Band – Hideous Gomphidius
Album – Keepers of the Fungal Order
Country of Origin – USA
Genre – Dungeon Synth
Release Date – January 15, 2021
Label – Independent Release
Author – Hayduke X
Somewhere out west, there is a dark, cold forest where the struggles to reach the dirt, and the breeze makes the leaves whisper of decay. Should you find yourself lost in these woods, beware, for somewhere in the heart of these majestically bleak trees is a cave, whose entrance is coated with moss and fungi. Within this cavern of darkest gloom, lives a Witchtroll known as Hideous Gomphidious. There, dark deeds are conjured through the gloaming time, and darker yet at the witching hour. Do not dare to set foot within this cavern, for if you do, you risk it all. Should you enter at the break of day, even then you are not safe, for time is funny in the creature’s lair. Though you take only two steps in, you may see the shadows of the mushrooms lengthen from the setting sun, where only moments prior (you are sure) the sunrise occurred.
Keepers of the Fungal Order is the second offering of gentle horror by Gomphidious. The sounds of synths and muffled drumming reverberate through your marrow, causing shivers unannounced. But who knows by what horrifying sorcery this hallucinatory soundtrack was created, for the cavern could be searched for eternity without discovering such instrumentation as described above. Rather, the sounds were conjured by bright green lichen mixed with a crow’s foot and the back hair of a newborn yet only twelve seconds old. Or perhaps, sparrow’s breath was mixed with seventeen mushroom caps, mixed with the femur of the last poor soul to stumble into this lair.
Subtle, yet deeply ingrained horror crawls up my spine every time I listen to Keepers of the Fungal Order. It is akin to what I imagine a slightly off psychedelic trip to conjure, though I’ve never experienced such a journey. Perhaps I unintentionally ingested one of the mushrooms lining the mouth of the cavern of Hideous Gomphidious, because I am transported somewhere both awe inspiring and terrifying. This is dungeon synth of the deepest and darkest order. Come along. Let the Witchtroll show you the way.
Biography: Hayduke X has been writing for MoshPitNation since June of 2016. He is also a contributor to The Metal Wanderlust. Prior to joining the MoshPitNation team, Hayduke published reviews on his own blog Rage and Frustration. In addition, he has DJ’ed an online metal radio show of the same name as his blog, written for TOmetal.com, done interviews for Metal Rules, and collaborated with The Art of B Productions to create video interviews with a wide variety of bands.
