Erang/Echoes From A Past That Never Was/2017 Compilation Album Review

  Erang  are  a  solo project  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  dungeon  synth  and  medieval  fantasy  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2017  compilation  "Echoes  From A  Past  That  Never  Was".

  Covers  by  This  Mortal  Night,  Alex  Lamia  and  Arathgoth  start  off  the  compilation along  with  some  synths  that  also  use  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  along  with  a  medical  atmosphere  and  elements  of  dungeon  synth  and  dark  ambient  as  well  as  some  programmed  beats.

  Spoken  word  parts  are  used  briefly  while  one  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  operatic  female  vocals  and  there is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  some  heavy  riffs  and  programmed  blast  beats  that  are  influenced  by  black  metal  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  instrumental  and  almost  towards  the end  a track  also  brings  in  black  metal  screams  and  clean  male  vocals  are  used  on  the  closing  song.

  On  this  compilation  Erang  brings  in  some  of  his  best  dungeon  synth  and  medieval  fantasy  music  he  has  recorded  over  the  years  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  at  times  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great sounding  collection  from  Erang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dungeon  synth,  you  should check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Dreamt  Of  AN  Emerald  Forest"  "Golden  Age  Of  the  Underwater  Kingdom"  and  "All  Te  Beauty  We  Lost",  8  out  of  10.

https://erang.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-from-a-past-that-never-was-compilation
 

Erang Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the musical project these days?

Well, Erang is a part of my life and I’m still pretty active with it :  I’m going to release a new album “ Casting The Ancient Spell Again “ on http://erang.bandcamp.com Furthermore, some splits will probably come as well during February.

2.You have a new album coming out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from your previous recordings?

I guess it still has the “Erang sound” to say so, but with some surprises and sometimes new sounds... I sing on one track, for instance. With each new album I try to incorporate few news elements. Not necessary a lot but I find that if you listen from “ Tome I “ to “Another World, Another Time”, you’ll find an evolution.

3.You have put out a lot of releases in the last couple of years, would you say that music takes up a lot of your time?

Yes, indeed.

4.What are some of the themes and concepts you have explored with your music over the years?

Mainly nostalgia and escapism.

5.You put out an ep a few months back based on the works of J.R.R Tolkien can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this author?

My father use to tell me stories from Bilbo to put me to bed so the world of Tolkien has always been very familiar to me.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the concept behind the name 'Erang'?

Erang is truly a part of me, a part of my past and my personal history.

7.So far you have worked all solo, are you interested in working with other musicians in the future?

I’ve already done a collaboration with Lord Lovidicus which was really fun (we covered each other songs) and you could listen to it here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo6kOtnUlc4

I’ve also done a 3 ways split with Drom and Stella Borealis :http://dromstellaborealiserang.bandcamp.com/

Erang will always be solo, it is to personal to share it with anybody. But I’m always open to splits if I like the music of the other band.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of dungeon synth?

I’m very touched by emails or message that sometimes people send to me saying how much they feel connected to my music. This is really important to me : having the feedback of people and knowing that, far from my home, an unknow person is enjoying my music and feel connected to my world.

9.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Mortiis / Vond, Burzum (the ambient ones) and I like very much Lord Lovidicus.

10.Does Paganism play any role in the music?

On my fourth album, the name of the last track is “Within The Land Of My Imagination I Am The Only God “… This sum up everything.

11.Do you have any non musical interests?

I like drawings and photo manipulation, and that’s why I do all my artworks. It is really part of the fun and of the whole “Erang experience”.

12.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?

I cant thanks enough all the people who support me here and there : I don’t do music to please people, I do the music that I want to hear, for myself… but when someone loves it, this is the best feeling ever ! So I thank you all.

https://www.facebook.com/kingdomoferang

Erang/Appendix I -Sweet Earth & Northern Sky/Katabaz Records/2013 EP Review

  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording  from  Erang  which  continues  his  dungeon  synth  sound  with  the  ep  being  called  "Appendix  I -  Sweet  Earth  &  Northern  Sky"  which  was  released  by  Hatabaz  Records  in  the  year  of  2013.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  dark  and  atmospheric  sounding  synths  which  combine  ambient  and  classical  together  along  with  elements  of  dungeon  synth  as  well  as  some  drum  programming  and  you  can  hear  influences  from  Brrzum's  synth  work  and  the  music  also  gets  more  epic  as  time  goes  on  by.

  On  the  nest  song  elements  of  folk  music  are  added  in  along  with  some  melodic lead  guitars  and  black  metal  style  vocals  and  on  the  last  song  the  music  goes  back  to  synths  and  is  an  outro  lees  than  2  minutes.

   On  these  3  songs  Erag  shows  a  different  style  and  I  would  be  interested  to  hear  what  he  does  on  future releases  and  the  only  set  back  is  there  are  only  3  songs  and  they  are  very  short  but  this  is  still  some  very  good  music.

  Song  themes  are  based  on  J.R.R  Tolkien's  The  Silmarillion,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Erang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dungeon  synth,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Fingolgin".  8  out  of  10.

https://erang.bandcamp.com/

Erang/Another World Another Time/Katabaz Records/2013 Full length Review

    This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Erang  which  continues  his  dungeon  synth  sound  with  the  album  being  called  "Another  World  Another  Time"  and  released  in  2013  by  Katabaz  Records.

    The  album begins  with  some  folk  music  style  synths  along  with  some  drum  programming  and  after  awhile  a  dark  atmosphere  is  added  into  the  recording  and  takes  the  record  into  a  more  dungeon  synth  sound  and  after awhile  more  tragic  elements  are  brought  into  the  music  while  also  remaining  true  to  medieval  folk  sounds.

    As  the  album  progresses  the  synths  start  sounding  a  lot  more  stronger  and  diverse  and  at  times  you  can  hear  folk  instruments  being  added  into  the  music  and  every  song  stands  a  part from  each  other  which  gives  the  album  a  good  amount  of  variety  and  on  the 9th  song  spoken  words  are  brought  in  and  they  also  enhance  the  epic  elements  of  the  record.

  On  this  recording  Erang  shows  a  bit  off  progress  while  the  album  is  not  quite  as  experimental  as  the  last  record  but  he  does  bring  in  some  different  themes  this  time  around  and  just  like  the  other  albums  he  still  creates  some  great  sounding  dungeon  synth.

  Song  themes  cover  Paganism,  Darkness  and  Depression,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  all  of  the  synths  having  a  great  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  last  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Erang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dungeon  synth,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "March  Of  The  Grey  Legion"  "The  High  Tower"  "Veil  of  Oblivion"  and  "In  The  Hall  Of  Eternal  Darkness".  9  out  of  10.

https://erang.bandcamp.com/

Erang/Tome IV/Katabaz Records/2013 Full Length Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Erang  which  continues  his  dungeon  synth  sound  with  the  album  being  called  "Tome  IV"  and  released  by  Katabaz  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  medieval  sounding  synths  along  with  a  dark  ambient  atmosphere  as  well  as  some  drum  programming  which  brings  in  a  Summoning  influence  and  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  folk  music  and  on the  second song  you  can  hear  elements  of  classical  music  being  added  into  the  recording  along  with  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys.

   As  the  album  progresses  the  songs  become  more  diverse  and  atmospheric  as  well  as  bringing  in  elements  of  experimental  music  along  with  some  melancholy  melodies  and  the  album  also  starts  getting  more  epic  and  evokes  the  feeling  of  a  fantasy  movie  soundtrack  and  on  one  song  harps  are  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  being  in  some  drum  programming  that  gives  the  record  a  tribal  shamanistic  feeling  and  on  one  song  pagan  style  chanting  is  brought  into  the  mix  as  well  as  some  operatic  vocals  on  another  song.

  On  this  recording  Erang  brings  in  a  lot  of  newer  elements  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  progress  from  the  previous  records  while  he  also  sticks  true  to  the  dungeon  synth  sound  of  the  other  recordings  while  also  building  and  evolving  with  his  approach  to  the  genre.

  Song  themes  cover  Paganism,  Fantasy  and  Darkness,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark  and  powerful  sound  along  with  the  last  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Erang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dungeon  synth,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  is  A  Silent  Friend"  "Summon  Your  Dragon"  "A  Glimpse  of  Magic"  and  "Temple  of  Elemental  Evil".  9  out  of  10.

https://erang.bandcamp.com/

Erang/Tome III/Katabaz Records/2013 Full Length Review

  This  is  the  3rd  part  in  a  4  album  concept  from  Erang  which  continues  their  dungeon  synth  sound  with  the  album  being  released  in  2013  by  Katabaz  Records  and  called  "Tome  III".

   The  album  begins  with  folk  music  style  sounds  as  well  as  adding  in  epic  and  medieval  elements  and  this  recording  has  a  more  relaxing  ambient  feeling  than  the  previous  ones  that  where  reviewed  while  also  remaining  in  a  dungeon  synth  direction  and  on  certain songs  tribal  style  drum  programming  is  added  in  and  you  can  hear  influences  from  new  age  and  video  game  music  being  added  in  at  times  while  also  bringing  in  the  feeling  of  a  black  and  white  horror  film  in  certain  parts  of  the  music.

  Song  themes  cover  the  previous  concepts  of  the  first  two  records,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  dark  and  powerful  sound  with  only  synths  and  drum  programming  being  utilized  on  this  album.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Erang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  dungeon  synth,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Feast  And  Tales"  "Lands  And  Kingdoms"  "The  Drunken  Tyrant"  and  "My  Sad  Farewll".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://erang.bandcamp.com/

Erang/Tome II/Katabaz Records/2012 Full Length Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Erang  which  continues  his  dungeon  synth  sound  with  the  album  being  released  in  2012  by  Katabaz  Records.

  the  album  starts  out  with  a  really  soft  intro  before  going  into  a  more  atmospheric  and  epic  dungeon  synth  sound  and  for  a  few  seconds  you  can  also  hear  voices  being  utilized  in  the  background  briefly  and  the  music  gets  more  tragic  as  time  goes  on  by  and  just  like  with  the  last  recording  every  song  has  a  different  sound  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  progression  since  the  last  album  on  the  synth  playing  and  they  bring  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounds.

  Song  themes  are  a  continuation  of  the  same  concepts  that  where  present  on  the  last  recording,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  dark  sound  with  the  synths  being  the  only  musical  instrument  present.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Erang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dungeon  synth,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Casting  the  Ancient  Spell  Again"  "Trapped  In  The  Frozen  Forest"  "Ruins  of  A  Lost  Underwater  Kingdom"  and  "The  Last  Of  My  Name".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://erang.bandcamp.com/

Erang/Tome I/Katabaz Records/2012 Full Length Review

  Erang  are  a  1  man  band  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  epic  form  of  dungeon  synth  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2012  album  "Tome  I"  which  was  released  by  Katabaz  Records.

  The  album s tarts  out  with  tragic  sounding  synths  which  also  bring  in  atmospheric  and  ambient  elements  as  well  as  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  which  leads  to  a  more  distorted  dungeon  synth  sound  and  as  the  album progresses  you  can  hear  traces  of  Summoning  and  Mortiis  influencing  certain  sections  of  the  music  along  with  some  elements  of  classical  and  folk  and  every  song  has  a  different  sound  to  it  and  there  is  also  a  small  amount  of  drum  programming  being  utilized  on  this  recording.

  Song  themes  are  a  story  about  a  lonely  person  from  a  long  forgotten  past,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark  and  powerful  sound  with  the  synths  being  the  only  musical  instrument  that  are  utilized  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Erang  are  a  very  great  sounding  dungeon  synth  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Another  World,  Another  Time"  "A  Wizard  Is  Never  Late"  "Servant  of  the  Nothing"  and  "Deep  Down  here  by  the  Dark  River".  8/5  out  of  10.  

https://erang.bandcamp.com/