmosphere which hearkened back to simpler times or fantasy realms. I started to like it, but I did not love it. Yet.
I missed an essential part which I had felt when I started listening to metal music, which was a sense of belonging. This all changed when I went to the third edition of the Dark Dungeon Festival in Belgium back in October 2025. It is a festival dedicated to Dungeon Synth and related subgenres, set in a medieval castle. I cannot say this enough; this is an event which has lodged itself into my memories for a lifetime. The nice people, the camaraderie of strange, nonconformist souls enjoying and/or dabbling into obscure music and the music itself brought forth a warm feeling I had not experienced since the first time I walked into a heavy metal venue and felt like I had come home in a way. This time, however, it was more profound. I now had the mental luggage of a grown man instead of a child.
The often overlooked Fief III.
In a strange way, it has come full circle. Dungeon Synth brings me back to that innocent time of make believe all the way back to Fantasia, Warcraft II, and the Exile PC game series. The genre has reminded me of things I could have lost; a sense of wonder, belonging, and sparks of creativity surging through my brain like electricity of a dynamo being put into motion. Listening to Dungeon Synth often feels cathartic to me. It is a font of nostalgia. It is of reclaiming memories almost lost and of dreams lived. It is also heartwarming to realize that I’m not the only one.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say destiny is involved, I do feel that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Dungeon Synth as much as I do without all the pieces of the puzzle coming together. The road had to be travelled to appreciate it, or better yet, adore it. Sure, Dungeon Synth is a far cry from the impressive orchestra of Fantasia, but it is evident that music always has had a strong effect on me, and that it will continue to do so.
#dungeonsynth #fantasy #metal #fantasymusic #music #dungeonsynthmusic #rpg #OriginStory #Roots #Backstory #Original #Foundations #spiderwebsoftware #warcraftII #gaming #fantasia #finalfantasyVIII #fief #blindguardian #warhammer #graspopmetalmeeting
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