Dark Dungeon Music & Rock Songs Inspired by Books and Literature

Tolkien, Lewis, Lovecraft, Asimov, Farmer w/ Led Zep, Purple, Sabbath, Hackett, Procol Harum

Many tabletop RPG hobbyists have found that dungeon synth music provides perfect atmospheric accompaniment for their game sessions. An older article from Invisible Oranges on “Dungeon Synth & Dragons” explains the connection between the dungeon synth genre and TTRPGs:

Dungeon synth, an entire genre of instrumental fantasy ambient, seems like it was almost built to be incidental music in a gaming experience, as its dedication to atmosphere falls in line with the Dungeon Master’s job.

For those who want to take a deep dive into dungeon synth, an upcoming book entitled Dark Dungeon Music: The Unlikely Story of Dungeon Synth appears to be the definitive tome on the subject. This Brave Words article provides details:

Written by Jordan Whiteman, founder of the celebrated dungeon synth record label Ancient Meadow Records, edited and designed by Dayal Patterson (known for his work on "Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult" among others), this exhaustive hardback delves deep into the history and evolution of the curious and mystical genre that is dungeon synth. 

Born from the fringes of the black metal scene in the 1990s, dungeon synth has not not only returned but exploded, in recent years, with a legion of new musicians picking up the torch. “Dark Dungeon Music” chronicles this journey, offering a comprehensive exploration of the genre's origins, key figures and enduring appeal.

Interviews featured in the book include Mortiis, Cernunnos Woods, Equitant, Erang, The Dark Funeral, Depressive Silence, Maelifell, Forgotten Pathways, Essoupi, Old Tower, The Soil Bleeds Black Eternal Fear, Nocturnal Funeral, Casket of Dreams, Lothlorien Dreamscape, David Thiérrée, Frostgard, Blood Tower, Moonworshipper Records, Ghoëst, Out of Season, Erythrite Throne, An Old Sad Ghost, Kyvon, Coniferous Myst and many more. 

You can pre-order the book from the Cult Never Dies online store.

Rock Songs Inspired by Books and Literature

Ultimate Classic Rock recently published a list of “60 Rock Songs Inspired by Books and Literature.” Number one is a song frequently included on fantasy-inspired rock music lists:

1. "The Battle of Evermore," Led Zeppelin
Book: Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien (1954)

"The Battle of Evermore" is just one Led Zeppelin song inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. "Ramble On" and "Misty Mountain Hop" also include references to the 1954 fantasy novel.

Sci-fi, fantasy, and horror literature are well represented on the list. George Orwell has the most mentions. Below are some additional excerpts that feature authors that are favorites of many readers of Critical Hit Parader:

23. "Behind the Wall of Sleep," Black Sabbath
Book: Beyond the Wall of Sleep, H.P. Lovecraft (1919)

Is it really any surprise that bands like Black Sabbath were drawn to the work of fantastical horror writer H.P. Lovecraft? "I was reading [H.P. Lovecraft’s short story] Beyond the Wall of Sleep, and actually fell asleep and dreamed all the lyrics and the main riff to ["Behind the Wall of Sleep"]," Geezer Butler recalled to Rolling Stone in 2020. "When I woke up, I wrote down the lyrics, played the riff on my bass so I'd remember it — we didn't have any recording devices back then, so everything had to be memorized — and played it to the others at rehearsal."

…

31. "The Mule," Deep Purple
Book: Foundation Series, Isaac Asimov (1942)

Sci-fi fans may be familiar with this one. Deep Purple's "The Mule" draws from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, first published in 1942. Decades of books followed, featuring the Mule character, an evil, manipulative force in the galaxy.

…

33. "Narnia," Steve Hackett
Book: The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis (1950)

Between 2005 and 2010, three films were made based on The Chronicles of Narnia, originally a book series launched by C.S. Lewis in 1950. In between the book and film adaptions there was "Narnia" by Steve Hackett, the opening track to his 1978 album Please Don't Touch! The song also features Steve Walsh of Kansas.

…

50. "Image of the Beast," Procol Harum
Book: Image of the Beast, Philip Jose Farmer (1968)

Pete Brown, who wrote the lyrics to Procol Harum's "Image of the Beast," drew from the 1968 horror novel of the same name. "It's like a kind of science fiction, pornographic, great Raymond Chandler kind of a book about L.A.," he told Songfacts. "It's very, very fantastical and very bizarre...I got some ideas out of that really. I'm a big science fiction fan, especially from '50s and '60s and '70s stuff."

Rock Books!

Leviathan: In the Heart of the Beast

I was recently crate digging at a local record store and came across this intriguing album that was unfamiliar to me:

The cover art is by Helene E. Oppenheimer, and according to Discogs this is the only album cover she ever did. I love the way it looks like the troubadour is defending himself with a guitar.

The album is from 1980, but there is nothing about the style of music or production that makes it sound from that year. It’s hard for me to describe the music, so I will simply provide this excerpt from a Planet Mellotron review:

Mark Levy is a folk musician and political satirist, active since the late '70s, his first album (to my knowledge) being 1980's Leviathan: In the Heart of the Beast, an excellent folk/singer-songwriter effort, covering several bases musically, while lyrically tackling various liberal causes of the day (mostly still relevant now). Highlights include solar energy plea Sunpower, witty earthquake warning San Andreas Rag, Shenachie Hill and Log Rhythms On Isaiah's Grave, with no clunkers amongst the rest of the material.

“Shenachie Hill” is my favorite song on the record, and it is the only one that might thematically fit the troubadour-fighting-a-monster album cover. “Shenachie” means “a teller of old tales or legends.” Perhaps the unique hybrid creature on the cover will inspire some of you shenachie game masters, judges, and referees out there.