Dream Division : Legend of Lizard Lake

The latest release from record label Library of the Occult is from none other than Dream Division, aka Tom McDowell. McDowell locks into the mystical quest of Legend of Lizard Lake, a Gothic and candle-lit ode to the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure‘ series of books and games that, for me, were the highlight of my […]

Dream Division Returns With ‘Legend Of Lizard Lake’, Out May 7th; Listen To “Mystic Quest”

Tom McDowell’s Dream Division is one of those prolific music projects that’s usually readying a new release not long after the previous one just dropped. He’s an artist that is in a constant creative flow, working in heavy synth, psych, Giallo, prog, or a combination of all three. Since the launch of his record label […]

Dream Division : Death Walks On Nitrate

It’s been a stellar year for Dream Division’s Tom McDowell. Not only has he released two new Dream Division albums, he started his own record label this past July called Library of the Occult. Releasing The Devil Rides Out on his own label, followed by Beyond The Mirror’s Image on Burning Witches Records, he also […]

Step Out Of Reality With The Psychic Circle; Listen To “View From The Magicians Window Part 1”

UK-based record label Library Of The Occult has been offering up dark, synth-driven music since its introduction this past summer. New music from Dream Division, Ogre, and Timothy Fife has delved into classic Gothic literature, occult themes, D&D, and contact with worlds beyond our own. LOTO has made it its mission to keep the spirit […]

Minos : S/T

“NARRATIVE MUSIC FOR LUNATIC PEOPLE” This is the bold-faced, all caps mission statement that hits you head on when listening to Minos’ self-titled album on their Bandcamp page. That’s not a statement to take lightly, folks. And while I wouldn’t label listeners that dig this album lunatics, I would definitely say it’s narrative music. The […]

Alone 1980 : Voyage

The Swedish heavy synth project Alone 1980 has released an impressive collection of instrumental/horror soundtrack-inspired albums in the course of just a little over a year. One EP and six full-length albums filled with analog dread and giallo-heavy vibes since August 2018 means Alone 1980 has plenty to say. On Alone 1980s latest release, the […]

Broken Lamps : Kaleidoscope

Broken Lamps creates a musical world of intrigue, paisley hallucinations, and tasteful grooves. It’s a psychedelic time machine that transports you to a smoke-filled lounge hidden along a cobble-stoned street in Florence. You take a Vespa through the Italian countryside, where composers like Morricone, Nicolai, Umiliani, and Cipriani pulled inspiration from for their most iconic work. […]

Night Fantasies and Other Indiscretions

I’d always heard the name Umberto in musical circles here and there over the years and assumed it was the name of some aging Italian composer. Maybe by day he wrote scores for Giallo films and Italian daytime soaps, then by night he hit the Milan discos and laid down some serious disco grooves for […]

Maiof On Maiovvi : A Conversation With Composer Anton Maiof

I think it was close to two years ago I stumbled across a split single on the record label Foreign Sounds. It was a split between Slasher Film Festival Strategy and Antoni Maiovvi. I hadn’t heard either artist before but I was in the moment it started playing. I’m sort of into that whole horror/electronic/synth […]

Umberto : Alienation

Umberto’s Alienation feels like a cross between New Age, a giallo score, and a soundtrack to some strange early 80s sci fi film. Previous albums like Confrontation, Night Has A Thousand Screams, and Prophecy Of The Black Widow all took their cues from the Gothic and dark world of horror films from guys like Argento, […]