BECMI Inspired Thrash: An interview with Dungeon Crawl
There’s two things I love to do. Play D&D and jam some kick ass metal, and it just so happens Dungeon Crawl have taken both of these and fused ‘em together into something truly killer. Musically speaking, they’re tearing up a crossover / blackened thrash landscape with a ferocity I haven’t heard since Municipal Waste burst onto the scene years ago. Dungeon Crawl is getting ready to release their second record ‘Maze Controller’ via Carbonized Records soon. Do you dare roll 1d20 to hit? Level up and roll for your life!
Cosmic Monolith: Please introduce yourself
Answer: I am the Maze Controller.
Cosmic Monolith: How long has the band been together, and what records do you have out?
Maze Controller: Dungeon Crawl started as more or less a solo project. I began my musical incantations in the Summer of 2015, but additional adventurers did not heed the call to arms until Summer 2020, after I had released the +1 Demo. At this time, we have 1 full-length LP (Roll for Your Life), 1 split LP with the band Throne of Iron (The Side Quest) and are releasing another full-length later this year.
Cosmic Monolith: Where’s Dungeon Crawl located? What city/state?
Maze Controller: I bide my time at the center of the Eternal Shifting Labyrinth, in the sepulchral depths of an unnamed and unmarked tomb. It is here where I weave the tapestry of Dungeon Crawl’s party members doom, tracking the grains of destiny that fall within the hourglass that marks their fates. On the occasion we meet to rehearse, we do so in San Jose, CA, USA.
Cosmic Monolith: With a band called Dungeon Crawl, what does your live show look like? Costumes, props, or just a straightforward gig?
Maze Controller: We don the appropriate attire of an adventuring party for live performances.
Cosmic Monolith: It goes without saying that everyone in the band is into metal, that’s a given. However, does everyone in the band game?
Maze Controller: Only I, the Maze Controller, have experience playing in and running tabletop RPGs. The other individual adventurers who share their musical talents do so only for their passion for music.
Cosmic Monolith: Break it down for me. What games do all of you play other than D&D?
Maze Controller: While not fighting for his life in dungeons of my design, our wizard, Magnus-Scrota, is a game developer for The Sims 4 by day. And while it was difficult for me to obtain a computing apparatus in the crypt where I reside, I can often be found playing Baldur’s Gate 3 (go figure), any FromSoftware game, Conan Exiles, Lord of the Rings Online, Sea of Thieves, and many others in between designing various death contraptions and monsters for my adventuring party to encounter in the maze. One might say that I’m “not like other girls”.
Cosmic Monolith: How long has everyone been playing D&D (or just you) and how did you discover it? Through a friend?
Maze Controller: TTRPGs have been a part of my life since roughly 2004, when I was introduced to 3.5 through a starter set that my sister purchased for me. I played on and off, and when 5e was released, I decided to take up the mantle of GM and run games for the first time.
Cosmic Monolith: What prompted everyone to combine playing D&D (or other fantasy roleplaying games) and thrash? What was the impetus to that?
Maze Controller: The short answer is 5th edition and lots of hype. Aside from that, I had been advised on multiple occasions by successful individuals that bands with a gimmick would likely be more successful and well received than bands that did not have one.
Cosmic Monolith: In terms of gaming, are you 5e or B/X? Quick follow up – What’s your opinion of the current Old School Roleplaying (OSR) gaming movement based on the Open Game License (OGL)?
Maze Controller: 5e for when I’m GMing for newcomers, B/X or OSR stuff for when I play with more experienced players. Previously, I have played Swords & Wizardry with a group of friends and enjoyed the system. I own a few of the OSE (Old School Essentials) books and have been reading through them to fuel new ideas. The Referee’s Tome has been particularly insightful in finding new, deadly monsters to employ in the Eternal Shifting Labyrinth.
Cosmic Monolith: What about metal and thrash, do you remember how you discovered it, what drew you to this genre? Was it through a record, a band, etc.?
Maze Controller: Metal and music in general have been a huge piece of my identity from a very early age. Before assuming my role as the Maze Controller, I was introduced to Metallica by a friend at the age of 12. As cliche as it is, ‘Kill ‘Em All’ began my obsession with thrash, and through high school I discovered other bands. While it’s not thrash, Rhapsody was a very formative band for me during my teenage years. Basically, anything that is fast and highly melodic has a tendency to draw my ear.
Cosmic Monolith: In terms of thrash, who are your influences?
Maze Controller: Artillery’s ‘By Inheritance’ has probably had the most influence on the music I’ve written. Aside from that, newer revival era bands like Gama Bomb, Toxic Holocaust, and Municipal Waste have been big influences on me as well. Some other ones include – Exmortus, Demolition Hammer, Morbid Saint, Vektor, Warbringer, Black Breath, Ghoul, Kreator, and Destruction. No sugarcoating it though, my favorite band of all time would have to be Rhapsody (of Fire). Behind them would have to be anything by Stratovarious during the Timo Tolkki era (pre-2008).
Cosmic Monolith: Following up with the last question, which modern day bands are you listening to and recommending?
Maze Controller: Some of my favorites that have been putting out music in the genre the last few years include: Bloodletter, Graveripper, Seizure, Hemotoxin, High Command, Iron Voltage. Outside of thrash, I am a huge fan of Skeletal Remains, Necrot, Blood Incantation, Tribulation (their entire catalog), Throne of Iron, Fen Walker, Kobold (Synth), Gnoll (Synth), and The Beths. Anything that HDK records releases is guaranteed to be a banger.
Cosmic Monolith: Playing a style of metal influenced by gaming, namely D&D, do you think that might limit your potential fanbase, make you a niche band?
Maze Controller: I think potentially, but D&D has had quite a renaissance over the last decade, with plenty of Hollywood and internet celebrities endorsing it. I think at this point it might be about as niche as Warbringer writing another song about tanks and cannons, or any number of death metal bands that have lyrics referring to skeletons or death. Alestorm is 7 albums deep with millions of listeners, writing about pirates and historical events from the Golden Age of Piracy. Hopefully we can make a similar impact in the metal community but for TTRPGs.
Cosmic Monolith: What’s the outlook for the rest of 2024? Any shows, festivals lined up?
Maze Controller: We’re releasing our second full-length LP this year through a very solid label and are planning a record release show in conjunction. We have a performance in Richmond, CA on August 9th with Exmortus, Seizure, Hemotoxin, and Malpractice. The plan is to do a few strings of shows through 2025 to support the new record, and finish writing for album 3.
