Halberd - Depths of the Lich Lord

 Released: August 11

Returning with his first release under the Halberd moniker, composer Georgie Franco brings us an impressive and expansive new album of chiptune dungeon synth fun and adventure. It’s so well executed that I felt as though I had just played any one of my old school RPG favorites - Lufia, Breath of Fire, maybe even a bit of Zelda - again. The album has an amazing flow to it, really solidifying a sort of storyline from beginning to the epic end in which our heroes finally vanquish the enemy they set out to at the start. While the whole album is wonderful, they were a few moments that really stood out for me. 

One of the first that really hit was “Slime Battle,” just for being some of the best mini-boss fight tracks here. A driving bass line with tense and cheesy strings and an end where the noisy bits are given just a moment to sizzle a bit of the way out, like an 8-bit fire slowly burning out. “The Cave Darkens” makes for perfect exposition music, as if the heroes of our story must take a moment to gather their composure and reassure one another, perhaps even sharing a heartfelt moment between them to raise spirits as they venture further into their journey. “Gatekeeper Undead” is a track that practically insists you run out of the room you are currently in because it is undoubtedly goodbye to cave in on you at any moment. “The Last Bonfire” is perfect save point music to precede the final track “Battle with the Lich.” Another epic battle track that takes some of the elements of “Slime Battle” and cranks the energy further, giving an almost frantic but still focused mood, and even gives more of that tasty sizzle at the end. 

Depths of the Lich Lord is an incredibly fun little adventure. It comes across as quite cohesive in plot, even if the finer details of the story stay fuzzy.