Get ya self some tapes pt. 3 (w/ bonus Lost Codex table!)

Time for another round of haunting, jamming black metal and dungeon synth in its physical form. And why tapes? Well, they look kinda cool in their own aesthetic way, they make a ka-chunk in the machine, and some of them are literally hand-dubbed and decorated by the musicians or indie label dudes. They have sort of a grungy quality to the sound (especially if your machine makes a tape hiss). A worthy addition to your table if you like to physically DJ the soundtrack to a session.


Warduke- Module 1 Dungeon Chip Music? Yup. It takes the point-and-click or text-based vibes of classic DS and says "But what if Zelda?", and it works. Despite high recommendations for Warduke's discography across the board, only Module 1 seems to be available in physical form. Comes in this goofy clamshell, so you could put it on the bookshelf instead of the tape box. Sadly, there is no module within. You can either write a letter about it, or go to heimatderkatastrophe for another tape, since they include gameable content in a lot of their tapes.

Nahtglimel- Der Synnen Forst Clear, melancholic, melodic music with a very sylvan vibe. Low in menace, high in enchantment and mystery, one of the most evocative soundscapes I've found in the fantasy ambient genre. The name translates, as best I can tell, as "the meditative forest". Excellent for scoring Fangorn-type locations, sweeping twilight vistas, or glimmering cavern delves. Also instructs Nazis to fuck off and die, which is a plus.

The White Hand- Moon Sword Thrashened black metal with excellent classic trad-metal riffs. A combination of 2 records, one a live performance with charming stage banter/calls to ride into battle and a lot of recording artifacts, the other a studio demo with an excellent execution, if flat production (perfect for a cassette!). Live black metal recordings are exceedingly rare, so you can listen to this one to get that just-got-back-from-the-garage-concert vibe.

Thangorodrim- The Darkening of Valinor Icy, reverberating synth evoking a cold, clear night, looming war, marching minions, and the commands of a stentorian overlord. Its esoteric production is a strong factor in its appeal. The reverb and echo, the creative layering of fairly simple individual elements is pretty engrossing for active listening, or perfectly ambient if that's what's called for. It has a feel of a compilation of early material more so than cohesive album, and it isn't sequenced very elegantly, but it is effective and atmospheric.

Warlock Corpse- Leaving this Rotten World Quite a different sound from Cosmic Spell, this one includes some straight up black metal elements in place of sound collage and is not quite as psychedelic but still a refreshingly strange and hook-filled, energetic piece. 

Gnoll- Cro-Man Gnoll Dungeon-Synthifies Basil Poledouris' legendary Conan score. It's a perfect fit for DS, especially the titanic drum sound that DS basically stole from this score in the first place. If you want some Dungeon Crawl Classics Synth, this is what you are looking for.

Casket of Dreams- Primal. Ancient. Legendary An absorbing hybrid of Medieval Ambient and cinematic fantasy compositions with classic synth tones & drones. Rope-swinging, clifftop battle-having, horseback-pursuit, oracle prophecy-listening stuff.

Erythrite Throne- Call of the Northern Moon Icy, synth-filled black metal, heavier on the keyboards than the guitars. One of many in Erythrite Throne's discography. If you like Thangorodrim and want some black metal to pipe in every now and then, this is your jam.

Check out some more dope tape lists here and here. Gameable content included!


d8

Lost Codex

1

Warduke’s Plans vol. 1: The drafted plans of a nefarious faction leader, massing his troops 

for invasion with the ultimate goal of achieving unending lichdom. Unfortunately there is 

no way to know how it ends, nor indication of whether the plans are past or present.

2

The Somber Forest: A soothing childrens’ tale, squarebound in a colorfully painted wooden 

cover. If read aloud while resting, those who hear it are guaranteed easy slumber filled with 

dreams, with a 90% chance they are restful, 10% they are oddly haunting. The reader 

themselves must roll a save versus Magic or fall into a deep, snoring sleep mid-story, preventing 

all others from resting.

3

Moon Sword: Crafting instructions for a mighty blade, meant to contain the frigid serenity 

of the moon’s rays. Different “phases” are depicted, with the coloration and powers of the sword 

described as they change in accordance with the moon.

4

The Darkening of Valinor: A chronicle filled with much begetting, betrothing, and 

betraying. Jewels are stolen, lights are extinguished, immortality is lost, it’s all very 

meaningful and symbolic. As dense as this all is, it’s only an appendix to some other, 

much larger, work.

5

Leaving This Rotten World: A gourmet cookbook of recipes of last meals- it is quite 

transparently a collection of poisoned recipes for those who want to end their lives in style. 

Each dish requires an expensive and rare toxin, and wouldn’t taste right without it.

6

Cro-Man: A ludicrously bad translation of Gilgamesh-era myth. The scholar’s limited 

knowledge of Ugaritic and choice to focus on the lurid and action-oriented aspects of the 

myths render it childish but undeniably entertaining. Its value as a historical document is 

ambiguous, but it’s impressively illuminated. Accompanied by a baked clay figurine with 

massive muscles.

7

Casket of Dreams: A collection of poems, beautiful enough at first, but inescapably 

thought-provoking. You find yourself running through them in your mind, then your dreams 

with escalating speed and intensity, a fugue of overlapping whispers and tones repeating. 

They render themselves glossolalic, incommunicable to others through speech, yet remaining 

clear in your own thoughts. 

Everything you write takes this form, forever.

8

Call of the Northern Moon: A lycanthrope ritual text, proscribing the rules of a gathering 

of tribes, consumption of prey, convocation of howls, and celebratory mating. Occurs every 

Super Blood Wolf Moon, for which a precise astronomical calendar is also kept.









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