Midnight Syndicate
Encyclopedia
Midnight Syndicate is an American
musical group that has been working mainly in the genre of gothic music since 1997
and is based out of Chardon
, Ohio
, a suburb of Cleveland
. The band refers to their CDs as "soundtracks for the imagination" or "soundtracks to imaginary films." Most of the songs on their thirteen albums are characterized by a blend of instrumental music and sound effect
s and are commonly used to provide atmosphere during the Halloween
season, in haunted attraction
s, and in the role-playing game
industry.
/filmmaker Edward Douglas formed Midnight Syndicate in 1996 shortly after releasing a micro-budget, direct-to-video
horror film called The Dead Matter (1996) which he directed and scored and would later remake. Midnight Syndicate's self-titled debut album was released the following year. A majority of music on the album was written, arranged, and performed by Edward Douglas. Contributors included Scott Angus, Mark Rakocy, Dennis Carleton, Jamie Barbour, Ray Portler, the rap act Dark Side, and Christopher Robichaud. Douglas coined the term cine-fusion to describe the album. Cine-fusion is described in the album's liner notes as
Musically, the album contained an eclectic blend of styles including everything from dark instrumental music (of which three tracks appeared on future releases), rock, rock-a-billy, techno, rap
, new age
, humor-pop, jazz
, and space
. Movie-style sound effects were employed in some tracks. In March 1998, a multimedia show was produced by Douglas and his company, Entity Productions, to support the album. The show included a blending of original short films, live music, animation, and stage performers.
, a groundbreaking album that appealed to fans of gothic music, the horror genre, and haunted attractions. Douglas and Goszka wrote and performed the music on the album while Vargo served as executive producer and creative director
of the project, as well as writing and performing the vocals and narrations, and designing the cover art and packaging. The album and songs were also titled after several of Vargo's most popular paintings. Born of the Night
was independently released in September 1998 through Vargo's Monolith Graphics and Douglas' Entity Productions, hitting the horror market just in time for the Halloween season. It was Midnight Syndicate's first critically acclaimed gothic-horror soundtrack and proved to be an instant success, establishing Midnight Syndicate's trademark sound.
In March 2000, Realm of Shadows
followed suit with the same flavor of dark instrumental music and another gothic setting. Douglas and Goszka wrote all of the music for this album while Vargo wrote and performed the opening narration and theme story. Again, the songs were titled after Vargo's artworks. Both albums were featured as official soundtracks for Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights
, and used in several other major theme parks during Halloween, such as Busch Gardens
, Cedar Point
and Thorpe Park's
Fright Nights event. The heavy metal band King Diamond
also featured tracks from Born of the Night
as opening music for their 2000 US tour. Afterwards, Vargo and Midnight Syndicate chose to work separately of one another on future projects.
, was released in 2001. This time Douglas and Goszka teamed up with two members who worked on the first Midnight Syndicate
CD, Mark Rakocy (graphic design) and Christopher Robichaud (vocals). Set in a Victorian haunted mental institution
called Haverghast Asylum, Gates of Delirium
was the first Midnight Syndicate disc to feature the fictitious Haverghast family, a theme the band would revisit on future discs such as The 13th Hour
. Gavin Goszka has since called Gates of Delirium
"a personal favorite" from the Midnight Syndicate library.
During the 2001 Halloween weekend, six of the band's mp3 singles were in the Top 20 for all of MP3.com (#1, #2, #7, #10, #12, and #19) registering over 100,000 listens in three days. The title track from Born of the Night
remained at #1 for over a week with two tracks from Gates of Delirium
maintaining their positions in the Top 40 as well.
In August 2002, the band released their fifth studio album Vampyre. The vampire
-themed disc was the first Midnight Syndicate disc to feature a cover designed by fantasy artist Keith Parkinson
.
By this time, the band's popularity with role-playing game
rs who used their discs as background for their sessions
had grown to where they were exhibiting at gaming conventions. It was at one of these conventions that the band was approached by designers from Wizards of the Coast
. The result was 2003's Dungeons & Dragons: Official Role-playing Soundtrack
, the first officially-licensed soundtrack to the classic roleplaying game of the same name
. The album (whose fantasy themes were a departure from previous releases) was generally well-received by music critics and the gaming community and helped the band build their following in Europe. Some of the tracks were later used in computer games Baldur's Gate - Dark Alliance II and Shadowbane
expansions Rise of Chaos and Throne of Oblivion.
In August 2005, the band returned to darker themes with their seventh CD entitled The 13th Hour
. Featuring vocal effects by Lily Lane of the horror-rock
band Lazy Lane and cover art by Keith Parkinson
the disc is set in a haunted Victorian mansion and features tracks like: Fallen Grandeur, Grisly Reminder, and Family Secrets. Out of the Darkness (Retrospective: 1994–1999) was released in 2006 and featured re-recorded versions of tracks from Midnight Syndicate
, Born of the Night
, and Realm of Shadows
, along with some of Edward Douglas’ early horror film scores including The Dead Matter (1995). Fantasy artist Rob Alexander designed the cover.
's, The Rage
and wrote music for Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights
17's Carnival of Carnage. The Rage: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
was released in February 2008.
In September 2007, Douglas returned to filmmaking as director
, co-producer
, and composer of an updated remake of his 1995 horror film, The Dead Matter. During this time, Gavin Goszka started a solo project called Parlormuse which featured Victorian
era songs re-recorded in a modern folk rock style.
In August 2008, the band released The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates
, a CD of music inspired by the themes from the new The Dead Matter movie. Midnight Syndicate's first two music videos were made for the songs Dark Legacy and Lost from the disc. In the finale of the music video for Dark Legacy, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka are shown playing on stage at the historic Phantasy Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio. It marked the first time they had played together live.
On July 30, 2010 The Dead Matter movie was released on DVD along with a Midnight Syndicate "greatest hits-style" compilation CD called Halloween Music Collection
and an EP entitled The Dark Masquerade
featuring gothic artist Destini Beard
performing operatic vocals and lyrics to various Midnight Syndicate recordings. The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
was also released on July 30. The CD featured the score by Edward Douglas, other music that appeared in the film, and several remixes of Midnight Syndicate tracks by other artists.
. The music is commonly used as atmosphere for Halloween-themed events, stores, and parties (including Hugh Hefner
's), as well as home decorating for trick-or-treating
. Many credit them as helping to legitimize
the genre of Halloween music (music for the Halloween holiday), elevating standards in the genre, and inspiring other musicians to create similar projects. On September 11, 2009, AOL Radio
released a list of the Top 10 Best Halloween Music CDs as ranked by AOL/CBS Radio listeners. Three of the ten CDs were Midnight Syndicate discs (Born of the Night
#8, Realm of Shadows
#4, and Vampyre
#3), ranking behind Danny Elfman's The Nightmare Before Christmas
and John Carpenter's Halloween
soundtrack.
Midnight Syndicate's music has been a standard of the haunted attraction
industry worldwide for many years and they are credited with being the first company to produce soundtracks of quality specifically for that industry
. In 2005, Leonard Pickel, editor of Haunted Attraction Magazine estimated that "75-90% of the attractions in the industry had at least one Midnight Syndicate CD." The music is also used by amusement parks like Universal Orlando
, Busch Gardens
, Kings Island
, Six Flags
, and Cedar Point
that hold Halloween-themed events such as Halloween Horror Nights
, Howl-O-Scream
, and Fright Fest
.
which reportedly broke previous sales records for gaming soundtracks in its first month, established them as the leading supplier of music to the hobby game industry. Their The 13th Hour CD won the Origins Award
for Best Gaming Accessory presented by the Academy of Adventure Game Art & Design, marking the first time a role-playing soundtrack or music CD had won the award
. In 2007, Midnight Syndicate teamed up with Goodman Games
to produce Cages of Delirium a Dungeon Crawl Classics
adventure based on Gates of Delirium
which came packaged with the CD.
and distributors rejected the band's first two CDs, Douglas began building his own distribution network by selling CDs out of his van with Goszka and cold-calling hundreds of stores. Today Midnight Syndicate's CDs are self-distributed to thousands of retailers worldwide through Entity Productions, Inc. and its partners, making them one of the largest distributors of Halloween-themed music. Entity Productions also distributed the 2010 version of The Dead Matter movie.
and The Dead Matter, Midnight Syndicate's music has been featured in television programs such as Barbara Walters
' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2002, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, The Today Show
, Monday Night Football
, NBA on TNT, Syfy
's The Possessed and Halloween-themed specials on the Travel Channel
. The music has also been used as theme music
in independent horror films
like Dead & Rotting, Revamped, Witchouse 3: Demon Fire and Song of the Vampire (AKA Vampire Resurrection).
It is also used in the now-discontinued The Byron Chronicles.
, James Horner
, John Carpenter
, Hans Zimmer
, heavy metal acts King Diamond
and Black Sabbath
, radio dramas, and horror films as primary influences for Midnight Syndicate. Goszka has cited similar influences in addition to bands such as Dead Can Dance
and early Genesis
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musical group that has been working mainly in the genre of gothic music since 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
and is based out of Chardon
Chardon, Ohio
Chardon is a city in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Geauga County.-History:Chardon is named after Peter Chardon Brooks, who donated land to build the historic Chardon Square....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, a suburb of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. The band refers to their CDs as "soundtracks for the imagination" or "soundtracks to imaginary films." Most of the songs on their thirteen albums are characterized by a blend of instrumental music and sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
s and are commonly used to provide atmosphere during the Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
season, in haunted attraction
Haunted attraction
A haunted attraction is a form of entertainment that simulates the experience of entering a haunted location that might be inhabited by ghosts, monsters, criminals, humorous characters, and other such creatures...
s, and in the role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
industry.
Formation and Early years (1996-1998)
ComposerComposer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
/filmmaker Edward Douglas formed Midnight Syndicate in 1996 shortly after releasing a micro-budget, direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
horror film called The Dead Matter (1996) which he directed and scored and would later remake. Midnight Syndicate's self-titled debut album was released the following year. A majority of music on the album was written, arranged, and performed by Edward Douglas. Contributors included Scott Angus, Mark Rakocy, Dennis Carleton, Jamie Barbour, Ray Portler, the rap act Dark Side, and Christopher Robichaud. Douglas coined the term cine-fusion to describe the album. Cine-fusion is described in the album's liner notes as
- "a blending of movie soundtrack musicFilm scoreA film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
and pop musicPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
... a compilation of soundtracks to movies that do not exist. The goal of the music is to stimulate the imaginations of listeners so that they are able to transport themselves to worlds or movies of their own creation."
Musically, the album contained an eclectic blend of styles including everything from dark instrumental music (of which three tracks appeared on future releases), rock, rock-a-billy, techno, rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, new age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
, humor-pop, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and space
Space music
Space music, also called spacemusic, is an umbrella term, synonymous with a segment of New Age Music and Ambient Music, used to describe music that evokes a feeling of contemplative spaciousness. Space music can be found within a wide range of genres. It is particularly associated with ambient, New...
. Movie-style sound effects were employed in some tracks. In March 1998, a multimedia show was produced by Douglas and his company, Entity Productions, to support the album. The show included a blending of original short films, live music, animation, and stage performers.
Breakout (1998-2000)
In 1998, Douglas teamed up with gothic fantasy artist Joseph Vargo, and the two decided to create an exclusively dark-themed instrumental Midnight Syndicate album. Vargo developed the storyline and concept of a musical journey through a haunted castle, with the music reflecting his gothic artwork. Composer Gavin Goszka, formerly a solo artist in a project called Lore, also joined Douglas and Vargo in the new Midnight Syndicate line-up. Together, they created Born of the NightBorn of the Night
Born of the Night was the second album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 1998, and is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Premonition" – 2:35# "Darkness Descends" – 2:00# "Born of the Night" – 3:15# "Lost Souls" – 1:21...
, a groundbreaking album that appealed to fans of gothic music, the horror genre, and haunted attractions. Douglas and Goszka wrote and performed the music on the album while Vargo served as executive producer and creative director
Creative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
of the project, as well as writing and performing the vocals and narrations, and designing the cover art and packaging. The album and songs were also titled after several of Vargo's most popular paintings. Born of the Night
Born of the Night
Born of the Night was the second album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 1998, and is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Premonition" – 2:35# "Darkness Descends" – 2:00# "Born of the Night" – 3:15# "Lost Souls" – 1:21...
was independently released in September 1998 through Vargo's Monolith Graphics and Douglas' Entity Productions, hitting the horror market just in time for the Halloween season. It was Midnight Syndicate's first critically acclaimed gothic-horror soundtrack and proved to be an instant success, establishing Midnight Syndicate's trademark sound.
In March 2000, Realm of Shadows
Realm of Shadows
Realm of Shadows is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 6, 2000 by Entity Productions. The track "Witching Hour" is a staple at Six Flags Great America during its annual Fright Fest...
followed suit with the same flavor of dark instrumental music and another gothic setting. Douglas and Goszka wrote all of the music for this album while Vargo wrote and performed the opening narration and theme story. Again, the songs were titled after Vargo's artworks. Both albums were featured as official soundtracks for Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights is an annual Halloween event that occurs at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Singapore. Universal Studios remains operational during the day and transitions to Halloween Horror Nights at night...
, and used in several other major theme parks during Halloween, such as Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of Blackstone Group. One of the parks is in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the other is in Tampa, Florida...
, Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
and Thorpe Park's
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
Fright Nights event. The heavy metal band King Diamond
King Diamond (band)
King Diamond is the heavy metal band that King Diamond formed after the split up of his heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, and the departure of Hank Shermann. He was joined by most members of the then defunct Mercyful Fate. The Satanic focus was replaced by a focus on horror stories...
also featured tracks from Born of the Night
Born of the Night
Born of the Night was the second album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 1998, and is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Premonition" – 2:35# "Darkness Descends" – 2:00# "Born of the Night" – 3:15# "Lost Souls" – 1:21...
as opening music for their 2000 US tour. Afterwards, Vargo and Midnight Syndicate chose to work separately of one another on future projects.
Rise (2001-2006)
Midnight Syndicate's third gothic horror soundtrack, Gates of DeliriumGates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 3, 2000, by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Arrival - 1:45# Welcome - 2:31# Haverghast Asylum - 3:34# Halls of Insurrection - 2:42# Cage of Solitude - 2:36...
, was released in 2001. This time Douglas and Goszka teamed up with two members who worked on the first Midnight Syndicate
Midnight Syndicate (album)
Midnight Syndicate is the debut album by the band Midnight Syndicate. Released in 1997, it is much different from their later releases. While containing some of their signature style, they experiment with Rap, Techno, Rock and other genres...
CD, Mark Rakocy (graphic design) and Christopher Robichaud (vocals). Set in a Victorian haunted mental institution
History of psychiatric institutions
The story of the rise of the lunatic asylum and its gradual transformation into, and eventual replacement by, the modern psychiatric hospital, is also the story of the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry...
called Haverghast Asylum, Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 3, 2000, by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Arrival - 1:45# Welcome - 2:31# Haverghast Asylum - 3:34# Halls of Insurrection - 2:42# Cage of Solitude - 2:36...
was the first Midnight Syndicate disc to feature the fictitious Haverghast family, a theme the band would revisit on future discs such as The 13th Hour
The 13th Hour
The 13th Hour is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released June 7, 2005, by Entity Productions. The album's premise is a tour through the Haverghast family mansion...
. Gavin Goszka has since called Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 3, 2000, by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Arrival - 1:45# Welcome - 2:31# Haverghast Asylum - 3:34# Halls of Insurrection - 2:42# Cage of Solitude - 2:36...
"a personal favorite" from the Midnight Syndicate library.
During the 2001 Halloween weekend, six of the band's mp3 singles were in the Top 20 for all of MP3.com (#1, #2, #7, #10, #12, and #19) registering over 100,000 listens in three days. The title track from Born of the Night
Born of the Night
Born of the Night was the second album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 1998, and is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Premonition" – 2:35# "Darkness Descends" – 2:00# "Born of the Night" – 3:15# "Lost Souls" – 1:21...
remained at #1 for over a week with two tracks from Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 3, 2000, by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Arrival - 1:45# Welcome - 2:31# Haverghast Asylum - 3:34# Halls of Insurrection - 2:42# Cage of Solitude - 2:36...
maintaining their positions in the Top 40 as well.
In August 2002, the band released their fifth studio album Vampyre. The vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
-themed disc was the first Midnight Syndicate disc to feature a cover designed by fantasy artist Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
.
By this time, the band's popularity with role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
rs who used their discs as background for their sessions
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
had grown to where they were exhibiting at gaming conventions. It was at one of these conventions that the band was approached by designers from Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
. The result was 2003's Dungeons & Dragons: Official Role-playing Soundtrack
Dungeons & Dragons (album)
Dungeons & Dragons is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 12, 2003 by Entity Productions. The album is designed as a soundtrack to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and was produced by Midnight Syndicate at the request of Wizards of the Coast, the company which owns the...
, the first officially-licensed soundtrack to the classic roleplaying game of the same name
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
. The album (whose fantasy themes were a departure from previous releases) was generally well-received by music critics and the gaming community and helped the band build their following in Europe. Some of the tracks were later used in computer games Baldur's Gate - Dark Alliance II and Shadowbane
Shadowbane
Shadowbane was a free fantasy computer role-playing game created by Wolfpack Studios and published on March 25, 2003 by Ubisoft for Windows and Mac platforms. Originally commercial and subscription-driven, Shadowbane was launched in March 2003, and was the creation of text-MUD veterans J...
expansions Rise of Chaos and Throne of Oblivion.
In August 2005, the band returned to darker themes with their seventh CD entitled The 13th Hour
The 13th Hour
The 13th Hour is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released June 7, 2005, by Entity Productions. The album's premise is a tour through the Haverghast family mansion...
. Featuring vocal effects by Lily Lane of the horror-rock
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
band Lazy Lane and cover art by Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
the disc is set in a haunted Victorian mansion and features tracks like: Fallen Grandeur, Grisly Reminder, and Family Secrets. Out of the Darkness (Retrospective: 1994–1999) was released in 2006 and featured re-recorded versions of tracks from Midnight Syndicate
Midnight Syndicate (album)
Midnight Syndicate is the debut album by the band Midnight Syndicate. Released in 1997, it is much different from their later releases. While containing some of their signature style, they experiment with Rap, Techno, Rock and other genres...
, Born of the Night
Born of the Night
Born of the Night was the second album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 1998, and is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Premonition" – 2:35# "Darkness Descends" – 2:00# "Born of the Night" – 3:15# "Lost Souls" – 1:21...
, and Realm of Shadows
Realm of Shadows
Realm of Shadows is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 6, 2000 by Entity Productions. The track "Witching Hour" is a staple at Six Flags Great America during its annual Fright Fest...
, along with some of Edward Douglas’ early horror film scores including The Dead Matter (1995). Fantasy artist Rob Alexander designed the cover.
The Rage and The Dead Matter (2007-2010)
In early 2007, the band temporarily shifted from creating "soundtracks to imaginary films" to composing music for actual projects when they completed the score to Robert KurtzmanRobert Kurtzman
Robert Kurtzman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and special effects creator.- Career :Kurtzman began his career in 1984 when he moved from his hometown of Crestline, Ohio, to Hollywood, California, to pursue his interest in special effects. In 1988, along with Gregory...
's, The Rage
The Rage (2007 film)
The Rage is a 2007 horror film about a mad scientist who injects people with a rage virus in his laboratory in the woods.The film stars Andrew Divoff and Erin Brown and was directed by Robert Kurtzman...
and wrote music for Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights is an annual Halloween event that occurs at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Singapore. Universal Studios remains operational during the day and transitions to Halloween Horror Nights at night...
17's Carnival of Carnage. The Rage: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Rage: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Rage was the ninth album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2008. It is the soundtrack of the 2007 film The Rage.- Track listing :# "Theme from The Rage" – 2:55# "Injecting the Formula" – 4:11# "In the Forest Deep" – 2:51# "Dr...
was released in February 2008.
In September 2007, Douglas returned to filmmaking as director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, co-producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and composer of an updated remake of his 1995 horror film, The Dead Matter. During this time, Gavin Goszka started a solo project called Parlormuse which featured Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
era songs re-recorded in a modern folk rock style.
In August 2008, the band released The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates
The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates
The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates is the tenth album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2008.- Track listing :# "Cathedral Ruins" – 3:03# "Shadowed Grove" – 1:02# "Meeting of the Acolytes" – 3:19# "The Revenants" – 3:26...
, a CD of music inspired by the themes from the new The Dead Matter movie. Midnight Syndicate's first two music videos were made for the songs Dark Legacy and Lost from the disc. In the finale of the music video for Dark Legacy, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka are shown playing on stage at the historic Phantasy Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio. It marked the first time they had played together live.
On July 30, 2010 The Dead Matter movie was released on DVD along with a Midnight Syndicate "greatest hits-style" compilation CD called Halloween Music Collection
Halloween Music Collection
Halloween Music Collection is the 13th album by dark ambient band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2010. All the songs were on previous releases, but were mixed especially for the Halloween season...
and an EP entitled The Dark Masquerade
The Dark Masquerade
The Dark Masquerade is the 11th album by the band Midnight Syndicate. Destini Beard's haunting and mysteriously alluring lyrics and vocals blended with classic Midnight Syndicate tracks including a previously unreleased remix. The Dark Masquerade pulls you into a story of gilded romances and the...
featuring gothic artist Destini Beard
Destini Beard
Destini Beard is a American singer and songwriter based out of Central Pennsylvania. She works mostly in Alternative and New Age music and is best known for her work with the group Midnight Syndicate...
performing operatic vocals and lyrics to various Midnight Syndicate recordings. The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Dead Matter DVD, The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the 12th album by the band Midnight Syndicate. Not to be confused with 2008's The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates album, this contains over 78 minutes of new music...
was also released on July 30. The CD featured the score by Edward Douglas, other music that appeared in the film, and several remixes of Midnight Syndicate tracks by other artists.
Future projects (2011-present)
In a January 2011 interview, Edward Douglas stated that he and Gavin were working on a new Midnight Syndicate CD (Carnival Arcane) for release in August 2011. He said the CD will have "a dark carnival theme with a twist."Impact in Halloween music and the Haunted Attraction industry
Some say Midnight Syndicate's music has become synonymous with the celebration of HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. The music is commonly used as atmosphere for Halloween-themed events, stores, and parties (including Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
's), as well as home decorating for trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating or "Guising", is a customary practice for children on Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy with the question "Trick or treat?"...
. Many credit them as helping to legitimize
Legitimation
Legitimation or legitimization is the act of providing legitimacy. Legitimation in the social sciences refers to the process whereby an act, process, or ideology becomes legitimate by its attachment to norms and values within in given society...
the genre of Halloween music (music for the Halloween holiday), elevating standards in the genre, and inspiring other musicians to create similar projects. On September 11, 2009, AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
released a list of the Top 10 Best Halloween Music CDs as ranked by AOL/CBS Radio listeners. Three of the ten CDs were Midnight Syndicate discs (Born of the Night
Born of the Night
Born of the Night was the second album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 1998, and is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Premonition" – 2:35# "Darkness Descends" – 2:00# "Born of the Night" – 3:15# "Lost Souls" – 1:21...
#8, Realm of Shadows
Realm of Shadows
Realm of Shadows is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 6, 2000 by Entity Productions. The track "Witching Hour" is a staple at Six Flags Great America during its annual Fright Fest...
#4, and Vampyre
Vampyre (album)
Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 13, 2002 by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Awakening# Graveyard# Unhallowed Ground# Crypt of the Forsaken# Winged Fury# Blackest Rose# Ravages of Time...
#3), ranking behind Danny Elfman's The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas (soundtrack)
The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the 1993 soundtrack to the film of the same name. Composed by Danny Elfman, the soundtrack was nominated for the 1993 Golden Globe for best original score. The album peaked at #98 on the Billboard 200...
and John Carpenter's Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
soundtrack.
Midnight Syndicate's music has been a standard of the haunted attraction
Haunted attraction
A haunted attraction is a form of entertainment that simulates the experience of entering a haunted location that might be inhabited by ghosts, monsters, criminals, humorous characters, and other such creatures...
industry worldwide for many years and they are credited with being the first company to produce soundtracks of quality specifically for that industry
Haunted attraction
A haunted attraction is a form of entertainment that simulates the experience of entering a haunted location that might be inhabited by ghosts, monsters, criminals, humorous characters, and other such creatures...
. In 2005, Leonard Pickel, editor of Haunted Attraction Magazine estimated that "75-90% of the attractions in the industry had at least one Midnight Syndicate CD." The music is also used by amusement parks like Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...
, Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of Blackstone Group. One of the parks is in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the other is in Tampa, Florida...
, Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
, Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, and Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
that hold Halloween-themed events such as Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights is an annual Halloween event that occurs at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Singapore. Universal Studios remains operational during the day and transitions to Halloween Horror Nights at night...
, Howl-O-Scream
Howl-O-Scream
Howl-O-Scream is an annual Halloween event at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and SeaWorld San Antonio. For more information pertaining to specific parks that participate, click on the links below....
, and Fright Fest
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
.
Impact in the role-playing game industry
Midnight Syndicate's reputation and following in the role-playing game community rivals its following in the horror community. Their Dungeons & Dragons CDDungeons & Dragons (album)
Dungeons & Dragons is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 12, 2003 by Entity Productions. The album is designed as a soundtrack to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and was produced by Midnight Syndicate at the request of Wizards of the Coast, the company which owns the...
which reportedly broke previous sales records for gaming soundtracks in its first month, established them as the leading supplier of music to the hobby game industry. Their The 13th Hour CD won the Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Gaming Accessory presented by the Academy of Adventure Game Art & Design, marking the first time a role-playing soundtrack or music CD had won the award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
. In 2007, Midnight Syndicate teamed up with Goodman Games
Goodman Games
Goodman Games is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Goodman Games is best known as the publisher of the Dungeon Crawl Classics series of adventure modules, as well as the Dragonmech and the award-winning Etherscope role-playing games, and has...
to produce Cages of Delirium a Dungeon Crawl Classics
Dungeon Crawl Classics
Dungeon Crawl Classics is a series of roleplaying adventure modules published by Goodman Games under the d20 open gaming license. It includes more than 40 adventures, and features celebrated game designers such as Michael Mearls, Dave Arneson, and Monte Cook, as well as classic TSR artists like...
adventure based on Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium
Gates of Delirium is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 3, 2000, by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Arrival - 1:45# Welcome - 2:31# Haverghast Asylum - 3:34# Halls of Insurrection - 2:42# Cage of Solitude - 2:36...
which came packaged with the CD.
Self-distribution
When record labelsRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and distributors rejected the band's first two CDs, Douglas began building his own distribution network by selling CDs out of his van with Goszka and cold-calling hundreds of stores. Today Midnight Syndicate's CDs are self-distributed to thousands of retailers worldwide through Entity Productions, Inc. and its partners, making them one of the largest distributors of Halloween-themed music. Entity Productions also distributed the 2010 version of The Dead Matter movie.
Midnight Syndicate in television and film
In addition to The RageThe Rage (2007 film)
The Rage is a 2007 horror film about a mad scientist who injects people with a rage virus in his laboratory in the woods.The film stars Andrew Divoff and Erin Brown and was directed by Robert Kurtzman...
and The Dead Matter, Midnight Syndicate's music has been featured in television programs such as Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2002, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
, Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
, NBA on TNT, Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
's The Possessed and Halloween-themed specials on the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
. The music has also been used as theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
in independent horror films
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
like Dead & Rotting, Revamped, Witchouse 3: Demon Fire and Song of the Vampire (AKA Vampire Resurrection).
It is also used in the now-discontinued The Byron Chronicles.
Influences
Douglas has cited film composers such as Danny ElfmanDanny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
, James Horner
James Horner
James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
, John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
, Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
, heavy metal acts King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, radio dramas, and horror films as primary influences for Midnight Syndicate. Goszka has cited similar influences in addition to bands such as Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance are an ethereal neoclassical duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. The band relocated to London in May 1982 and disbanded in 1998. Their 1996 album Spiritchaser reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart...
and early Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
.
Discography
- Midnight SyndicateMidnight Syndicate (album)Midnight Syndicate is the debut album by the band Midnight Syndicate. Released in 1997, it is much different from their later releases. While containing some of their signature style, they experiment with Rap, Techno, Rock and other genres...
(1997) - Born of the NightBorn of the NightBorn of the Night was the second album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 1998, and is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Premonition" – 2:35# "Darkness Descends" – 2:00# "Born of the Night" – 3:15# "Lost Souls" – 1:21...
(1998) - Realm of ShadowsRealm of ShadowsRealm of Shadows is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 6, 2000 by Entity Productions. The track "Witching Hour" is a staple at Six Flags Great America during its annual Fright Fest...
(2000) - Gates of DeliriumGates of DeliriumGates of Delirium is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 3, 2000, by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Arrival - 1:45# Welcome - 2:31# Haverghast Asylum - 3:34# Halls of Insurrection - 2:42# Cage of Solitude - 2:36...
(2001) - VampyreVampyre (album)Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 13, 2002 by Entity Productions.- Track listing :# Awakening# Graveyard# Unhallowed Ground# Crypt of the Forsaken# Winged Fury# Blackest Rose# Ravages of Time...
(2002) - Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons (album)Dungeons & Dragons is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 12, 2003 by Entity Productions. The album is designed as a soundtrack to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and was produced by Midnight Syndicate at the request of Wizards of the Coast, the company which owns the...
(2003) - The 13th HourThe 13th HourThe 13th Hour is a studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released June 7, 2005, by Entity Productions. The album's premise is a tour through the Haverghast family mansion...
(2005) - Out of the Darkness (Retrospective: 1994–1999) (2006)
- The Rage: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackThe Rage: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackThe Rage was the ninth album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2008. It is the soundtrack of the 2007 film The Rage.- Track listing :# "Theme from The Rage" – 2:55# "Injecting the Formula" – 4:11# "In the Forest Deep" – 2:51# "Dr...
(2008) - The Dead Matter: Cemetery GatesThe Dead Matter: Cemetery GatesThe Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates is the tenth album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2008.- Track listing :# "Cathedral Ruins" – 3:03# "Shadowed Grove" – 1:02# "Meeting of the Acolytes" – 3:19# "The Revenants" – 3:26...
(2008) - The Dark MasqueradeThe Dark MasqueradeThe Dark Masquerade is the 11th album by the band Midnight Syndicate. Destini Beard's haunting and mysteriously alluring lyrics and vocals blended with classic Midnight Syndicate tracks including a previously unreleased remix. The Dark Masquerade pulls you into a story of gilded romances and the...
with Destini Beard (2010) - The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackThe Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackThe Dead Matter DVD, The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the 12th album by the band Midnight Syndicate. Not to be confused with 2008's The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates album, this contains over 78 minutes of new music...
(2010) - Halloween Music CollectionHalloween Music CollectionHalloween Music Collection is the 13th album by dark ambient band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2010. All the songs were on previous releases, but were mixed especially for the Halloween season...
(2010) - Carnival Arcane (2011)