Infernal Symphony Interview

Infernal Symphony is the solo musical project of Dominic Bishop from Cannock, UK. He has transitioned his metal background into a prolific project that serves a unique style of Dungeon Synth tinged with Progressive Death Metal to create dark soundtracks that are right at home in the world of RPGs and video games and especially the DOOM Franchise. We are happy to interview Dominic and learn more about his background and progress in this realm of tortured knights, demons, and wizards…

Thanks for taking some time to talk to us. To start off, please introduce yourself and tell us about Infernal Symphony – when did it begin? Who is involved? Etc.

Oh, honestly it’s my absolute pleasure and honour to be asked to do this!! I’m very excited and thrilled to be speaking with Harbinger Magazine. Wonderful questions, by the way.

Infernal Symphony is basically my catch-all musical solo project which started out life as a creative outlet back in the early 2010s when I was a bassist in various metal bands. At the time, I felt myself gradually getting more disenfranchised with the routine of getting trapped in bands that were going nowhere stylistically and were more often than not ruled by tyrannical vocalists, or otherwise those who didn’t see or truly value the breadth of creativity I could bring to the table. I was let go from a thrash band called Incinery in around 2012 just as things were starting to happen for them, which was gutting and left a bad taste in my mouth, so I set out to join a rival band which unfortunately was stuck in a cycle of rehearsing the same two songs night after night ad infinitum. I wish I was joking, but no, that’s as far as the ceiling stretched for them. As you can imagine, I tired of that pretty quickly too, so I started to write and record music on my shitty little left-handed Cort guitar and recorded it into a program called Riffworks which has since been discontinued. But the ability to finally make something of my own and have full creative control was liberating, to say the least. I enjoyed having drum loops to ah along with and that’s something I still do to this day, just using a keyboard instead. When I eventually quit those bands Infernal Symphony became my sole musical outlet, although I am also responsible for several other musical projects since, including one about frogs called Amphibian Performance. Over time, Infernal Symphony has taken on a life of it’s own and phased through various genres, landing finally upon dungeon synth, the one that I now truly call home.

It’s also a big deal to be involved with this magazine, as for those who aren’t aware this project was originally centered around LaVeyan Satanism. So it’s quite ironic to be talking with you today!

For those who are not familiar with the genre, how would you describe ‘Dungeon Synth’?

This is an incredible question, one which can (and has) had entire books written about it, as in all honesty it seems that nobody can come to a complete agreement on that! Although I scarcely see myself as the sort of person qualified to weigh in on such weighty matters, in layman’s terms the easiest way to think of it is nostalgic, instrumental fantasy music that comes in various shapes, flavours and styles. It’s usually played with keyboards, but there are many different approaches. I should know, I’ve tried most of them by now!

These days the scene seems to be split into two distinct camps – purists who value primitive, moody and ritualistic fare inspired by the idea of taking black metal ideals and applying them to synthesisers – so-called ‘dark dungeon music’ – and the newer school of artists who tend to be far more informed by things such as sword and sorcery literature, 70s/80s fantasy media and retro video game soundtracks, amongst other things, which seems to have taken on the mantle of ‘fantasy synth’. I guess dungeon synth has become a catch-all term to basically just refer to medieval or fantasy inspired synth music in general.

To me, I see the value in all of it, but personally I prefer the latter style as I find it less restrictive, and it’s proven to be a fertile space creatively, too. As I began to feel constrained by the comparatively rigid rules, sound and expectations of metal and it’s fans, I naturally gravitated towards something which had no pretense, no formula, and no standard by which to compare yourself. Compared to that, the realms of possibility with dungeon synth is endless, I think that’s probably the part that’s hardest to communicate.

Dungeon Synth is in this weird situation right now where it’s established enough to have an audience, but new enough and small enough to not have a rigidly-defined sound which you have to stick to relentlessly. If you have a good idea and execute it well, chances are it will find an audience, and that’s something that no other genre I’ve experienced can boast.

But above all, beyond the music the most valuable and surprising thing about it to me is the unbelievably passionate and tight-knit community that surrounds it – it’s still relatively small, but astounding. It also helps that the majority of dungeon synth fans also qualify as fellow peers and artists, too. It seems that the pull is so strong and the barrier to entry so low that once you’re exposed to it, the temptation to have a go yourself is hard to resist!

Of your many many releases, where would you suggest that new fans begin to explore your diverse catalog?

Thanks for recognising that!! Well, it’s become a bit of a strange journey, that’s for sure. My original intent was to document every collection of songs I made into album, regardless of quality, more as a way for me to personally keep track of things and remind myself of how far I’ve come as my skills at playing and writing have improved over the years.

Personally, I now find the first half of my catalogue pretty much unlistenable, but it’s there if you want it. I also get restless and sometimes just release something silly for the fun of it, so I admit it can be a bit tricky to find something that clicks with you. One of my favourites is a collaborative album I made this time last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monty Python And The Holy Grail, which was a lot of fun, and I found the support of around 17 other artists who contributed tracks to it simply out of pure love for the source material. And loyalty to me, of course. Haha!

Anyway, I’d suggest starting with ‘Inn For A Penny, Inn For A Pound’ and working backwards from there, as I felt pretty satisfied with the way that album came out when all was said and done. It’s got some interesting playing and it’s all one-take, off the cuff stuff and it was made as part of a yearly challenge called Dungeon Shamble, so I’m very proud of that one. But there are treasures elsewhere to be found for those brave enough to delve deeper. For example, my first vinyl release was called ‘Wide Awake Knight-Mare’ which came out with Herby Records, and that also has some killer art which really helps sell the story of that album.

Where can we find your music and connect with you online? (Links!)

I’m pretty much a reclusive hermit at the moment, however I’m always up for a friendly chat. Find me here:

Music: https://infernalsymphonyuk.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1LBhptcAGA/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/infernalsymphonyuk?igsh=azlhM2t1anR3bnNi

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@infernalsymphonytv2928?si=KciYXEBojLuz7mBR

One of my favorite of your albums is the Doom II soundtrack Operation: Reaper. How did this come about? What was your process like?

A: Thanks!! Yeah, I am super proud of that. The entire experience from beginning to end still feels like a fever dream, to be honest. I’ve always been a huge DOOM fan and was playing tons of it at the time. I happened to stumble upon a request for music on a Doom Facebook group I was in, and came into contact with a wonderful husband and wife dev team called DLV Games out of Maplewood, MO. They said they were putting together a full 32-level mod for classic doom and the original plan was for me to just make 4-5 songs for them for free and I was happy to oblige.

As we went on, the project grew organically as I was just having so much fun with it and I offered to score each map with a unique track for them, still for free because I was so enthused by the hard work that had gone into it on their end. By the project’s completion, I ended up with 36 songs and it was just surreal to be able to add to the legacy of such a storied video game series, even if it was in a small way. DOOM is exactly like dungeon synth in that it has a decades-old passionate underground community that’s just as passionate about it now as it ever was.

DLV Games are just the best – so friendly and charitable. We got chatting, and found that we were both on the same page from the get-go. They pretty much gave me free reign to make whatever I wanted and placed a lot of trust in me to make something that was true to the spirit of the game and what they were building, and I think it paid off. I had always wanted to make a full soundtrack, and they were in need of someone who intimately understood the sound and feel of classic Doom. It was a match made in hell!

In terms of the writing process, it was far more difficult than usual because I knew whatever I came up with was not just for me like always, but was serving a greater purpose for someone else, so I knew everything had to be utterly perfect. I put alot of pressure on myself to deliver something worthy of them, worthy of the name and worthy of myself. I couldn’t sleep at night at the thought of delivering music for a DOOM-related project and it being anything short of the very best stuff I could muster. The process itself was painstaking and iterative – I came up with random bits of the music in blocks, recording it in real time using a midi program on my phone using my thumbs, and then adding instruments and effects to it as I went before mixing and mastering everything too. I work in a very lo-fi, DIY and cheap way, and I don’t really have access to proper equipment anyway, so everything you hear on that is authentic and real. I wanted to also do justice to THE master of old video game music, Bobby Prince, who I was saddened to learn has recently passed away, too. Legend.

Anyway, as I had spent many years making metal using synths prior to making dungeon synth, it just fit like a glove and really wrung every last bit of energy and creativity out of me. Overall it took just over a year to finish, but the results speak for themselves. My label, Dungeon Squid Productions, managed to put out a limited box set of tapes for it too which sold out more or less instantly. It’s probably my greatest achievement in music ever and I hope that one day I can return to it or match it someday.

The experience also inspired me to start building my own maps too, which I’m still in the process of doing, and that in turn has led to me also finally starting to try to build my own video games, too. It goes to show how allowing yourself to take a chance on something can lead you to places you never expect.

Again, the biggest lasting impact from that experience was the friendships that it forged – we’ve got future collaboration planned for the future and I even went out and got a doom tattoo to mark the occasion too. I can’t thank them enough.

What are your influences in terms of music, literature, and/or film?

A: Hmm, well they’re far too varied to list completely here, and as your readers are no doubt aware by now I have a tendency to ramble on like an idiot, so I’ll keep it brief. They cover the spectrum, but I’m particularly always drawn to things which are weird, unique or have intense passion behind them. Musically, my favourite band is Megadeth, but I try to keep my mind open to inspiration from all sources at all times.

I’m working on a new album right now which is about a man who gets trapped inside a distorted mirror-realm; it’s going to be called ‘Tales From The Umbral Void’. That’s inspired by my love of Elder Scrolls lore, classical music, and life’s eternal mystery and my own struggles to figure it out. It’s shaping up to be a raw, emotional beast. I also have a huge love of history and medieval culture, so that is having a big influence on it too, as always. I recently visited Warwick Castle in England, which proved fascinating. I was sure to take some pictures and soak in the atmosphere for the inevitable xeroxed grey castle album cover! I also am inspired by esoteric occult writings like those of Crowley, LaVey, and religious philosophy as well. I’m am atheistic satanist, and run in the same circles as pagans and hippies, too. I think it’s good to have a fairly open mind and find inspiration in strange places that others wouldn’t think to use. I’m also a big Lord Of The Rings nut, as you can tell when you read some of my mad song titles!

With AI currently infiltrating art and music, where do you stand on this front? Does A.I. have any place in music?

A: It’s disturbing, to say the least. I’m not afraid to admit that I dabbled with it, albeit very briefly when it was a new concept and before we came to know all the terrible negative qualities it has.

At first, I was quite blasé about it, and I actually used it to make the original cover art for my breakout work – Slaves To The Grind, which is a skateboarding-inspired dungeon synth album that’s a bit tongue-in-cheek. That album was made in an afternoon as a bit of fun satire, and at the time I thought it was extremely clever of me to go about obtaining the art for it with that same attitude.

But when I started to learn about it’s downsides – the environmental impact, financial ramifications of all that demand for memory, etc. then I quickly opted to just ignore it and protest against it. And that’s before you even get into the potential it has to take away the livelihoods of people who have spent a lifetime honing their respective craft.

Beyond that, for me I just wouldn’t understand why someone would want to use it for music at all. The entire point of dungeon synth in particular is that it’s supposed to be homemade music made by eccentric people about eccentric things. I mean there are literally entire projects out there about hot dogs, forklifts, grand ancient eldritch space battles and medieval werewolves, so I doubt AI would understand any of that properly anyway.

Besides, the whole joy and beauty of it is making something yourself that has your own unique stamp on it. Making it imperfectly and full of your own quirks and flaws is half of the fun, and the joy is in the process itself. If I wanted to listen to soulless, artificial, brain-dead drivel, I wouldn’t need AI, I’d just turn on the radio.

I wouldn’t want to outsource that responsibility of making something as sacred as music to some offshore server rack in Haiti… If you’re willing to rob yourself of such a golden opportunity, then I truly feel sorry for you. But I guess being stupid isn’t as painful for those guys as it is for the rest of us.

Do you play any live shows?

A: Unfortunately, no. I’d like to pretend it’s thanks to some sort of esoteric commitment to the old ways, following in the footsteps of legends and pioneers of days of yore, but the reality is I’m simply too busy, too broke and too inconsistent to commit to it right now! But the demand is there. The scene has finally started to embrace live shows in the last few years, but they’re only just beginning to make the leap from the States across the pond here in the UK. But hopefully it’s on the cards for me someday – I’d love to do it!! Alas, I’m still waiting to fulfil my dream of playing nonsense with a keyboard strapped to my waist, on stage, in front of a baying crowd whilst they witness the sight of me in full wizard garb as I pump left and right on a skateboard between two quarter-pipes. I suspect it would be a sight to behold.

What is in store for the future of Infernal Symphony?

A: Well, that depends. I recently got made redundant from a job of 8 years and the one I’m doing now is similar, but much more demanding. I’m hoping to keep on working away at music and trying to figure out how it fits into my life now. But I won’t ever stop making it. I might even be forced to only release four albums a year now – the horror!!

I’m also working on my first video game which is a long way off, but should be a great excuse to make another full soundtrack eventually.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

A: YES!! Thank you so, so much for having me and reading and listening to the jumbled mess that has emerged from my brain for all these years. This has been yet another reason to pinch myself and another unlikely achievement to add to the list. Massive thanks to Diem, Chris and everyone else at the amazing Dungeon Squid Productions who have supported me even when I wasn’t able to support myself. They’re an incredible label run by just two dudes and a dream, and I honestly think the dungeon synth genre would be a damn sight worse off without them. And I’d also like to extend a huge thank you to each one of my fans along the way who, against their best interests, decided to give my songs a listen anyway. I am forever in your esteemed debt.