The Song of a Long Forgotten Ghost

This album is a gem. Never thought I would be much of a fan of lofi medieval dungeon synth, but this transcends any and all boundaries of musical preference. This album is utterly touching, and is basically everything that an ambient metal project should be. Just the title and cassette cover art is enough to make one shiver, but when combined with the music contained within, it becomes a psychonautic experience to the depths of one's mind and soul. A very unique and cool listen.


The album itself consists of one track lasting for about an hour, and is dominated by slowly evolving main synth riff, with what sounds like a backing synth track, as well as a slow, thumping drum to compliment the eerie synths. The production is very lofi, and almost sounds like it took direct inspiration from old school video game themes, very resemblant of the 8-bit, yet epic high fantasy theme of the original Legend of Zelda and other fantasy games from that era. The final product of all of these factors really captures that forgotten, dark medieval feel, what with the lofi production and eerie synth tone, while still maintaining extremely fantastic/epic fantasy atmosphere, which I think Mortiis was aiming for with this demo. All of the pieces of this puzzle fit perfectly together to create an extremely haunting and introspective piece of music.


Unlike much of the late 80's/early 90's Scandanavian metal scene, there is nothing abrasive about this album. No overdriven auditory assault from various electronic instruments recorded in utility closets, no Satanism or nazism, no ridiculous howling from edgy vocalists, just the slow march of this enchanting dungeon synth masterpiece, accompanied by the exploration of the catacombs of the listener's mind. This album is certainly a journey, and really an essential listen for anyone looking to escape the ordinary aspects of life and find something more touching.

Mortiis is easily one of the most famous dungeon synth artists out there. While Håvard has experimented in various genres of music since he left the band Emperor, his dungeon synth albums remains some of the best music he's ever made. But before his work became more polished and varied, Håvard started off his career with a more dirty, amateurish style in his debut release "The Song of a Long Forgotten Ghost". This demo only includes one song that lasts for almost an hour. But those who persist in listening to the demo will be rewarded with a dark atmospheric song that succeeds at a creepy, yet melodic feel.

The song itself is compromised entirely of synths. The synths themselves have a bit of a cheap sound, and they are only accompanied with the poor production. Normally, this combination of poor synths and production would be a disaster, but the song makes it up with some rhythmic patterns. The melodies played on the demo are simple, but the dark synths gives them a bitter and eerie tone. In some moments, the riffs leave off a genuinely sad moment in the song. This, plus the poor production, gives off an overall atmosphere of sorrow, loneliness, and depression. And near the end of the song, it plays an even more sorrowful tune with what sounds like explosions in the background. This ending gives off the impression that a battle has been lost and all the soldiers have died, leaving a very bitter mark on a depressing atmosphere.

While there isn't much to say about this song, it's atmospheric style gives the listener an uneasy feel. From the rough production to the heartbreaking melodies, this demo set the standards for Mortiis's style of music. Håvard would go on to release "Født til å herske" the next year, which further expanded the style from his debut demo. However, I still come back to this demo every once in a while to appreciate its simple, yet impactful sound.

It is not known exactly when and how dungeon synth was born, but I am inclined to believe that this small demo is one of the first and finest examples.

Mortiis is known in the metal scene as the former bassist of Emperor and today he mainly makes industrial music, but at the beginning of his solo career he created some of the most dreamy and engaging compositions of ambient music, and The song of a long forgotten ghost is his masterpiece.

The demo consists of a single song (although on some reprints it is divided into ten parts) lasting almost an hour. An uninterrupted hour of keyboards (with some percussion every now and then) creating the most magical atmosphere imaginable.

The first few minutes may seem repetitive, but the feeling that is created is priceless. It casts the listener into a dark night, in the middle of a dance with death. As long as it is, the song literally leaves anyone bewitched by the images it produces with the notes to replace the resigned and poignant lament of the ghost. The production is rather poor, but this only adds charm to the final result.

It could be boring for those who are not used to it, but for lovers of the dungeon synth it is indispensable, an authentic journey into the mysteries of the soul.

It's hard to just sit here and say that Mortiis is a sellout. I don't believe a goddamn word of that. Mortiis has had an interesting career, from co-founding black metal legends Emperor to helping set off the new genre of dungeon synth, to now leading a pretty solid industrial metal outfit. Tha man can't sit still, and honestly, it's refreshing to see that.

You might've seen that mentioning of dungeon synth in the previous paragraph. Allow me to explain...

Dungeon synth is a style of dark ambient music that takes the ye olden vibes of black metal's fascination with medieval times and puts it to music that wouldn't sound out of place during the actual dark ages, this time replicated through synthesizers and keyboards and what have you. Taking from atmospheric black metal, dark ambient, neo-folk, and, in some cases, martial industrial, dungeon synth aims to transport and envelop listeners in worlds of knights and ancient castles and paganism and the actual darkness of the dark ages. Mortiis is, along side Aghast and Burzum (during the prison period) and Wongraven, a progenitor of this genre. For years, it's remained underground, even below black metal. Unsurprisingly, dungeon synth has exploded into an internet phenomenon among underground music fans, with bandcamp being flooded by murky synth-filled conceptual releases in the vein of this genre. Mortiis has decided that, in the wake of this new interest in this obscure genre, what he should do is re-release the demo that started it all, 'The Song of a Long Forgotten Ghost.'

Firstly, the basics: 'Song' was recorded and released in 1993. It was his first release, and probably is the first example of dungeon synth as a genre, rather than just an offshoot of dark ambient. It's lo-fi, it was release on cassette, features only one track for the entire release running for about an hour. And it works.

Yes, for a straight hour, the listener is bombarded with riff upon riff of hurdy-gurdy and organ sounds, with percussion straight from a Viking raid. The ancient sounds that Mortiis has concocted are primitive and reek of synth sounds from 1993, but coupled together with the songwriting, it's really does come together. The repetitive nature could turn off some listeners, certainly, but it's more focused on being an overall atmospheric piece, rather than a standard journey through a series of individual tracks. It's unusual to think that such a sprawling piece could suck it's listeners in effectively, despite the low production quality, but then again, it comes down to the songwriting.

The music here is reminiscent of a classic D&D campaign, or a text-based adventure game, or even a historical or fantasy epic. It's just that kind of music. Its ancient, almost bombastic vibe is really what drives this hour-long piece to success. The title of the demo, 'The Song of a Long Forgotten Ghost,' is merely a suggestion of what one could imagine within their mind's eye when fully immersed in Mortiis' music. But then again, because it is merely a suggestion, the true possibilities of what one sees when that first big riff kicks in around the 00:17 mark. That's when it hits. The scene of the castle sitting high above the black wood forest. Behold it's majesty. What lies within it...?

Well, you'll just have to listen and make up your own adventure.

This is the magic of Mortiis, and to a greater extent, the magic of dungeon synth. It's ambient music for the medieval minded metalhead. Serious listening for any fan of the Norwegian black metal scene (msotly because of Mortiis' association with Emperor) and anyone needing to escape this miserable current period and visit the darkness and mystery of the dark ages, to a time long past, long dead, long forgotten.

It is a brave step to make an hour long demo consisting of only a handful of different riffs. One is at first captivated by the strange atmosphere that erupts from these such simplistic melodies. It seems to be continually trudging onward to someplace unknown. A person unfamiliar with the work will be immediately shocked by how often these few riffs repeat themselves, but after one has listened to it several times in its entirety, it instead becomes a meditation upon lost ruins and misty visions. It will quickly fade from one's immediate perceptions, as the listener drifts into a trance.

The low quality of the tape and sloppy playing both contribute to the feeling that this song truly is both ghostly and forgotten. It seems that Mortiis somehow predicted even so far back that this work would be just the mysterious prize a curious dreamer would be most excited to find in his search through obscure music. It something wholly inaccessible to the common listener, both in terms of discovering and listening, and yet for those who are patient and willing to get lost in the strange hypnotic reverie, the reward is an experience of something both magical and horrific.

The ghost is no doubt from an age lost to both our world and our myths. The ghost would not wander about the ugly places of the day-to-day; like all ghosts it would avoid living humans, except for those brave enough to enter the crumbling ruins of the tower, the darkness beneath which the ghost haunts eternally. And perhaps, to that poor soul who ventures into such a cold and decaying place, the ghost will whisper secrets, so quietly that he wouldn't be sure whether it was the voice of that forgotten spirit, or the steadily waning sanity of the dreamer who shivers in the dreary tomb.

What might be the secrets of the ghost? Perhaps it whispers of the weird magic it used to wield in the life that it's not sure it ever lived, or perhaps it whispers of how that tower was rotting long before it arrived, already filled with forgotten spirits that have since faded to nothing but a fleeting scent on the air... or perhaps it whispers of the black and endless horrors that lie beyond that crumbling stone wall, the madness that no curious dreamer ever predicts, until it is too late and they are consumed by the despair of the infinite abyss.

This is the true way of dungeon synth, an ancient place of darkness in which dreamers choose to sit and meditate, that they might get but a vague taste of that elusive something that is somehow so far beyond mere art, and always seems to get a little further from grasp the closer one gets to it. I encourage none to listen to this song, to visit the haunted ruins of the Long Forgotten Ghost. This is a place of despair, and if one adjusts to it and begins to feel a bond with that ghost whose songs are so mysterious and so distant from the stuff of life, then one will find that before long it is they that eternally haunt that musty crypt.

http://dungeonsynth.blogspot.com/

The man behind Mortiis will always be hailed for his earliest musical accomplishments as Emperor’s first bassist and lyricist. However, Haavard Ellefsen, (or simply Mortiis) hit his musical peak here in the beginning stages of the ambient project, Morttis.

What we have here is a demo composed of keyboards and synth only. No vocals, guitar, bass, or drums. Now, you look at the length of the song and wonder, “how could this song be so good without anything but a keyboard?”
Well, my fat friend, you cannot always judge a book by its cover.

What Mortiis creates here is beautiful dark ambient music very similar to the ambient projects of Les Legions Noires, the French black metal bands that released a shitload of demos in the mid-nineties. Mortiis’ “Song of a Long Forgotten Ghost” is simply magical. Beautiful, repetitive melodies that put the listener under a hypnotic trance. Some would call this boring, but if you know a thing or two about musical composition, you will enjoy this.

The music is epic, and puts the listener in an enchanted forest filled with trolls, dwarves and fairies. It can be dark, and can also be friendly. The music clearly has a medieval sound, bringing visions of the great past into the listener’s mind.

This is extremely rare, and you most likely will not be able to buy this demo anywhere. It is definitely worth downloading, however. So download it, and you will not regret it.

What can I say. There has been no ambient album I have listened to that has blown my mind such as this. The track progresses in the slowest fashion possible. I often enjoy a smoke while I meditate to the sounds.

While the refrain may grind on some people's nerves, it shifts around in the song in such a way you are left with it stuck in your head. I cannot help but envision a ghost entity maneuvering around a dark attic as the variations cycle on.

By the end of Part I, your mind is somewhere beside yourself. The abrupt pause for Part II jolts you back into your body. Whatever deep reflections you had are viewed in a more real practical sense while the dirge progresses forth.

I don't want to spoil this for anyone who hasn't heard the ending, but I never thought anyone could use a gong and not sound cheesy. That's a once in a lifetime use of the gong right there. I have heard most of his other ambient records and I don't think he dared use it again.

Overall I was possessed by this demo. I felt unrealistically uplifted in a tragic way at the end of it. I felt the presence of a soul escaping consciousness for eternity. This is definitely worth your time to tune in and drop out.

This is Mortiis first recording after leaving Emperor. I'm not really sure why he didn't continued to make black metal and started to create dark ambient, but I'm sure glad he did it, because there is no one that can create this kind of music as Mortiis does. The quality on this demo I gotta say is in the same class as the debut album, you can't really make a bad quality recording with synthesizers/keyboards unless you maybe record them live on stage or rehearsal place. Besides the keyboards the drums are pretty active too. As usual there are no snare rums or rides or crashes or tomes, but what it seems to be a bass drum that's beeing hit with a drum stick (or two). Well you get the picture. The music isn't always flawless, sometimes Mortiis presses two keys, but it's pretty rare that it happens. I think Mortiis even uses a melotron here. The keyboardss imitate strings, piano, oboe and other blowing instruments.

The closest thing I can compare this recording with is Mortiis' debut album "Født Til Å Herske" which is very similar to this one, since this recording is unlike for instance "Crypt of The Wizard" or "Kaiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent" where you can hear the majestic sounds of Mortiis and what he has evolved into. However this is still sort of an epic recording that brings my thoughts to a lonely ghost, beeing rejected by the surrounding, drifting from place to place in search of understanding, compasion and love. Maybe this is the story Mortiis was trying to tell us.

Now there might be some people that would find the recording monotone, which I gotta say it is in some places where Mortiis loops the same melody over and over and over again, but you gotta have an open mind when listening to Mortiis and realise that his music is more than monotony and loops. I liked a really good crescendo in this recording somewhere in the middle I think, when it comes to a really tense and tight spot and the instruments are playing angrily which was extremely good and that is the highlight of this recording which otherwise I found very good and very Mortiis-ish. If you enjoy the magic of Mortiis you have to listen to this.