At the time of writing, it’s been more than six years since the world suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time. Many lives were lost. Mandatory isolation set in. Many of us felt trapped. We had to chew through one of the hardest challenges humanity has faced on a global scale in recent times. For many of us, we had to sit it out and wait, much to the detriment of the human psyche. Dark and trying times, to be sure.

However, there are those who manage to pour their soul into art in hopes of finding solace in difficult times. Such a story belongs to the artist behind The Wanderer, who is also the mastermind behind the Knight of the Sun project and his very unique subgenre of Solar Synth (give it a spin if you can; it’s great stuff). Journeys in the New North was recorded in 2021 when the pandemic was still in full swing and tells the story of a man whose life is altered through events beyond his control. I once had a quick chat with the artist after his performance, and he confirmed the record is a metaphor on how what he experienced during the days of the pandemic.

It is important to note that the artist has taken great care in creating the setting for the Wanderer. Not only is there a significant portion of worldbuilding involved here, but in order to fully understand the setting, I strongly recommend purchasing the tape if you can. It includes the entire story written by the artist himself, which should offer you a good picture of the setting and the adventures (and hardship) the Wanderer experiences. The excellent artwork provided by Hester Aspland adds to the immersion.

I will not go over the entirety of the album track by track or explain the story in full detail, because I believe this record is best experienced as an audiobook. What I will say is that each song represents a chapter in the story of the Wanderer, pretty much like any good novel. Each song follows the other seamlessly, which keeps us listeners focused. The titles are also pretty self-explanatory on the events which happen, but elements do get lost without the written story close by.

There are many elements of various Dungeon Synth subgenres to be found here. Traditional Dungeon Synth (“Alone and Forlorn”), Medieval Synth (“March of the Essermen” + “The Loss of Hope”), Comfy Synth (“Mushroom Grove”), and even Cosmic Synth (“Unknown Realms”) all have their place in Journeys in the New North. However, I do believe the Wanderer’s music on this record is more than the sum of several subgenres of Dungeon Synth put together. He surpasses the boundaries of the genre in an extraordinary manner. For example, the plethora of instruments the Wanderer showcases in this humble record is staggering. We hear, as you would expect, a keyboard, an acoustic guitar, tambourines, stripes of electric guitar, a pan flute, a hand drum, and various other instruments besides. I think many are synth emulations of other instruments, but even then it is very impressive. As such, I don’t believe the core is Dungeon Synth, but rather its elements are carefully chosen to serve a greater whole. In fact, I’m not sure if there really is a core music genre which can be pinned on this tape. Perhaps contemporary fantasy music is more appropriate? I’m not sure. I invite you to make suggestions of your own. What I can say is that there is a folky, medieval vibe throughout most of the tracks, but that hardly stands for a genre in and of itself.

The use of ambient music and sound effects (spoken word passages, sounds of physical struggle, birdsong, footsteps, the turning of cartwheels,…) is used to great effect here, so much so that I believe this record would not have the same impact if they had not been included. This becomes even more impressive when you consider the fact that the sound quality is top notch. Not a single element, be they instrument or sound effect, is out of place.

The amount of care which has been put into this humble little record is nothing short of impressive. I will say that it pays off to listen to Journeys in the New North in its entirety. The tracks are excellent in their own right, but fall short in terms of immersion.

It goes pretty much without saying, but I adore Journeys in the New North. The ability to pour heartache into art is one of the purest forms of human expression I can think of. I am left with nothing but respect, especially if the art turns out as excellent as this. I, for one, hope to see more adventures of the Wanderer in the future. However, the Wanderer does things his own way when the time feels right, and we should respect it as such.

Fenix Silvermoon approves, and declares: