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Midnight Syndicate

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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 in both Halloween haunted houses and the gaming industry.

Formation & Overview

Composer/filmmaker Edward Douglas created Midnight Syndicate in 1996. In 1997, their self-titled debut was released. The album was produced by Edward Douglas who wrote most of the tracks. Contributors included Scott Angus, Mark Rakocy, Dennis Carleton, Jamie Barbour, Ray Portler, the rap act Dark Side (rap), and Christopher Robichaud. The album was referred to as "cine-fusion," and is described in the album 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.

In 1997, Edward Douglas teamed up with gothic fantasy artist and publisher Joseph Vargo, who filled the roles of executive producer, creative director, lyricist, vocalist, and cover art designer for the new line up. Composer Gavin Goszka joined the group in 1998. Later that same year the trio released the band's first critically acclaimed gothic horror soundtrack Born of the Night, followed in 2000 by Realm of Shadows. Both albums were featured as the "official soundtracks" for Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights as well as being played in several other major theme parks during Halloween, such as Thorpe Park's Fright Nights event. The heavy metal band King Diamond featured tracks from Born of the Night as opening music for their 2000 US tour. Joseph Vargo, left the group in 2000 to pursue his art and book publishing. In 2001, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka released a soundtrack entitled Gates of Delirium. This time they re-teamed with two members who worked on the first Midnight Syndicate CD, Mark Rakocy and Christopher Robichaud. This particular album was a success on MP3.com, where it held six spots in their Top 20 positions during Halloween that year. Artist Keith Parkinson designed the packaging for Midnight Syndicate's fourth gothic soundtrack CD, Vampyre, released in 2002. Over the course of time Midnight Syndicate became "the standard" for the Halloween and haunted attraction industries. The music started appearing in mainstream television programs like Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2002 and Monday Night Football. Joseph Vargo approached Wizards of the Coast in 1999 and 2000 while still a member of the band, and Midnight Syndicate afterwards worked a deal to release the first official soundtrack to the classic roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragonsin 2003. Some of the 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 a storyline very similar to one that their previous producer, Joseph Vargo, had written two years prior, as well as vocal effects by Lily Lane of the horror-rock band Lazy Lane.

Discography

Midnight Syndicate Discography:

References

  • Leonard Pickel, "Midnight Syndicate - Setting the Mood for an Industry", Haunted Attraction (Charlotte, NC), June 2006, Pg. 24-28, 38-41
  • Heather Adler, "Haunted Memories", Rue Morgue (Toronto, ON), October 2005, Pg. 131
  • Jason Bracelin, "Scream Kings", Scene (Cleveland, OH), May 25, 2005, Sec. Features, Pg. 10-13.
  • Peter Iorillo, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", Dark Realms (Cleveland, OH), 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

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