‘Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight’ by Mythráen
‘Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight’ by Mythráen
Mythráen's Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight offers an impressive eight-track dungeon synth odyssey through the Dragonlance universe. The album stands as a testament to the genre's capacity for heroic grandeur and spiritual uplift, and it proves that dungeon synth can inspire courage and thoughtful themes.
Drawing deep from the wells of Laura and Tracy Hickman’s beloved Dragonlance series, Mythráen crafts an epic yet also intimate sonic journey. Admittedly, this is a series I know little about, but this album has me interested and I did my best when researching for this review. Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight positions itself alongside the more luminous works in the dungeon synth scene. It feels like a companion piece to the spiritually-minded releases from artists like Hellige or the heroic fantasy atmospheres of Fief. However, Mythráen carves out distinctive territory by wedding traditional dungeon synth orchestration with some genuine narrative ambition.
The opener, "Est Solarus Oth Mithas," immediately establishes the album's chivalric heart. The Old Solamnic phrase, "My honor is my life"becomes a musical manifesto through layering marching synths with clarion flute calls. Deep drum beats and symphonic swells create a space for knightly inspiration, while an echoing voice delivers a defiant oath. The song acts as an actual call to arms that manages to feel both ancient and urgent.
"Under The Trees of Sollace" shifts to harp-like plucking synths, offering a moment of reprieve without sacrificing the album's forward momentum. The meditative qualities never fully overtake the underlying march established in the opener. This is a compositional choice that suggests even in rest, the quest continues. It’s impressive how the middle section ventures into darker territory without losing sight of the hope explored in the opener. "Treason at the Towers of High Sorcery" evokes an almost Castlevania-esque gothic landscape through anxious harp synths and deep timpani-inspired drums. "Caverns" plunges into shadowy depths with somber synths that maintain an air of mystery rather than despair.
"Dragon Riders of Takhisis" delivers perhaps the album's most impressive orchestral moment, though. Military snare drums and menacing horns create the sensation of an approaching storm, which plays into the track’s allusion to the evil goddess's dragon armies. Yet even here, depicting the forces that conquered Krynn during the War of the Lance, Mythráen maintains a sense of epic grandeur. The album's emotional core arrives with "Dreams in the Darken Wood," where defiant yet somber synths weave out of the previous battle, settling us into a scorched forest. The continuing march motif throughout calls back to the opening track's themes of hope and bravery. "Through Golden Hourglass Eyes" creates a vast sonic wasteland through wind-whipped harpsichord-inspired synths, yet traditional synthesizer elements break through to evoke mystery. It's atmospheric work that rivals the genre's best, creating spaces that feel transportive.
The album's boldest moment comes with its finale, "A Dragon's Lament." This impressive orchestral piece features multiple movements and black metal-influenced vocals that voice a dragon's tragic narrative. The lyrics tell of a creature "born in flames of pain and wrath" yet finding unexpected peace in protecting those it was meant to destroy. The refrain, "A mother's heart finds its way even in the darkest days,” transforms what could have been a simple genre exercise into something genuinely moving. It's a risky move that pays off, adding emotional weight to an already substantial work.
What is impressive about Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight is its commitment to narrative and emotional arc. While many dungeon synth albums create atmosphere for atmosphere's sake, Mythráen builds a genuine journey with peaks, valleys, and a satisfying resolution. The production maintains the genre's characteristic lo-fi charm, but it also achieves impressive orchestral depth when needed. If you gravitate toward dungeon synth's more uplifting corners, like the spiritual journeys of Gelure or the medieval grandeur of DIM's work, this album deserves your attention. Dragonlance fans will find loving attention to lore, while newcomers can appreciate the universal themes of courage facing darkness. Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight occupies vital territory in the contemporary dungeon synth scene, proving the genre can inspire as powerfully as it can unsettle. Mythráen reminds us that sometimes the most radical act is to kindle a light and carry it forward into the dungeon.
