Graham Reynolds’ new album ‘The Portcullis’ is out today on Fire Records and as part of the Weird Walk Record Cult

THE PORTCULLIS draws on dungeon-synth textures, medieval ambience, and the imaginative pull of folklore. Rather than recreating the past, it opens a threshold into a world slightly outside time. At its centre is a simple question – what lies behind the portcullis? – taking the listener on a focused journey through shifting eras, symbols, and atmospheres. It plays like a lost fantasy soundtrack, inviting the listener into an adventure that feels both ancient and newly invented.

‘The Portcullis’ (out 15th May via Fire Records) sees composer Graham Reynolds investigate his lineage and name back to Launceston Castle. This is the soundtrack to an imagined world that nods to RPG and fantasy culture without leaning on it, keeping the tone medieval, minimal, and atmospheric.

A heady mix of dark ambient and dungeon synth, Graham who composed and produced the release creates an “ominous, stark environment that rumbles with sounds evocative of the natural world, in both its beauty and despair” New York Times.

Available on Limited Edition Neon Green Vinyl & Weird Walk Record Cult Deluxe Portcullis Dice & Vinyl Bundle.

Quite extraordinary

★★★★ Uncut

Graham Reynolds ‘The Portcullis’

 

Listen / Order

Futuristic, dystopian

BBC Radio 3, Elizabeth Alker

Of all the RPG-infused dungeon synth, medieval ambient records released this year, Graham Reynolds’ will be the finest.

Loud & Quiet

Reynolds' career is one has been defined by a refusal to fence himself in.

Wyrd Science

Reynolds creates a stark, atmospheric sound world that feels at once ancient and vividly imagined.

Norman Records