Rising forth from the murky depths of the ocean, Sunken Basilica presents its self as the latest addition to the Moonlight Cypress Archetypes. A avant-garde dungeon synth release that takes heavy inspiration from classical compositions from the likes of, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Elliott Carter, Charles Ives, and Henryk Gorecki, create for a very sophisticated sound that’s done in a modern approach relying on organs and its synthesizer counter part. This is certainly a dense album with dizzying melodies and ethereal harmonies that transport you to lost empires devoured by the crushing waves of Posiden. Certainly not your average dungeon synth release.
There’s a lot to unpack with this dense album. While only running for around 30 minutes, it feels much longer, with its drawn out droning synths and dark atmosphere, you certainly can get lost within the soundscapes at hand. Personally, I feel as though this release strikes a perfect balance between striking imagery and presentation and excellent songwriting and production. There’s something about the way this album is produced that creates images of sunken Atlantis ruins sitting at the bottom of the sea with the spirits of past inhabitants wandering around, wailing away like on the later half of this album, where twisted and harsh vocals are screeched out in a dark void. A very impactful approach that I feel is a perfect addition to this release that I didn’t even know it needed, it just made so much sense.
There’s a reason why I listed off the names of a few different composers as these were the straight forward influences for these tracks. Now, I’m not personally very well versed with classical composers in general, but, after giving some of those names a listen, it became very apparent to me just how much of an influence they were on this release. The dreary atmosphere, the hypnotic compositions, and the beautiful way they tell stories through sound are all apparent within Sunken Basilica. The only difference to me would be the digitized approach and harsh production that creates a different atmosphere that those composers I’m sure would envy.
Personally, I’ve found this album to be amazing and a perfect addition to the Moonlight Cypress Archetypes label. All of what you expect from that label is in this release. Creative songwriting, heavy atmosphere, near perfect execution in the approach. So far, I’ve yet to be disappointed, and certainly have become a deep fan. As of writing this release, the album will be released on August 26th, be sure to keep and eye out for the label and this release.