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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

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 and performed by Edward Douglas. Contributors included Scott Angus, Mark Rakocy, Dennis Carleton, Jamie Barbour, Ray Portler, the rap act Dark Side, Tony Demci, and Christopher Robichaud. The album was referred to as "a new progressive type of music called 'cine-fusion,'" which 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 instrumental, rock-a-billy, rap, new age, swing, dark humor, and space. Sound effects were also incorporated into most of the tracks. A multimedia show was produced to support the album.

Focus on Gothic themes

Shortly after the self-titled album debuted, Edward Douglas teamed up with gothic fantasy artist and publisher Joseph Vargo, who filled the roles of executive producer, creative director, lyricist, vocalist, writer, and cover artist for a new incarnation of Midnight Syndicate. Vargo's gothic influence provided a new direction for the band, focusing them exclusively on a darker sound. Gavin Goszka joined Douglas and Vargo in 1998, adding to the musical compositions and providing the engineering. 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. The famous warning "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here," narrated by Vargo, as well as his ominous original narration for the title track from Born of the Night has been used to welcome visitors into these theme parks each year during Halloween. The heavy metal band King Diamond used tracks from Born of the Night as opening music for their 2000 US tour. The success and hightened media exposure of these albums during Halloween made Midnight Syndicate popular with the haunted attraction industry. Vargo eventually left the group to pursue other projects.

Focus on gaming industry

In 2001, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka released Gates of Delirium, which held six spots in the top-20 on MP3.com that year. Artist Keith Parkinson designed the packaging for Vampyre which followed in 2002. Their music began appearing in mainstream television programs like Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2002 and Monday Night Football. In 2003, Midnight Syndicate released an official soundtrack to the classic roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. Some of the tracks were later used in computer games Shadowbane and Baldur's Gate II. In 2005, they released The 13th Hour, featuring vocal effects by Lily Lane of the horror-rock band Lazy Lane. Aside from the previous mention of Halloween Horror Nights, the music is also played in several other theme parks during Halloween, such as Thorpe Park's Fright Nights event.

Disputed issues

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 2004, Midnight Syndicate announced that it too was releasing a cd and described it as "a Victorian mansion with a sinister history" and claimed it would "mark a return to their trademark horror stylings." This album, The 13th Hour, was released in 2005. Since that time, a dispute has been brewing between the parties. Vargo attests that Edward Douglas has been falsly claiming credit for work done by Vargo on the early Born of the Night and Realm of Shadows cds, or denying that Vargo ever did more than cover art. Edward Douglas, spokesman for Midnight Syndicate, claims Vargo had no input on the the two 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. Vargo is credited with the entire concept of creating a Halloween-themed cd in a 1998 radio interview 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 Vargo that Midnight Syndicate is attempting to alter history in such a way as to lend credence to their denial of Vargo's work. So far, no word or retort has been made by Midnight Syndicate on the issue, except in private circles according to some emails prublished on Vargo's expose website, Legionofthenight.com, published in 2006. The site provides documents to back up their claims and provides a method of comparison of various album materials. In an interview published in The Perch, he claims that a lawsuit against Midnight Syndicate will be filed in the near future and that ongoing information will be published on the website.

Continuing

In 2006, Midnight Syndicate released Out of the Darkness - Retrospective: 1994-1999 featuring remixed songs from Midnight Syndicate (1997), Born of the Night (1998), (sans any Vargo arrangements or narrations) Realm of Shadows (2000), and one previously unreleased song from Gavin Goszka.

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

Midnight Syndicate music in film

  • The Dead Matter (1996) score
  • Dead and Rotting (2002) main title theme and additional music
  • Demons at the Door (2004) main title and additional music
  • Sin-Jin Smyth (filming) score
  • The Rage (post-production) score
  • The Dead Matter (a remake of the 1996 film, in pre-production) score and directing

Awards

Origins Award for Best Gaming Accessory 2006

References

  • Julie E. Washington, "Haunting Tunes Are Goth Band's Specialty", The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), October 30, 2000, Sec. arts, Pg. 1E.
  • Jeff Niesel, "Soundbites", Scene (Cleveland, OH), October 14, 1999.
  • Peter Iorillo, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", Dark Realms (Cleveland, OH), Issue 1, January 2001, Pg. 20-23.
  • Devon King, "Darklore Manor: America's Most Haunted House", Dark Realms (Cleveland, OH), issue 13, January 2004, Pg. 14-18.
  • Jason Bracelin, "Scream Kings", Scene (Cleveland, OH), May 25, 2005, Sec. Features, Pg. 10-13.
  • Heather Adler, "Haunted Memories", Rue Morgue (Toronto, ON), October 2005, Pg. 131
  • Leonard Pickel, "Midnight Syndicate - Setting the Mood for an Industry", Haunted Attraction (Charlotte, NC), June 2006, Pg. 24-28, 38-41
  • John Horton, "Scary music writers accomplish ghouls", The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), October 17, 2006, Sec. Main, Pg. A1.

External Links

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