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'''Midnight Syndicate''' is a Cleveland-based musical group that has been working mainly in the genre of ] music since 1998. A 1997 self-titled release covered multiple mainstream genres. Their music is commonly used to provide atmosphere in both ] ]s and the gaming industry. '''Midnight Syndicate''' is a Cleveland-based musical group that has been working mainly in the genre of ] music since 1998. A 1997 self-titled release covered multiple mainstream genres. Their music is commonly used to provide atmosphere during the ] season, in ] and in the ] industry.


==Formation== ==Formation==
]/] Edward Douglas founded Midnight Syndicate in 1996. In 1997, their self-titled debut was released. 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 ]/] Edward Douglas founded Midnight Syndicate in 1996. In 1997, their self-titled debut was released. 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 ] and ]... 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." :"a blending of ] and ]... 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."
The album contained an eclectic blend of musical styles which included everything from dark instrumental music (three tracks which appeared on later releases) to ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Movie-style sound effects were employed and a multimedia show was produced to support the album. The album contained an eclectic blend of musical styles which included everything from dark instrumental music similar to their later releases to ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Movie-style sound effects were featured in most of the tracks. A multimedia show was produced to support the album.


]In October of 1997, Douglas teamed up with gothic fantasy artist and publisher Joseph Vargo, who filled multiple roles of ], ], lyricist, vocalist, and cover art designer for the new line up.<ref> Cleveland's WERE 1300</ref> Vargo was responsible for sharpening the band's focus on an exclusively darker sound as well as financing, publishing and promoting the next two albums through his company, Monolith Graphics.<ref>Larry Aylward, "Music To Chill By", '']'' (Cleveland, OH), October 22, 1998, interview with Joseph Vargo and Edward Douglas.</ref> Composer Gavin Goszka joined in early 1998, and later that same year ''Born of the Night'' was released. It was Midnight Syndicate's first critically acclaimed gothic/horror soundtrack and proved to be a successful formula for the rest of their albums.<ref>Quoting Edward Douglas from an : "It was the “Born of the Night” album that really established Midnight Syndicate’s trademark sound."</ref> ''Realm of Shadows'' followed suit in 2000. All of the songs on ''Born of the Night'' and ''Realm of Shadows'' even take their titles from Joseph Vargo's previously published art prints. Although Vargo's gothic imagery and concepts inspired many of the compositions, the convention of naming the songs after his works was a way of gaining recognition for the new band with Vargo's established gothic audience.<ref> for ''Born of the Night'' and ''Realm of Shadows.''</ref> Both albums were featured as "official soundtracks" for Universal Studios' ], and used in several other major theme parks during Halloween, such as ], ] and ] Fright Nights event.<ref>Jeff Niesel, "Soundbites", '']'' (Cleveland, OH), October 14, 1999.</ref> The heavy metal band ] featured tracks from ''Born of the Night'' as opening music for their 2000 US tour. After ''Realm of Shadows'', the band announced a line up change once again; Joseph Vargo turned his attentions to his other publishing projects, while Douglas and Goszka continued to write music as Midnight Syndicate.<ref>Peter Iorillo, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", at ''Dark Realms Magazine'' (Cleveland, OH), Issue 1, January 2001, Pg. 20-23.]</ref> ]In 1998, Douglas teamed up with gothic fantasy artist and publisher Joseph Vargo, who also filled the roles of ], ], lyricist, vocalist, and cover art designer for the new line up. Composer Gavin Goszka also joined the group. Together, Douglas and Goszka would write almost all of the music on the Midnight Syndicate discs to come. That same year they released the band's first critically acclaimed gothic horror soundtrack, ''Born of the Night,'' followed in 2000 by ''Realm of Shadows.'' Both albums (as well as the future Midnight Syndicate releases) were featured as "official soundtracks" for Universal Studios' ] as well as being played in many other haunted attractions and major theme parks during Halloween, such as ] and ] Fright Nights. In addition, the heavy metal band ] featured tracks from ''Born of the Night'' as opening music for their 2001 US tour. Midnight Syndicate and Joseph Vargo parted ways after ''Realm of Shadows''.


In 2001, Midnight Syndicate’s third gothic horror soundtrack entitled ''Gates of Delirium'' was released. For this disc, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka teamed up with two members who worked on the first Midnight Syndicate CD, Mark Rakocy (graphic design) and Christopher Robichaud (vocals). This particular album was a huge success on ], where it held six spots in their Top 20 positions during Halloween that year. In 2002, Midnight Syndicate called on artist ] to design the packaging for their fourth gothic soundtrack CD, ''Vampyre''.
Encouraged by overwhelming sales, Edward Douglas' company Entity Productions, Inc. began distributing the CDs full-time in 2001 to retailers worldwide. The company now claims to be "one of the largest distributors of Halloween-themed music."<ref>Carl E. Feather, "A little night music", ''Star Beacon'' (Ashtabula, OH), October 30, 2006, Sec. B, Pg. B1.</ref>


In 2001, Midnight Syndicate released a third gothic horror soundtrack entitled ''Gates of Delirium''. 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). This particular album was successful on ], where it held six spots in their Top 20 positions during Halloween that year. In 2002, Midnight Syndicate called on artist ] to design the packaging for their fourth gothic soundtrack ''Vampyre''. In 2003, the band released the first official soundtrack to the classic roleplaying game '']''. This was another auspicious occasion for the band that helped to promote them to the gaming industry. Some of the tracks were later used in computer games '']'' and '']''. ]In 2003, the band released the first officially licensed soundtrack to the classic roleplaying game '']''. Some of their tracks were later featured in computer games '']'' and '']''. In 2005, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka released their seventh CD, ''The 13th Hour.'' It featured vocal effects by Lily Lane of the horror-rock band, Lazy Lane, and another cover by ].


''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. Fantasy artist ] designed the cover for this release, as well as a new cover for ''Gates of Delirium''.
]In 2005, they released their seventh CD, ''The 13th Hour.'' It featured vocal effects by Lily Lane of the horror-rock band, Lazy Lane, and another cover by ]. In 2006 ''The 13th Hour'' won the Origins Award for Best Gaming Accessory presented by the Academy of Adventure Game Art & Design, marking the first time a music cd won the award.


Unable to gain the support of a major record label or distributor initially, Edward Douglas began building a network to self-distribute Midnight Syndicate’s CDs in 1999. Today, his company, Entity Productions, Inc. and its partners distribute Midnight Syndicate CDs to thousands of retailers worldwide, making them one of the largest distributors of Halloween-themed music in 2006.
''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. Fantasy artist Rob Alexander designed the cover for this release, as well as a new cover for ''Gates of Delirium''.<ref>Songs from the 1997 debut ''Midnight Syndicate'' album that reappear on later albums: The album ''Born of the Night''(1998) contains "Theme to the Dead Matter" (from the 1996 film of the same name) remixed and retitled "Vampire's Kiss," "Enchanted Nursery" remixed and retitled "Haunted Nursery" and "Dark Folk" remixed and retitled "Shadows." The album ''Out of the Darkness'' (2006) also contains these same three songs (listing both titles), as well as several more songs from both the ''Born of the Night'' and ''Realm of Shadows'' albums and one sound effect track from a 1994/1996 short film, ''Journey Into Dementia'' by Edward Douglas.</ref>


Over the course of time Midnight Syndicate has become popular with the Halloween and haunted attraction industries. In addition to having the music playing in many major theme parks during Halloween, it also appeared in mainstream television programs like '']' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2002'', '']'' and '']'', and was used in horror films such as '''' and ''''. As stated in Haunted Attraction Magazine (see link below), the success of these CDs over the course of time has made Midnight Syndicate a standard in the ] and ] industries. The music has appeared in mainstream television programs like '']' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2002'', '']'' and '']'' in addition to haunted attractions and amusement parks worldwide that license their music during the Halloween season.

Midnight Syndicate has also had an impact in the hobby gaming industry. In 2006, Midnight Syndicate's ''The 13th Hour'' won the Origins Award for Best Gaming Accessory presented by the Academy of Adventure Game Art & Design. This marked the first time a roleplaying soundtrack or music CD won the award.


==Future projects== ==Future projects==
Midnight Syndicate has teamed up with Snap Kick Productions to score the upcoming horror film, '']''. Additionally they recently signed on to score Robert Kurtzman's film, ''The Rage''. In 2006, Edward Douglas will begin pre-production on the horror suspense film he will be directing, ''The Dead Matter''. Previously filmed in 1996 with a very small budget, ''The Dead Matter'' was co-written (with Tony Demci), directed, and scored by Edward Douglas. Demci and Douglas have rewritten the script for the new film. Midnight Syndicate has teamed up with Snap Kick Productions to score the upcoming horror film, '']''. Additionally they recently signed on to score ]’s film, '']''. In 2006, Edward Douglas will begin pre-production on the horror suspense film he will be directing, ''The Dead Matter''. Previously filmed in 1996 with a very small budget, ''The Dead Matter'' was co-written (with Tony Demci), directed, and scored by Edward Douglas. Demci and Douglas have rewritten the script for the new film.

==Ongoing dispute==
In 2003, the year that Midnight Syndicate was celebrating it's release of its album for ''Dungeons and Dragons'', Joseph Vargo formed a new band, Nox Arcana, and released a cd entitled "Darklore Manor." The album was described as "a musical journey throughout the haunted halls of a Victorian mansion with a dark and sinister history." In an in Dark Realms Magazine published January 2004, Nox Arcana announced that it's next cd would be ''Necronomicon,'' "a dark symphony based on H.P. Lovecraft's legendary book of shadows." (''Necronomicon'' was released in October that year). In February 2004, Midnight Syndicate announced in a that it too was releasing a cd in 2005, and described it as a "turn-of-the-century house with a dark history..." ( or "a Victorian mansion with a sinister history" depending on the version of the press release one reads) and claimed it would "mark a return to their trademark horror stylings." Edward Douglas further stated that "In particular, the Cthulu mythos has been a good source of inspiration thus far."

Ever since, a dispute has been brewing between the parties. Joseph Vargo attests that Edward Douglas has been falsly denying credit for work done by Vargo on the early ''Born of the Night'' and ''Realm of Shadows'' cds as well as plagarising portions of ''Darklore Manor''. Edward Douglas claims Vargo had no input on the the two earlier albums except for some art and voices. Early interviews (1998-2003) conducted with Midnight Syndicate and a few that included Vargo, when compared with more recent interviews, show a subtle yet different version of history-earlier press articles and even cd liner notes credit Vargo with the concept, inspiration, writing, and financing/publishing, while later interviews conducted with Douglas and Goszka appear to contradict earlier statements. Vargo is credited with the entire concept of creating a Halloween-themed cd in a 1998 on Cleveland's WERE 1300, yet was discredited by Edward Douglas in a 2006 interview with ''Haunted Attraction Magazine'' in which he credits someone else for the concept. It has been remarked upon by that Midnight Syndicate is attempting to alter history by using the Press to propagate a different version of the facts, and by doing so they hope to lend credence to their denial of Vargo's work.

Indeed, the of this very Misplaced Pages article shows a marked effort by some editors to hide these facts and alter the public's perception in terms of the formation and history of this band. Likewise, a on the Amazon.com listing band's contains several complaints that censorship of cd reviews is taking place.

In addition, Midnight Syndicate listed ''Born of the Night'' and ''Realm of Shadows'' as being "out of print" prior to releasing some of the tracks on the 2006 album ''Out of the Darkness.'' It has been stated that their reason for doing so was to avoid paying royalties to Vargo for the earlier albums. In an interview published in Vargo reveals that he intends to file a lawsuit against Midnight Syndicate.


==Discography== ==Discography==
Midnight Syndicate Discography: Midnight Syndicate Discography:
* 1997: ''Midnight Syndicate'' * 1997: ''Midnight Syndicate''
* 1998: ''Born of the Night'' * 1998: ''Born of the Night''
* 2000: ''Realm of Shadows'' * 2000: ''Realm of Shadows''
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* 2005: ''The 13th Hour'' * 2005: ''The 13th Hour''
* 2006: ''Out of the Darkness (Retrospective: 1994-1999)'' * 2006: ''Out of the Darkness (Retrospective: 1994-1999)''

==References== ==Print References==
<references/>
* Carl E. Feather, ''"A little night music"'', '']'' (Ashtabula, OH), October 30, 2006, Sec. B, Pg. B1.
⚫ *
* Jason Bracelin, "Scream Kings", at '']'' (Cleveland, OH), May 25, 2005, Sec. Features, Pg. 10-13. * John Horton, ''"Scary music writers accomplish ghouls"'', '']'' (Cleveland, OH), October 17, 2006, Sec. Main, Pg. A1.
* Heather Adler, "Haunted Memories", '']'' (Toronto, ON), October 2005, Pg. 131 * Leonard Pickel, "Midnight Syndicate - Setting the Mood for an Industry", '']'' (Charlotte, NC), June 2006, Pg. 24-28, 38-41
* Heather Adler, "Haunted Memories", '']'' (Toronto, ON), October 2005, Pg. 131
⚫ *
* Jason Bracelin, ''"Scream Kings"'', '']'' (Cleveland, OH), May 25, 2005, Sec. Features, Pg. 10-13.
⚫ *
* Peter Iorillo, ''"Something Wicked This Way Comes"'', '']'' (Cleveland, OH), Issue 1, January 2001, Pg. 20-23.
⚫ * Leonard Pickel, "Midnight Syndicate - Setting the Mood for an Industry", at ''Haunted Attraction Magazine'' (Charlotte, NC), June 2006, Pg. 24-28, 38-41.
* John Horton, "Scary music writers accomplish ghouls", '']'' (Cleveland, OH), October 17, 2006, Sec. Main, Pg. A1. * Julie E. Washington, ''"Haunting Tunes Are Goth Band's Specialty"'', '']'' (Cleveland, OH), October 30, 2000, Sec. arts, Pg. 1E.


==External Links== ==External Links==
* *
* *
* *
* *
* (a website created by Midnight Syndicate for fans and haunt listings) *
* *

====Interviews====
⚫ *
⚫ *
⚫ *
*
⚫ *
*


] ]

Revision as of 19:34, 19 November 2006

Midnight Syndicate
Musical artist

Midnight Syndicate is a Cleveland-based musical group that has been working mainly in the genre of gothic horror music since 1998. A 1997 self-titled release covered multiple mainstream genres. Their music is commonly used to provide atmosphere during the Halloween season, in Haunted attractions and in the Role-playing game industry.

Formation

Composer/filmmaker Edward Douglas founded Midnight Syndicate in 1996. In 1997, their self-titled debut was released. 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 music and pop music... 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."

The album contained an eclectic blend of musical styles which included everything from dark instrumental music similar to their later releases to industrial, horrorbilly, rap, new age, swing, humor-pop, and space. Movie-style sound effects were featured in most of the tracks. A multimedia show was produced to support the album.

File:Realm of shadows cd cover.jpg
Realm of Shadows album cover.

In 1998, Douglas teamed up with gothic fantasy artist and publisher Joseph Vargo, who also filled the roles of executive producer, creative director, lyricist, vocalist, and cover art designer for the new line up. Composer Gavin Goszka also joined the group. Together, Douglas and Goszka would write almost all of the music on the Midnight Syndicate discs to come. That same year they released the band's first critically acclaimed gothic horror soundtrack, Born of the Night, followed in 2000 by Realm of Shadows. Both albums (as well as the future Midnight Syndicate releases) were featured as "official soundtracks" for Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights as well as being played in many other haunted attractions and major theme parks during Halloween, such as Cedar Point and Thorpe Park's Fright Nights. In addition, the heavy metal band King Diamond featured tracks from Born of the Night as opening music for their 2001 US tour. Midnight Syndicate and Joseph Vargo parted ways after Realm of Shadows.

In 2001, Midnight Syndicate’s third gothic horror soundtrack entitled Gates of Delirium was released. For this disc, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka teamed up with two members who worked on the first Midnight Syndicate CD, Mark Rakocy (graphic design) and Christopher Robichaud (vocals). This particular album was a huge success on MP3.com, where it held six spots in their Top 20 positions during Halloween that year. In 2002, Midnight Syndicate called on artist Keith Parkinson to design the packaging for their fourth gothic soundtrack CD, Vampyre.

File:13th hour cd cover.jpg
The 13th Hour album cover.

In 2003, the band released the first officially licensed soundtrack to the classic roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. Some of their tracks were later featured in computer games Shadowbane and Baldur's Gate II. In 2005, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka released their seventh CD, The 13th Hour. It featured vocal effects by Lily Lane of the horror-rock band, Lazy Lane, and another cover by Keith Parkinson.

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. Fantasy artist Rob Alexander designed the cover for this release, as well as a new cover for Gates of Delirium.

Unable to gain the support of a major record label or distributor initially, Edward Douglas began building a network to self-distribute Midnight Syndicate’s CDs in 1999. Today, his company, Entity Productions, Inc. and its partners distribute Midnight Syndicate CDs to thousands of retailers worldwide, making them one of the largest distributors of Halloween-themed music in 2006.

As stated in Haunted Attraction Magazine (see link below), the success of these CDs over the course of time has made Midnight Syndicate a standard in the Halloween and haunted attraction industries. The music has appeared in mainstream television programs like Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2002, The Ellen Degeneres Show and Monday Night Football in addition to haunted attractions and amusement parks worldwide that license their music during the Halloween season.

Midnight Syndicate has also had an impact in the hobby gaming industry. In 2006, Midnight Syndicate's The 13th Hour won the Origins Award for Best Gaming Accessory presented by the Academy of Adventure Game Art & Design. This marked the first time a roleplaying soundtrack or music CD won the award.

Future projects

Midnight Syndicate has teamed up with Snap Kick Productions to score the upcoming horror film, Sin-Jin Smyth. Additionally they recently signed on to score Robert Kurtzman’s film, The Rage. In 2006, Edward Douglas will begin pre-production on the horror suspense film he will be directing, The Dead Matter. Previously filmed in 1996 with a very small budget, The Dead Matter was co-written (with Tony Demci), directed, and scored by Edward Douglas. Demci and Douglas have rewritten the script for the new film.

Discography

Midnight Syndicate Discography:

  • 1997: Midnight Syndicate
  • 1998: Born of the Night
  • 2000: Realm of Shadows
  • 2001: Gates of Delirium
  • 2002: Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt
  • 2003: Dungeons & Dragons
  • 2005: The 13th Hour
  • 2006: Out of the Darkness (Retrospective: 1994-1999)

Print References

  • Carl E. Feather, "A little night music", Star Beacon (Ashtabula, OH), October 30, 2006, Sec. B, Pg. B1.
  • John Horton, "Scary music writers accomplish ghouls", The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), October 17, 2006, Sec. Main, Pg. A1.
  • Leonard Pickel, "Midnight Syndicate - Setting the Mood for an Industry", Haunted Attraction Magazine (Charlotte, NC), June 2006, Pg. 24-28, 38-41
  • Heather Adler, "Haunted Memories", Rue Morgue Magazine (Toronto, ON), October 2005, Pg. 131
  • Jason Bracelin, "Scream Kings", Scene Magazine (Cleveland, OH), May 25, 2005, Sec. Features, Pg. 10-13.
  • Peter Iorillo, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", Dark Realms Magazine (Cleveland, OH), Issue 1, January 2001, Pg. 20-23.
  • Julie E. Washington, "Haunting Tunes Are Goth Band's Specialty", The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), October 30, 2000, Sec. arts, Pg. 1E.

External Links

Interviews

Categories: