Though often paired with medieval and fantasy motifs throughout the 1990s onward, some prominent contemporaries of dungeon synth reject the excessive prevalence of high-fantasy themes.
[24] The progenitors of dungeon synth are Mortiis and Burzum, who both originated from the early Norwegian black metal scene: Mortiis being formed by Håvard Ellefsen, the bassist of Emperor; and Burzum originating as a black metal solo by Varg Vikernes of Old Funeral and Mayhem.
[34] Under starting Mortiis, Ellefsen embraced the influence of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze,[35] Skinny Puppy and Enigma.
[41][42] Vikernes cited Das Ich, Dead Can Dance and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky among influences on Burzum's ambient aspect.
[47] While, Finnish dungeon synth musician Tuomas M. Mäkelä of Jääportit[48] has cited Dead Can Dance and Arcana among their influences.