If you are a fan of the classic Universal monster movies, like Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf-man, then I think you will enjoy Midnight Syndicate’s latest album, Monsters of Legend. Listening to the tracks, one cannot help but feel the stirring moments from these classic films. In fact, as an experiment, I watched the great silent classic “Nosferatu” with this album in the background acting as a soundtrack, and I thought it provided some amazing atmosphere. It just lends itself so well to the genre, no matter what was playing.
My other Midnight Syndicate albums typically get played only around Halloween, and it is obvious this one will join them in such a rotation. However, I think a good classic horror tale can be watched anytime, and I dare say the same can be said for this album.
It’s very hard to pick out a favorite track on a collection like this. I will say that all of the tracks have been very inspirational for background while I am writing. This is something I have done with other Midnight Syndicate records, but this one by far has the most cinematic feel of them all and lends itself the most in my mind.
Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have outdone themselves with this album, and after all of the years of gothic goodness they have produced, that fact really shines. Whether you are a new fan or old of Midnight Syndicate, or you are a fan of classic horror movies, Monsters of Legend will not disappoint.
Destini Beard is a dark lyrical soprano in the Gothic and Horror soundtrack genre. She debuted as the first vocalist for the Horror Soundtrack group, Midnight Syndicate. Her two albums, “The Dark Masquerade,” and, “A Time Forgotten,” have been enjoyed by fans for over a decade. Performing across the US and abroad, she continues to add a dark twist to all her musical creations. Her song “Farewell Forever” was featured in the award-winning Horror/Soundtrack album from the 10th annual Rondo Hatton Awards. Her albums were featured on Rue Morgue radio, Dark Beauty Magazine, and are played nationwide on the award-winning Rock/Metal radio show “Rock Solid Pressure Show”.Continue reading →
Halloween and horror music legends Midnight Syndicate will bring their critically-acclaimed concert experience, Midnight Syndicate Live!, back to the world famous amusement park, Cedar Point this fall. The horror-themed multimedia concerts blending live music, theatre, and film will run Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays from September 15 through October 29 in the Jack Aldrich Theater at Cedar Point’s 21st annual HalloWeekends event.
“We’ve developed a new, even better show that we can’t wait to unleash on audiences,” said Midnight Syndicate’s Edward Douglas. “Our new venue, the Jack Aldrich Theater, is a perfect fit for what we want to do. It will allow us to create an intimate and thrilling experience that guests won’t soon forget.”
“Working with Cedar Point in 2014 was a great experience across the board, so to be able to team up with them again, especially as a part of Midnight Syndicate’s 20th anniversary celebration, is perfect,” added Gavin Goszka.
“We’re excited that Midnight Syndicate is bringing their live and immersive stage show back to Cedar Point this fall,” said Charles Bradshaw, V.P. of Live Entertainment at Cedar Point. “Fans of their mesmerizing music loved their previous run at HalloWeekends – and they’re going to love this latest production.”
For the new show, Midnight Syndicate will once again be calling upon special effects legend Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Till Dawn, KNB EFX) and his Creature Corps, David “House” Greathouse (Faceoff, Mushroomhead), Beki Ingram (Faceoff), director Gary Jones (Army of Darkness, Axe Giant), 529 Films, EFX-TEK, artist Mark Rakocy, Likeform, and Screamline Studios.
Midnight Syndicate
As Midnight Syndicate, award-winning composers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been delighting fans of Halloween, horror cinema, roleplaying games, and gothic music for two decades. As the first recording act to produce atmosphere for professional haunts and amusement parks, their signature blend of dark orchestral music and sound effects have remained a staple of that industry in addition to weaving their way into the musical tapestry of the Halloween season. Every October, their music can be heard setting atmosphere on television and radio shows, restaurants, stores, and homes worldwide. In 2015, they were included with seminal horror music acts like Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Bobby “Boris” Pickett, John Carpenter, and Rob Zombie in Rue Morgue Magazine’s 50 Essential Horror Albums – Discs That Created, Evolved, or Defined Genre Music Over the Decades. 2017 marks the band’s 20th anniversary.
Cedar Point
Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, is “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World®.” With an unmatched collection of 70 rides, including 17 roller coasters, kids’ areas, overnight accommodations, live shows, restaurants and more, it’s easy to see why Cedar Point is the world’s best amusement park destination. In 2017, Cedar Point introduces Cedar Point Shores Water Park, an 18-acre water-lover’s paradise with four new water attractions, shopping, dining and fun places for families to relax.
I recently had the opportunity to listen to Midnight Syndicate’s new album Zombies!!!
Intro: I feel like I am marching, on a quest.. about to do something serious. I love the drumline and the melody brings it together… although I am scared of what is lurking around the corner… the music fades nicely to the next song….
Last Day to Live: um, what?! I’m going to die!? Exciting…. the bass line sets the speed at which I will meet my demise… although, it is pretty steady and methodically.. cool… but I’m still going to die….
I haven’t played this board game… but now, listening to the soundtrack… I feel like I need to! I like how the emotions of running from Zombies and the possibility of dying (wait, I think I die in this music story) flows deliberately.
Have you played Zombies!!! the board game? Have you listened to this album? Is the music like the game? Am I afraid I will die for no reason? Let me know this and what you think! Email me at horroraddicts@gmail.com
Midnight Syndicate Releases Zombies!!! Board Game Soundtrack
CLEVELAND, Ohio (September 8, 2016) – Award-winning composers and dark music pioneers Midnight Syndicate have released the Zombies!!! Official Board Game Soundtrack. ]The new release features Midnight Syndicate’s signature blend of sound effects and instrumental music set in the modern day, post-zombie apocalypse world of the Zombies!!! board game. “We wanted to design a soundtrack that would not only heighten the Zombies!!! gameplay experience, but also appeal to all fans of zombies and our friends in the haunted attraction industry,” said Edward Douglas. “I think we were able to achieve that.”
“Given the character and core elements of the game, I think that both of us immediately felt that this album should focus on having a more modern, aggressive sound. In order to achieve that, we brought in a lot of electronic and percussive instruments and kept the fundamental game scenarios firmly in mind, approaching it more as an actual soundtrack than as a collection of songs built around a particular theme or setting. While there are a few tracks that are more situation or location-specific, most are intended to evoke the general feel and atmosphere of the game world, allowing you to play along without interruption,” added Gavin Goszka.
“The soundtrack is a perfect complement to the game,” added Twilight Creations co-founder, Kerry Breitenstein. “I couldn’t be more excited for the Zombies!!! fans to hear it, let alone the rest of the world!” The album is available at www.MidnightSyndicate.com as well as digitally on CDBaby, iTunes, and Amazon.com.
Midnight Syndicate has been a favorite of dark instrumental music fans for over 18 years, and now the Cleveland-based duo of Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have wrought their monsterpiece.
Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering revisits those aspects of the Yuletide season familiar to Charles Dickens buffs, specifically the spooky and ooky parts. “A Christmas Overture” by Douglas sets the stage for the Syndicate’s magical ride, and you can practically see Jack Skellington whipping on the horses of his pumpkin carriage as they wind through the streets of a sleeping New England village, spreading the gift of grim.
Next up is a version of Tchaikovsky’s “The Sugar Plum Fairy” from the Nutcracker as one might imagine Italo-horror soundtrack greats Goblin playing it. Goosebumps galore ensue. This is followed by “Carol of the Bells,” composed by Mykola Leontovych, a holiday favorite haunted by choirs of lost angels.
Now we descend into “Night of the Krampus” courtesy of an original composition by Douglas. You’d better not shout, you’d better not cry, although you might want to scream and run for your life if this creature of German folklore, a sort of anti-Claus, spies you being naughty. This tune would make a fine accompaniment to a reboot of the old Hammer Films franchise–big breasted maidens hollering in terror, menaced by the Krampus, who is easily scarier than Frankenstein, Dracula, the Golem and the Wolf Man all stitched together in Peter Cushing’s laboratory.
And just when you think Christmas has become too genuinely frightening to serve as a context for hearthside cheer, “Angels We Have Heard on High” sing gently o’er the plains. But with the suspense built up from the previous songs, you might be wary of something dreadful hidden beneath their wings. Which is probably not “Greensleeves,” beautifully rendered here. Which is definitely “Up on the Housetop,” and whatever that might be, it means no good.
Fortunately, this chilling episode is succeeded by “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” although with the Danny Elfman treatment given this Christmas standard, they sound more like the League of Distinguished Gentlemen, gathered in a safe house somewhere in Victorian London as they work against time to foil a dastardly plot that threatens Western Civilization.
Midnight Syndicate 2015
What’s this “Coventry Carol?” A thing to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. A song that could easily be titled “O Little Town of Deathlehem,” with none the wiser. Whatever is being born this day, it’s probably awful and best avoided for one’s mental health.
Similarly, “Little Helpers,” in another Douglas original, sound like nasty sprites with sharp claws and glowing red eyes, hopping up and down like psychedelic toads with deadly intent. They should be held at arm’s length if you can’t find a steel mesh net and some holy water. Seriously.
Ah, “Sing We Now of Christmas.” Nothing sinister here, right? A sweet, dark and somber rendition of the 15th Century French carol. So far, so not Satan’s coming round the bend. Yet. Suddenly we find ourselves swept into the heart of a “Winter Storm” (a Goszka original this time), and from there “Into the Stillness,” just shy of peaceful, a bit ominous actually…ok, something’s coming to turn the stillness into an abattoir. Could it be “The Parade of the Tin Soldiers?” For sweet little toys, they sound awfully like Stormtroopers from Hell. When, oh when, will it be “Everywhere, Everywhere, Christmas Tonight?”
At last, it’s “Christmas at Midnight.” The chimney has been stoppered up to keep out the Krampus, with pots of boiling oil handy just in case he breaks through the barbed wire and armed guards. The children are shivering in their beds, wracked by nightmares, visions of big black spiders and rotting zombies dancing in their heads. Mom and Dad are with a therapist. And yet, despite all the horror and fear and creeping flesh, it seems we have all survived.
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David Watson, Dan Shaurette, Marc Vale, KBatz (Kristin Battestella), Mimielle, Dawn Wood, Lillian Csernica, Killion Slade, D.J. Pitsiladis, Jesse Orr, A.D. Vick, Mimi Williams, Lisa Vasquez, Alex S. Johnson
For the finale of HorrorAddicts.net, Season 10, we have an interview with horror songstress, Destini Beard. Destini is a beautiful songbird whose music connects with the darkest part of your soul. She started her musical career in high school, and became one of the youngest singers to join the world renowned Susquehanna Valley Chorale. She’s collaborated with Midnight Syndicate on a few albums and is currently working on several different projects.
Edward Douglas from Midnight Syndicate says, “Destini is a tremendously talented artist and I’ve really enjoyed our collaborations together. She comes from a talented family. Her mother sang professionally and her father is one of the most talented fantasy artists I’ve ever met. Like them, she has that mix of talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and the all-important drive which is so important in the entertainment business. On A Time Forgotten, Destini has a song called “My Last Goodbye” that she not only wrote all of the music for but also performed the vocals (and piano!) on. The first time I heard it, I was blown away. With that song, I think we got a short glimpse of what it is to come from Destini and I for one, am very excited to hear what’s next!”
Destini’s haunting melodies and Midnight Syndicate’s theatrical accompaniment, transport me into a opera box in the early 1900’s, hairs standing on end as the vocals rise and fall. On the finale, you will get to hear samplings of her work as well as the lady herself talking about what’s next. The finale will air October 17th, 2015.
If you can’t wait for the finale, you can visit her website, Facebook, or check out her YouTube Channel.
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David Watson, Dan Shaurette, Marc Vale, KBatz (Kristin Battestella), Mimielle, Dawn Wood, Lillian Csernica, Killion Slade, D.J. Pitsiladis, Jesse Orr, A.D. Vick, Mimi Williams
Midnight Syndicate has announced that their eighteenth album will have a Christmas and Winter Solstice theme. “I think there’s a rule that after a band’s been around for ‘x’ years they are required to produce a Christmas album. So, that’s how we got here,” joked Edward Douglas. “In all seriousness though, a Yuletide-themed Midnight Syndicate album is something our fans have been asking us for since we began; this album will not disappoint them.”
“I will say that this album has been particularly challenging because we’re taking songs that are SO familiar and that have been treated in so many different ways throughout the years and trying to make them uniquely our own,” added Gavin Goszka. “We don’t want to make yet another Christmas album – we really want it to stand on its own as something truly original. We hope that it will evoke the spirit of the Yuletide season while also reflecting our ongoing musical style and vision.”
Content-wise, the album will be a mix of new material and twists on classics. “I’d describe most of the covers on the album as being reinvented, rather than simply adapted,” said Goszka. “I’ve found myself approaching this material with a very wide palette and a limited sense of allegiance to convention. That being said, it still has to make sense in some way and stay grounded in the familiar. I think we’re stretching our creative wings more than ever here, but there’s still a consistency and overall purpose to it.” “The original songs have been a lot of fun to work on,” added Douglas. “I think the fans are in for a lot of pleasant surprises.”
Fans will not have to wait until Christmas for this present. Midnight Syndicate will be exhibiting at DragonCon in Atlanta this year on Labor Day weekend (September 4-7) and plans to have the CD available at the show.
Midnight Syndicate Live! update: In October of 2014, Midnight Syndicate Live! debuted at Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends event. From the audience response to the critical reception to record-breaking attendance numbers, the show was an overwhelming success. Although the band will be using 2015 to focus on the new album, plans for a return of Midnight Syndicate Live! in 2016 are already underway. “The success of the inaugural run of Midnight Syndicate Live! has ensured that live Midnight Syndicate shows will be a permanent part of our plans going forward,” said Douglas.
emily goodwin, midnight syndicate, miss misery, best in blood
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My dark children, I am so sorry to say goodnight to you this weekend for 2014, but I am excited to introduce you to our Season Finale Guests!
MUSICIANS: Midnight Syndicate
For almost two decades, composers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been known as Midnight Syndicate, creating symphonic soundtracks to imaginary films that facilitate a transcendental and adventurous escape into the secret dimensions of the mind’s eye. To many of their fans, they are Gothic music pioneers brewing a signature blend of orchestral horror music and movie-style sound effects. To others, they remain the first “haunted house band” that forever changed the Halloween music genre and became a staple of the October holiday season. And some know them as the duo that created the first official soundtrack to the legendary Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Their critically-acclaimed works are reminiscent of sweeping, complex masterpieces by artists such as James Horner, Danny Elfman, Black Sabbath and King Diamond and have been featured as a part of groundbreaking films, television shows, video games and at haunted attractions, amusement parks and live performances worldwide.
AUTHOR: Emily Goodwin
Emily Goodwin is the international best-selling author of the stand-alone novel STAY, The Guardian Legacies Series: UNBOUND, REAPER, MOONLIGHT (releasing 2014), The Beyond the Sea Series: BEYOND THE SEA, RED SKIES AT NIGHT (releasing 2015) and the award winning Contagium Series: CONTAGIOUS, DEATHLY CONTAGIOUS, CONTAGIOUS CHAOS, THE TRUTH IS CONTAGIOUS (Permuted Press)
“I wasn’t afraid of death. If I died, it would be over. My worst fear wasn’t of dying, it was of living. Living while everyone around me had their flesh savagely torn from their bodies to be shoved into the festering and ever-hungry mouths of zombies. It terrified me, right down to my very core, to be alive while the rest of the world was dead.”
The award winning Contagium Series is a four book saga, published by Permuted Press, that follows Orissa Penwell on her journey through a post-apocalyptic world killing the dead, saving the living, and deciding if love is worth the risk.
Contagious was the winner of the 2014 best horror book, voted at the Contagious Reads Horror Con. Contagious was also recognized for having the best gore, best zombies, best bad-ass female lead, best team/couple in a horror book, and best overall series.
HORROR HOST: Miss Misery
Press has dubbed Horror Hostess Miss Misery as the Queen of horror in the bay area. She is hostess of The Last Doorway Show, a show dedicated to promoting the independent horror artist. She also hosts those late night bad horror films on Movie Massacre; which will be coming to your television set very soon. So get ready for a two hour delight of terror!
She also has a segment on Creepy Kofy Movie Time called Web of Insanity. Where she hosts 3 minute and under short horror films! You can even catch her at the end of the show dancing with Balrok, No name, and the hot Cave girls.
Miss Misery hosts several events around the San Francisco, Sacramento area including Zombie Proms, Shadow casts, and Film Festivals.
If you think that wasn’t enough Miss Misery will soon be coming out with her own line of comic books which she hosts tales of death of revenge called “Forgotten Tales” not only does she host these awesome stories but she also writes them. Get inside her head with these up coming comic books from Comic Book Divas.
Sometimes you can catch her having Bloody Mary’s with her gal pal Ms. Vampy!!
BEST IN BLOOD:
We will be revealing the winner of Best in Blood for last season, season 8. This is a good one, you won’t want to miss!
SEASON 9 FINALE / HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
Don’t miss the ghouls, the goblins, and the gals as we ring in the Halloween season with the best special yet! Costume talk, Halloween jokes, and your favorite drinking word, all packed in to a show you won’t forget!
When you think of horror in music there is one name that should come to mind first: Midnight Syndicate. Midnight Syndicate has been making dark gothic soundtracks for the imagination since 1997. Their music is the kind of mood music you hear in many haunted houses around Halloween and on movie soundtracks such as The Dead Matter and The Rage. Their latest horror soundtrack is for the film Axe Giant: The Wrath Of Paul Bunyan.
For most movies, the soundtrack is something that adds a little atmosphere to the movie and you don’t think about it much. In the case of Axe Giant, the musical soundtrack overpowers the movie and that’s not a bad thing. The movie is a slasher picture about a group of teenagers in a scared straight type camp in the woods being hunted down by folk legend Paul Bunyan. The movie may have a simple premise but the soundtrack is complex and tells a much more compelling story.
There are 15 songs on this soundtrack and from the first two songs you know your listening to a masterpiece. The first song is Axe Giant’s main title which uses a full orchestra to give the impression of an angry giant walking through a forest and sets up a mood of impending doom. While hearing this song I could see in my head, Paul Bunyan making his way past towering pines on his way to kill unsuspecting campers. I fell in love with this soundtrack from this one song and thought the whole soundtrack would sound like that but then the second track blew me away.
Track two is called “Minnesota 1894”. This one really showed the diversity of this album going from the dark mood of the first song and changing the direction to a more laid back folksy sound. This song is complete with banjo and a sweeping sound that made me think of a group of people around a campfire, telling tall tales without any words being spoken. The music says it all.
The third song is “Babe’s Grave” and once again the mood of the album changes. This song has a Native American feel to it. With the use of drums and wood instruments, it gives the feeling of a quiet graveyard and builds to a scary sounding finish. The fourth song is the “S.T.U.M.P. Medley” which continues what the third song starts, adding horns and sounding like a marching song becoming more powerful as it goes along.
The next song is “Bunyan at Babe’s Grave.” This song reminds you that this is a horror soundtrack and leads you to believe this ride is about to get much scarier. The rest of the songs build on what the first five started and tell a great tale of terror through the use of what must have been hundreds of different musical instruments. The album ends with an acoustic song and the only one with lyrics, called “The Ballad of Paul Bunyan.” I loved the story this song gives and it was a great ending to a masterpiece.
I’ve listened to a lot of Midnight Syndicate’s albums over the years and I think this one may be their best work. When I saw the title I thought it wouldn’t be good, but the opening of the first song proved me wrong. The only bad thing is that it made me want to see the movie. While the movie was fun to watch, the story doesn’t come close to the story that comes through in the music. Without the use of words, this soundtrack tells a scary story that no movie can duplicate. I think it would be interesting if someone made a silent horror movie set to Midnight Syndicate’s music because they know how horror sounds.
If you are a fan of the classic Universal monster movies, like Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf-man, then I think you will enjoy Midnight Syndicate’s latest album, Monsters of Legend. Listening to the tracks, one cannot help but feel the stirring moments from these classic films. In fact, as an experiment, I watched the great silent classic “Nosferatu” with this album in the background acting as a soundtrack, and I thought it provided some amazing atmosphere. It just lends itself so well to the genre, no matter what was playing.
My other Midnight Syndicate albums typically get played only around Halloween, and it is obvious this one will join them in such a rotation. However, I think a good classic horror tale can be watched anytime, and I dare say the same can be said for this album.
It’s very hard to pick out a favorite track on a collection like this. I will say that all of the tracks have been very inspirational for background while I am writing. This is something I have done with other Midnight Syndicate records, but this one by far has the most cinematic feel of them all and lends itself the most in my mind.
Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have outdone themselves with this album, and after all of the years of gothic goodness they have produced, that fact really shines. Whether you are a new fan or old of Midnight Syndicate, or you are a fan of classic horror movies, Monsters of Legend will not disappoint.
lucy blue, frank h. woodward, dr. rotz, versailles, translyvania 6-5000
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Goodbye, my darklings, until next year. Please be safe and stay spooky!
The Vampire Writers Support Group proudly presents FRESH BLOOD, an eclectic collection of short stories set in a dark, bloodsoaked world full of vampires. https://www.facebook.com/FreshBloodAnthology
Midnight Syndicate’s new “Monsters of Legend” CD to be unleashed July 19th
June 20, 2013 (Cleveland, OH) – On July 19, Midnight Syndicate will release it’s sixteenth studio album, “Monsters of Legend.” This “tribute to the golden age of horror” will feature sweeping symphonic horror instrumental music and sound effects in the signature style the band pioneered. “We want to make you feel like you are a character in one of those classic horror films – that you’ve entered a world where any one of the iconic characters from the Universal Horror and Hammer Films could be right around the corner,” said composer Edward Douglas.
The CD artwork features original images from classic Universal Studios horror movies including Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, and Dracula. “Listeners will hear the influence of the Universal Monster, Hammer, and Euro Horror films from the 30s through the 70s, not only in the music but in the images the songs conjure,” added Gavin Goszka. Although the band promises the new disc will deliver the dark atmosphere haunted attractions, roleplaying gamers, and Halloween enthusiasts expect from them, they feel they’ve crafted a disc that transcends their favorite time of the year. “As we did on Carnival Arcane, we’re always trying to take things up a notch both musically and with the sound design. There is a lot going on in this one. Plenty to pull you in, spark your imagination, and keep hold of you anytime you’re looking to visit that mysterious place in your mind’s eye.”
The CD will be available for pre-order the first week in July. In addition to other new merchandise, Entity Productions Halloween Music will be releasing a special edition 12″ vinyl version of the Monsters of Legend album, hand-numbered and limited to 250 copies.
For almost two decades, composers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been known as Midnight Syndicate, creating symphonic soundtracks to imaginary films that facilitate a transcendental and adventurous escape into the secret dimensions of the mind’s eye. To many of their fans, they are Gothic music pioneers brewing a signature blend of orchestral horror music and movie-style sound effects. To others, they remain the first “haunted house band” that forever changed the Halloween music genre and became a staple of the October holiday season. And some know them as the duo that teamed up with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast to produce the first official soundtrack to the legendary Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Their critically-acclaimed works are reminiscent of sweeping, complex masterpieces by artists such as James Horner, Danny Elfman, Black Sabbath and King Diamond and have been featured as a part of groundbreaking films, television shows, video games and at haunted attractions, amusement parks and live performances worldwide.
Midnight Syndicate’s music has become integral to setting a powerful mood at top-rated haunted attractions and amusement parks as well as at costume shops, gaming and Halloween parties and Halloween-themed cruises from Siberia and Hong Kong, to Europe and the United States. The duo has released 15 studio albums since 1997, and Douglas and Goszka’s original, work also been used at Hugh Hefner’s Halloween parties, on episodes of The Barbara Walters Special and in the drive-in film The Rage, Universal Studio’s Horror Nights XVIII as well as by Monday Night Football and by artists Insane Clown Posse, Three Six Mafia, Twiztid and The Misfits. In 2010, Midnight Syndicate released a full-length horror film called The Dead Matter, directed, scored and co-produced by Douglas alongside Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Till Dawn, co-founder, KNB FX) and Gary Jones (Xena, Boogeyman 3).
Midnight Syndicate continues to pursue its quest to use instrumental music to tell explicit stories full of tension, twists and turns. Most recently, the band completed the score to the grindhouse thriller “Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan.” In summer, 2013, Midnight Syndicate will release the soundtrack to that film along with Monsters of Legend, a tribute to the classic Universal, Hammer and Euro horror films that helped shape horror cinema.
Emerian Rich and other HorrorAddicts.net authors will be at this year’s BayCon. BayCon is the largest science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention in the San Francisco Bay Area. The convention takes place over Memorial Day weekend, starting on Friday afternoon May 24th, and ending Monday, May 27th.
Emerian and her HorrorAddicts.net crew provided the decorations this year to get the BayCon group into the spooky, horror, mood of Chairwoman Sabre’s theme: Triskaidekaphobicon, or the fear of 13 con.
Come join Emerian and the gang at the Santa Clara Regency Hyatt for a weekend of magic, mystery, and spookiness!
Meet:
HorrorAddicts.net Hostess, Emerian Rich
Most Wicked 2009, H. E. Roulo
Most Wicked 2011, Laurel Anne Hill
Best in Blood Season 1, Jeff Carlson
GothHaus 3 voice actor, Dario Ciriello
Horror Author, Jason Malcom Stewart
Horror Author, Jay Hartlove
HorrorAddicts.net friends Sandra Sadiak, Ann Wilkes, Beth Barany, Dani & Eytan Kollin, and many more.
Confirmed events are:
Trick or Treat Carnival for all ages
Live interview with HorrorAddicts.net Season 2 Best in Blood, UK author and podcaster, Mike Bennett, via Skype
HorrorAddicts.net Tea Party
A LIVE podcast recording of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
A movie screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas
Klingon Slave Auction
Dancing – Regency and Belly Dancing
HorrorAddicts.net Family Friendly Cereal and Horror Cartoon event
And much, much more…
Meet Emerian, get stamps in your Horror Passport, and send a TerrorGram! Don’t forget to pass by the HorrorAddicts.net fan table for goodies, freebies, and spooky stuff!
This is going to be the best BayCon ever!
Check programming at BayCon.org for the full schedule of events.
Music for GothHaus on Podiobooks.com, was provided by Midnight Syndicate.
Midnight Syndicate Halloween Music
Gothic Fantasy Horror Soundtracks
ABOUT MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE
For more information on Midnight Sundicate, go to: MidnightSyndicate.com
Since 1995, dark music pioneers Midnight Syndicate have been creating gothic, horror, fantasy soundtracks for the imagination. Formed by composer/director Edward Douglas in 1995, their music has become staples of the Halloween, gothic music, haunted attraction, and role-playing game industries. With a catalog of CDs that blend dark, orchestral horror and fantasy movie score-style music with sound effects, the band consisting of Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka has had its soundtracks to imaginary films featured in everything from Hugh Hefner’sinfamous Halloween parties, Dungeons & Dragons, Barbara Walters specials and Monday Night Football to X-Box games, tracks by the Academy-Award winning rap act, Three Six Mafia, and Twiztid as well as concerts by dark music pioneers The Misfitsand KingDiamond. The music has also been featured on countless television shows and documentaries relating to horror films and the supernatural.
“The train smoke drifting through the pale moon light signals the arrival of the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival. In a forest clearing, these mesonoxian visitors await your arrival. Stroll along the midway and behold wonders both fantastic and macabre from every corner of the globe. And be sure to ride their one of a kind carousel for an experience you’ll never, ever forget.”
As we swiftly approach Halloween, I can’t resist going through my music collection and digging up some gothic and ghoulish tunes. Without fail, I gravitate to Midnight Syndicate. In my mind I equate them with more than Halloween parties and haunted houses, they fill the season itself for me. I still enjoy listening to both Vampyre and Born of the Night. So it is with mischievous glee that I listened to their latest album, Carnival Arcane.
As usual, Midnight Syndicate has crafted another wonderful “soundtrack for the imagination”. The new album centers around the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival, a turn-of-the-century nighttime traveling circus. Naturally some of the tracks are playful and whimsical while others have decidedly twisted and dark machinations. Not only will this album appeal to goth listeners and those seeking a new Halloween classic but to the steampunks who fancy something a little dark with their Victoriana.
Each of the songs on the album introduce the listener to the Carnival Arcane and the carnies who are part of it. Emz has already played some of the tracks so I’d like to review some of my favorites, though to be fair it was hard to choose only four to shine the limelight on.
As I said many are whimsical, but it is with “Agent of Fortune” that some of the shadows begin to play and can be found lurking. What dark magicks does Madame Zora call upon to tell you your fortune? Only by peeling back her tent’s door and paying the price will you know for sure.
Ah, the “Freakshow” — this is one spectacle I would really love to see become tradition again. This song really brings these curiosities to life, and in my mind it represents the somber life of the geeks and freaks.
Are you feeling poorly and out of sorts? Then step right up ladies and gents and dispel your maladies! “Dr. Atmore’s Elixirs of Good Humour and Fortification” will lift your spirits (and lighten your pocket). I love the way the crowd interacts with this one.
Are you afraid of clowns or jacks-in-the-box, boys and girls? Then “Goons and Greasepaint” will send chills up your spine as the cackles and antics of these dark jesters will really get to you. This one gets my vote for creepiest track of the album.
Old fans of Midnight Syndicate will not be disappointed as their trademark epic instrumental soundtrack feel is here in abundance, and you can see also that they have grown in their musical storytelling. I think this album will also be a great starter for those who might never have heard their music or for anyone who might have written them off in the past as “just Halloween party music”. For those steampunks out there who would like a soundtrack full of the ambiance of the freak shows and carnival days of old, you’ll be pleasantly impressed.
Horror Addicts Episode# 067
Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich
Intro Music by: Saints Of Ruin
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1980s | The Thing | Sonik Foundry | My A-ha Obsession
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Gothic horror soundtrack musicians MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE will be releasing their fourteenth studio album, entitled CARNIVAL ARCANE, on August 2nd. “The theme of the new disc surrounds the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival, a shadowy, turn-of-the-century traveling circus with more than a few skeletons in its closet,” said Edward Douglas.
“The Victorian and Edwardian eras are a big source of inspiration for us. They also marked the beginning of the heyday for traveling carnivals, so that’s the time period we chose to set the disc in. We spent a lot of time researching early-20th century circuses and carnivals to ensure that the sounds and music work together to really immerse you in this world and the time period.
There’s also a big tip of the top hat to Mr. Bradbury whose work inspired many of the more horrific elements that appear in the latter half of the disc.” CARNIVAL ARCANE also features the vocal talents of Jason Carter (LORD OF THE RINGS: BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH, BABYLON 5, THE DEAD MATTER) and fellow THE DEAD MATTER cast members Brian Van Camp, and Dennis Carter, Jr.
The CD will be available through the Midnight Syndicate website, Amazon, iTunes, as well as at Halloween retailers nationwide. It will also be available at select Hot Topic stores starting August 8th. Preview tracks will be made available on the band’s Facebook page and website shortly.
From the CD insert:The train smoke drifting through the pale moon light signals the arrival of the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival. In a forest clearing, these mesonoxian visitors await your arrival. Stroll along the midway and behold wonders both fantastic and macabre from every corner of the globe. And be sure to ride their one of a kind carousel for an experience you’ll never, ever forget.
— 7/14/11
About Midnight Syndicate:
Midnight Syndicate has been creating instrumental Halloween music and gothic horror fantasy soundtrack CDs for the past fourteen years. The group’s music has become a staple of the Halloween season worldwide as well as a favorite in the haunted house, amusement park, role-playing game, and gothic music industries. Whether it’s being featured at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, on Monday Night Football, in an X-Box game, or being used as background music for writers like Brian Keene or Tamora Pierce, their CDs are designed to take listeners on journeys into the darkest, most fantastic corners of their imagination.
Midnight Syndicate has been creating instrumental Halloween music and gothic horror fantasy soundtrack CDs for the past thirteen years. The group’s music has become a staple of the Halloween season worldwide as well as a favorite in the haunted house, amusement park, role-playing game, and gothic music industries. From Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights and Hugh Hefner’s Halloween parties to Monday Night Football, X-Box games, the classic Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and Barbara Walters specials, their CDs are designed to take listeners on a journey into the darkest corners of their imagination.
Sin: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. I want to say first, FABULOUS work. You guys have been part of many really cool things. Before we get to that, how did Midnight Syndicate start?
MS: I had this idea for a band that would create “soundtracks to imaginary films” by blending instrumental music and sound effects. I always enjoyed instrumental music as I felt that it left interpretation completely up to the listener and really sparked the imagination. Take that and add sound effects reminiscent of the radio dramas of the 30s and 40s or a really good horror film and you got a formula for transporting a listener to a world of their own creation. I’m a huge horror movie, high fantasy, and supernatural buff so almost every creative project I’ve ever done tends to head down a darker path. Midnight Syndicate was no exception. Gavin joined me as my writing partner on “Born of the Night” (our second disc) and we’ve been writing music together ever since. We just celebrated the 13th Anniversary of our first disc so we’ve been doing a lot of looking back this past year. It’s been a great journey so far.
Sin: Where do you take inspiration from?
MS: Horror movies, roleplaying games like “Dungeons & Dragons,” and “Call of Cthulhu,” history (especially the Victorian era), horror artwork, and stories of the supernatural. For me, I have to add EC Comics, Twilight Zone, and Stephen King to that list. I get a lot of inspiration from those stories.
Sin: You guys are often known as “Halloween music” or “Haunted House music.” Are you comfortable with that and what genre would you say you think Midnight Syndicate fits in?
MS: We are. We’ve made a mark in those areas and are proud of that. When we were first starting out, there really wasn’t anyone else doing anything like this. Fans of Halloween and Haunted house designers had a choice between a bunch of cheap recycled sound effect tapes from the 70s and Monster Mash-type party compilations. We changed that by producing effective dark atmospheric discs that focused on the music as much as the sounds. Quality too and taking a lot of time to get it as good as possible was and always has been a staple of what we do. I think people appreciated that. When you are the first to do something (as we were for haunted houses, Halloween retail, and roleplaying games) a lot of doors and opportunities can open for you. Granted, the fact that we weren’t easily classifiable made it impossible for us to get a record or distribution deal (lots of rejection letters) but we combatted that by starting our own label and distributor, Entity Productions and that’s worked out pretty well for us.
Sin: You have worked with/provided tracks to many other artists over the years: Three-Six Mafia, Twiztid, The Misfits, King Diamond… is there a favorite piece that resulted from any collaboration with other artists or their using your compositions?
MS: It has to be Three-Six Mafia’s rap track “Wolf Wolf.” Ironically, I experimented with a vampire-themed rap track on our self-titled debut called “Premonitions of a Killer.” The music was based on a musical theme I had written for the vampire character Vellich from the original 1995 version of “The Dead Matter” film. I turned that musical theme into a rap track with vampire-themed lyrics written and performed by some friends of mine that went by the name Dark Side. To hear a legendary rap act like Three Six Mafia take one of my songs and turn it into a kick ass rap track was surreal. To this day, that track is special to me on many levels.
Sin: Last year, AOL put out a list of the Top 10 Best Halloween CDs of all time. Three of these were Midnight Syndicate releases. That’s quite an achievement considering all of the Halloween and gothic-themed music that’s out. What is your reaction to that?
MS: It was awesome. Both of us were happy and humbled. It’s great for us because as a part of the Halloween holiday there’s at least one time of the year where we can hear our music playing in bigger venues to more of the general public whether it’s Halloween radio stations like AOL and Sirius XM, amusement parks, haunted houses, stores, tv specials, or homes that decorate for trick-or-treaters. Definitely a bonus.
Sin: Midnight Syndicate created the first original soundtrack for the Hasbro roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons and has been featured in a few other computer games as well. How did that come about? Were you excited about these projects?
MS: Absolutely. Both Gavin and I are huge fans of Dungeons & Dragons. To to be asked to do the first official soundtrack to a game we grew up playing (and was a influence for our work in Midnight Syndicate) was an honor. It also let us stretch our wings a bit since the theme dictated more of an fantasy feel than the typical horror themes we deal in. It was a great project and working with Wizards of the Coast was awesome. The disc did really well for us and that led to some licensing opportunities with the folks who put together the game Shadowbane and Baldur’s Gate 2: Dark Alliance for the X-Box. As a huge fan of the Baldur’s Gate franchise it was excellent hearing our music in there.
Sin: Tell us about The Dead Matter (movie). How did you become involved with it? Did you enjoy working on it?
MS: I did an earlier version of “The Dead Matter” back in 1995 as my first project out of college. We were really limited by the budget so our goal was to complete it and use it to put ourselves in a position to remake it with a budget down the road. That opportunity came about through Midnight Syndicate and Robert Kurtzman ten years later. We shot the new “The Dead Matter” movie in 2007 and released it on DVD this past year. It’s a supernatural thriller about this relic that can raise and control the dead (“dead matter”). It’s got both zombies and vampires mixed in there with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Unlike Midnight Syndicate, there’s also is a bit of humor in there which audiences seem to be enjoying. I directed and scored the film as well as co-produced it with Robert and Gary Jones. My goal was to make a film that would entertain people and it seems like people are having a lot of fun watching it (which is the a great feeling having worked on it for so long). The whole process was a great, tremendous experience and I’m already looking forward to the next one.
Sin: In April of this year, you came out with your first music video for Dark Legacy and then in June, your second video, for the song Lost. What made you decide to do a music video and how was making it different from other projects you have worked on (if at all)? Were you happy with how both turned out?
MS: We were really happy with how they turned out. As far as why we did it, we just felt that it was something way past due, it would be a great thing our 13th Anniversary, and we knew they’d make cool extras for “The Dead Matter” DVD so we did it. After coming off “The Dead Matter,” I wasn’t interested in directing the videos so it was really David Greathouse (for “Dark Legacy”) and Andy Smoley (for “Lost” ) that came up with the concepts and executed them both. It was quite a different experience as Gavin and I are usually right in there on everything. But when you trust the director’s vision (like we did with Andy and Dave) it makes it easy, even fun, to just sit back and watch them do their thing. They are both two very talented directors. The “Dark Legacy” music video marked the first time Gavin and I had played together live on stage so that was a lot of fun. I loved the attention to detail Dave and the Precinct 13 artists put into the scenery and his whole vision. In “Lost” I loved all the little references that Andy and the 529 Films team dropped in there. From the “The Dead Matter” on the theatre marquee, on the television, and on the computer, to the radio station playing all Midnight Syndicate – it’s just really, really entertaining for me to watch.
Sin: You are the inspiration and an influence for many other artists. Who would you cite as the influences behind Midnight Syndicate?
MS: Musically our influences are film composers like Danny Elfman, John Carpenter, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Hans Zimmer, and James Horner as well as heavy metal artists like Black Sabbath and King Diamond. I’m also influenced a bit by bands like Sisters of Mercy and Rob Zombie. For Gavin it would be Dead Can Dance and early Genesis. Movie sound design and the radio dramas of yesteryear have been a big influence on the Midnight Syndicate sound from the beginning.
Sin: What’s next for Midnight Syndicate?
MS: Gavin and I are at work on a brand new Midnight Syndicate CD we’ll be releasing in August of 2011. It’s going to have a dark carnival theme with a twist. After a year or so of post-production and handling the release of “The Dead Matter,” we’re just really excited to be getting back to making another Midnight Syndicate CD.
h o s t e s s 
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