Castle Creeps: A Dungeon Synth Primer 

This shit sounds like some 8 bit 16 bit medieval game intro music, and that's a good thing.

Great video ! Thanks for this kind words about our precious genre, this is a complete work, really interesting and the choice of artists is perfect !

I believe you mean BEST TEETH IN THE FUCKING GAME.

you know what would be a good topic: the tumblr shoplifting community

1 week between posts...it's back. For real, this time. Hopefully. Maybe. Please.

Dungeon Synth broke my taste. Now whenever I hear black metal I think "what's all this agression for?" and put on Sequestered Keep instead.

It makes me so happy to see new episodes coming out on the reg again.

Just a heads up, if you're running a gothic horror campaign in D&D (a la Curse of Strahd), Dungeon Synth is the perfect background music

I'm so glad this exists. Again

This channel exists? I don't believe your last video appeared in my subscription box.

Talking about dungeon synth without at least mentioning Depressive Silence is a pretty big missed opportunity

Great episode. It made me dust off my old Mortiis first press relseases. Back in the days, pretty much all black metal bands had an ambient/synth side-project. Fenriz of Darkthrone had two: Isengard, which was what you'd expect and Neptune Towers which was more sci-fi space ambient. Hell, Mortiis had more projects than you have fingers. One of them Cintecele Diavolui (sic) sounds like the music from a 16-bit JRPG game. The creation of synth side-projects was due to the black metal ethos at the time. It was taboo for bands to use synthesizers, so musicians who wanted to explore and evolve their music writing did so by creating these side-projects without "tainting" the reputation of their main band. I had a black/death metal album which on the back cover stated "No synthesizers were used" like it was a "Nintendo Seal of Approval". Can't remember the name of the band though. Oh, and there was this French project, Heinetre, which was a part of the Legion Noir that released a demo claiming the frontman tortured and killed some people and recorded their screams and used them on the recording. I was myself guilty of it. Around twelve years ago when I had a dark metal project I also made dark dungeon/martial neoclassical music. Plugging here a track from that time soundcloud.com/wallgrave/dies-irae ... Later I would hone those skills and with better equipment I made something that could pass for decent soundtrack-ish music like my soundcloud.com/wallgrave/untitled-ii

so glad you're back mate! keep rolling out the quality

You *have* to do a video on Conlon Nancarrow and his ridiculous time signatures.

This has to be one of my favorite RU-vid channels. Thanks a lot for your hard work, Sam.

Just binge watched my favorite videos from your channel, and I just gotta let you know that I think this is all fantastic content. I really appreciate these videos a lot, so thank you.

So nice to see you back, love how the quality has stayed the same as most times it takes people awhile before their quality picks up again.

Back on form! Really enjoying these new posts. It's fun finding out that this type of 'thing' is a 'thing'.

Super glad that you're back making videos again! Keep 'em comin' shitheel.

Look at you uploading regularly again. Glad to see the content, welcome back.

All this content just as good as always is making me genuinely happy. :) Keep hanging around, Sam. We'll be here for ya.

Thank you so much for coming back, even at this time of disruption in youtube.

Erang is best dungeon synth

It cannot be said enough times, I'm glad you're posting again!

I love discovering new and intetesting things with this channel. I love the way you explore them. I love the sign off. Party on dudes!

I haven't watched the episode yet and i've already smashed that like button

i like how you used a secret stairways song, RIP.

Yo Sam, love your videos man, for real. Happy 4/20!

New This Exists! whaaatttttt

Fabulous to have you back!

My dude the new videos have been great hope this stays a thing.

I have four remarks on this video in particular: 1) I think what Varg Vikernes has said in interviews in the past is kind of interesting (at least to explain the "and, unfortunately, Burzum" to some viewers), but what he is doing now... I think no one here gives a shit, and it ruins the rhythm of the video. If there could be an edit without these 40 or 50 seconds, I would definitely share it as one of the best music-related videos I have seen this year. But it's just a personal opinion, I don't know what other people think about it. 2) Skarpseian (that I discovered thanks to this video) kind of sounds like Tangerine Dream. It's interesting that bands that are so closely related to black metal music and visual identity also share influences in avant-garde, psychedelic synth music from the seventies, and so on :) 3) I love that you love Perturbator, and very probably part of the Blood Music catalog! 3) This video is, as I type, at 666 likes. Also, 15 dislikes, 1+5=6. Also, 15=6+6+6-6/6-6/6-6/6. Will I die today? Apart from that, I really enjoy watching your videos and discovering weird shit. I love weird shit. Thanks a lot for the overall quality of this show :)

Really good episode! Glad to see you uploading again. I especially enjoy your music episodes. Have you thought about doing a podcast?

So glad this is back Sam

Glad to see ya back. Honestly I was kinda pissed when I realized This Exists stopped uploading. YAY obscure shit!

i love these videos. thank you, Sam

I missed this in my life. Welcome back.

Thanks for continuing to make fascinating and awesome content! However, listening in my little apartment at night, found the levels of audio between the speaking portions and musical inserts to make this an interactive video where I constantly adjust the volume so as to minimize annoying my neighbors. Secretly, this is a genius way to boost audience engagement.

loving the new vids, keep it up

And now we have its more twee, whimsical counterpart: Comfy Synth.

Super nice that I've just been getting SOOOO many notifications from your channel. I love RU-vid. No, really, this platform is fantastic in its current state. I've seen all the videos the people I'm subscribed to have put out.

love from reykjavík iceland! glad to see this channel back!

Been awhile since I gotten a notification of a new vid from you...HUZZAH!...good stuff as always

good to have you back!

This video has opened up a new world for me. I used to listen to Summoning a lot, but never descended deeper into the murky crypts before.

If you like Dungeon Synth, check out Witch House. Sidewalks and Skeletons is probably one of the most defining Witch House types of music.

Hey don't shit on Burzum!

Good to have you back.

OMG i tought id wait and see but hes actually back

im defs gonna start using this in my dnd campaigns. thanks!

Sounds like runescape music

That Bandcamp article a month back really sparked the flames.

Woah, is this the first time Singapore is mentioned on this channel? I've never even heard of Drakar Taso here, I've got to check them out. And on the topic of Singapore, we have a unique genre 'Xinyao', it's mainly about nostalgia and the good old days.

I love your videos so much. Have you considered doing one about tulpas?

I really enjoyed this video! Much informative.

My fav bandcamp discovery is either Dream Catalogue, or some of the crazy juke/footwork artists like FOODMAN.

So glad your show is back! What do you think of doing an episode on disco metal? There's a great band in Toronto, TWRP (Tupperware Remix Party)

I'm so happy that this is back :)

I was like...hmm weird, why haven't i seen this episode yet? Then I realized: Holy shit this is new? Are you back Sam? please tell me you're back!

Fantastic video! I wish you included references, links and names to the music you showcased in the comments though. Good for the curious viewers and good for the artists. But still, thanks for posting this, one of my favorite video so far.

Always interesting, informed and aggrandizing for fellow purveyors of the far out and wild weird!! I always look forward to a new episode!Also- dungeon synth must be inspired by rpg games of the bit era in addition to its black metal origins.

holy shit a scheduled episode

Props for the Secret Stairways track in the beginning :3

i have been getting a surprising amount of dungeon synth recommendations through the yt algorithm lately and i kept thinking ... "didn't sam sutherland make a video about this years ago??" only here again now because i was beginning to worry i'd imagined it!

Love your videos so so much!!

Dungeon Synth is an awesome genre; power electronics, death industrial are great too. Also, Aghast is an awesome band.

Even if it's temporary, I love having new episodes of "This Exists" coming into my sub feed.

Dungeon Synth made me realize I need better speakers. Most music sounds fine, but I can only listen to DS super quiet or everything's vibrating like crazy.

Yesss, please come back! We need to know what exists!

Love this music. Love your videos. Thanks.

As a dungeon synth artist thank you for making this!

Interesting that so many 'Harder' rocking artists go for more orchestral compositions later on.. I was surprised that 'Black Aria' came from Glenn Danzig, but still enjoyed reading, drawing, shagging to it

Keep up with regular postings, dude I missed your stuff.....

As always, head scratching, good stuff!! Thanks!

You know a topic I'd love to see? A video on FM synthesis.

I remember when Dungeon Synth was just a term used on a obscure blogspot! I remember posting suggestions there...boy I sound like such a hipster

Bless you for bringing this genre to my attention

Glad you're back. You should have a peek into claymation gore.

I've been listening to that music and music like it since maybe the 1990's and I never knew what it was called. We used to get stuff like this through mix tape and CD trading back then. We just called it "Medieval music" or "Gothic Instrumental". We didn't have much of a term for it, but being a D&D player, as well as being a punk who was very involved in the local indy music scene back then, I listened to quite a bit of it.

I want it known I don't listen to music that much. I've been doing it more lately, but I'm still not that big on it. But even though this channel does a lot of episodes on music, I still love it because it's always so weird and unique I start listening to that type of music and tell people "I only listen to real music, like extratone and chap-hop."

Great video dude! Cheers!

I'd love to hear about Creature Feature on this show. I hear about them so little but I fucking love their style.

That song at 1:50, it was in sinister. hm now I know where that creepy track came from to enjoy haha

BangerTV ? Is that you? But seriously wicked awesome episode. This dungeon synth reminds me of Blackgaze sub-genre. Sorta out there and atmospheric darkness.

Amid all the great sports comebacks over this past year or so I think we can all agree that This Exists is the real greatest comeback of all time.

This is really gonna spice up my D&D sessions, thanks!

this really reminds me of the artist Dan Barrett/Giles Corey, who made dark, ambient type music with a lot of vague reference to possession, the meaning of life and death, etc. You guys should really do an episode about him. The album "Giles Corey" is spoopy and trippy...

You've heard the Dungeon Synth, now what about Dungeon Beatz the likes of DJ Rozwell and the Dungeon Lore Foundation?

thank you for the video! btw it would be great if you made a video about synthwave (and explained why you think that it's not "serious" unlike dungeon synth)

It reminds me of the old Ultima games, used to listen to midi files that had a similar beat. I like it!

A throwback to when Bandcamp was good and actually cared about the art

Are there any of these artists one can actually by the album of in a physical form in a store or on amazon?

I'd say the roots are based in Demoscene.. Nothing like a good 200 byte Bass synth, with far too few bytes left for note data, so all you get in terms of audio is a drone.. Which is cool if you're into size restricted music like me :) edit: typo's

Thank you for doing this!

Definitely puts me in the mood for some Castlevania!!! Not sure when else I would pull up a chair to listen... I want an organ, drums, cello and clarinet for real... not given over to me in 8 bit or 16 bit form.

Y’all should check out Tanning Salon by Dream Castle. I don’t know how cleanly it folds into dungeon synth, but it reminds me a lot of these sounds

Goddamn amazing as always. Finally I can share my love for mortiis with someone

Seriously great video! To me the ur-record of dungeon synth is the first Vond album.

no mention of depressive silence? also damn uploading frequently. i like it😀

This stuff is fucking awesome. Gets me in the mood to play an old RPG or something.