I just received a CD of one of my favourite albums today, which I've only ever heard on mp3 before -- "The place where the black stars hang" by Lustmord. A dark ambient classic.
A short poem in the CD insert caught my eye / imagination, and revealed a previously unthought connection between Lustmord and Lovecraft:
Not stars but suns
or these alone
noxious shrouds of flame
form a universal dread
of abnormal formless spawn
Nethermost abnormal son
that lies beyond the sun
eternal, dark
undying
answerable to none
There is a place
where the black stars hang
and the strangest eons call
that amorphous mass
unknown, immense
ambivalent to all
I habe their Heresy album and my players know that if Lustmord is playing, the forces of evil are afoot. Maybe I need to buy more of their albums!
ReplyDeleteI've not heard Heresy, but I have wondered about using Lustmord or other dark, atmospheric music as gaming background. Do you use that kind of music much?
ReplyDeletePurely as an album, I'd totally recommend The place where the black stars hang -- it's some of the deepest most evocative music I've ever heard, and not as overtly "evil" sounding as other Lustmord albums I've heard, having more of an "abandoned deep space exploration" kind of sound, which is right up my street ;)
Often a campaign will have an album – I have used game soundtracks such as Vagrant Story or Morrowind and movie scores such as Conan. When the current track doesn't match, I skip to the next one until it does. Very little planning involved. And when the party reaches the dungeon entrance, sees the cursed altar, the pools of blood at the feet of an idol – I switch to Lustmord. Very effective. So yes, this happens once in two (3–4 h) sessions perhaps?
ReplyDeleteOk, listening to it now… :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome Alex! Hope you enjoy it! I'd recommend headphones and darkness for the ultimate deep listening experience ;)
ReplyDeleteI just thought, it'd probably fit for a Carcosa campaign, having a track entitled "Aldebaran of the Hyades"... isn't Carcosa also in the Hyades cluster?