Dog Hex Dog Hex cassette
Billed as a fusion of egg-punk and dungeon synth, there is absolutely no information about DOG HEX that I can find other than the fact that this was recorded “in a hot room.” While I am not a dungeon synth expert, as a punk with a solo synth project that occasionally gets lumped into the dungeon synth genre, I have listened to enough to understand the basic idea. It seems like a lot of people think that the use of any cheap keyboard automatically qualifies your music as dungeon synth—which brings us to DOG HEX. This debut seven-song cassette features mostly spastic, aggressive egg-punk, but does have a few instrumental synth tracks, hence their attempt to claim both genres. It is my understanding that dungeon synth is fundamentally an atmospheric genre, with long compositions built around the slow cultivation of mood. With the longest song on this cassette being under a minute, it’s difficult to imagine what atmosphere can truly be built within such a timeframe. Looking at DOG HEX’s instrumental tracks through the lens of building an immersive world through their soundscapes, these songs essentially amount to a quest to the fridge. This cassette is actually pretty ripping, with “Mantra” being the standout track, blistering through verse/chorus repetition enough to get stuck in your head even at only 45 seconds in length. The band’s self-posed question of “What do you call a mix between egg-punk and dungeon synth?” feels like the build-up to an incredibly niche one-liner. I suppose I would say that “dungeon synth as played by ADHD-riddled egg-punkers” works as a description for DOG HEX. Personally, I would view things a little differently. This omelette of darkness seems more like the mashup between egg-punk and mysterious guy hardcore, as there is no information to find whatsoever on the project, its members, or anything else. The eggs are undeniable, the dungeon is still under construction.