New Midnight Syndicate CD!!

MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE RELEASES BLOODLINES MINI-ALBUM, A PREQUEL TO THE 13TH HOUR 

 CLEVELAND, Ohio, August 20, 2021 – Midnight Syndicate has just released a mini-album entitled Bloodlines. Their 14th studio album, Bloodlines is a prequel to the duo’s best-selling, haunted mansion-themed, The 13th Hour. The new release draws listeners deeper into the world of the Haverghast family, a sinister clan whose dark secrets were first introduced on the 2001 asylum-themed album, Gates of Delirium. 

 “The events that occur in Bloodlines happen before The 13th Hour, although how long before is left up to the listener,” said Edward Douglas. Gavin Goszka added, “The selections on this album expand the story of the Haverghast family. We wanted this album to flow as seamlessly as possible into The 13th Hour, while still maintaining its own distinct stylistic identity.” 

 Bloodlines comes on the heels of the band’s first live album, Live Shadows, which was released in June of this year. Beginning in September, Midnight Syndicate will bring their critically-acclaimed concert experience, Midnight Syndicate Live! Conspiracy of Shadows, back to the world famous amusement park, Cedar Point. The horror-themed multimedia concerts blending live music, theatre, and film will run from September 17 through October 31 at the park’s HalloWeekends event. The band has hinted that another major announcement will be coming soon. 

Buy or listen to Bloodlines: https://midnightsyndicate.fanlink.to/bloodlines 

Watch the album trailer: https://midnightsyndicate.fanlink.to/f4xM 

Midnight Syndicate official website: www.MidnightSyndicate.com 

 Midnight Syndicate Midnight Syndicate is synonymous with haunting themes, gothic soundtracks and musical storytelling at its most evocative. If you’ve visited a haunted attraction or amusement park around the world during the Halloween season, or simply enjoyed a night of trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, chances are you’ve heard their music. Since 1997, dark music pioneers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been entertaining fans of Halloween, gothic music, haunted attractions, horror cinema, video games, and roleplaying games with their soundtracks to imaginary films. Featuring a signature blend of orchestral music and sound effects, Midnight Syndicate’s fourteen studio albums, along with their independent film, The Dead Matter, and several film scores, have earned them a worldwide following with combined sales now approaching 800,000 physical and digital units. In 2003, the band was approached to produce the first official soundtrack to the seminal roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. Their success has led them to collaborations with Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends, and Grandin Road, along with being featured in television shows, HSN, SiriusXM’s Scream Radio, video games, King Diamond tours, a Misfits live album, releases by major horrorcore artists, and even Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion private Halloween parties. In 2014, the band began producing Midnight Syndicate Live!, a series of horror-themed multimedia concerts which continue to enjoy successful runs at Cedar Point’s annual HalloWeekends event. The 13th Hour Released in 2005, 

The 13th Hour is one of Midnight Syndicate’s most popular and iconic albums. Set in the haunted Haverghast family mansion, The 13th Hour takes listeners on a musical journey into a sinister supernatural world which highlights the band’s unique orchestral stylings and sound effects. Used in haunted attractions and amusement parks worldwide, The 13th Hour was also the first album to receive an Origins Awar Award from the Academy of Adventure Game Art & Design, as well as the first to receive an ENnie from the popular fan-based awards show in the roleplaying game industry.

Midnight Syndicate Christmas CD, band announces plans for 2015 and beyond

I've been a big fan of Midnight Syndicate since I first listened to their CDs sometime back in the early 2000s. They started up right around the same time I did, in 1999. and we found each other shortly thereafter, emailing back and forth over the years, even working on a few things together.

I finally got a chance to meet founding member Ed Douglas face to face in 2013 at the Horror Hound convention, after years of corresponding back and forth. Such a cool guy, as friendly in person as he is online. Below is the press release for their upcoming album, events and more. Great stuff, these guys are a machine, I tell ya, a machine! Long live Midnight Syndicate!!

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2015

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio, May 12, 2015 - 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.  

Composers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been delighting fans of instrumental gothic music, Halloween, roleplaying games, and classic horror for almost two decades. As the first recording act to produce seasonal atmosphere for professional haunts and amusement parks, their signature blend of dark orchestral "soundtracks to imaginary films" and sound effects have remained a staple of that industry in addition to weaving their way into the musical tapestry of the Halloween season and beyond. Every October, their music can be heard setting atmosphere on television and radio shows, restaurants, stores, and homes worldwide.

Scary Monsters Magazine Article Issue #89 - Interview with Ed Douglas of Midnight Syndicate

Dr. Gangrene interviews Ed Douglas, musician, film producer/director, and mastermind behind Midnight Syndicate, the ultimate haunted soundtrack company.
click to enlarge pages

Midnight Syndicate launches Kickstarter campaign in support of MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE LIVE! multimedia Halloween horror concert.

Hey fright fans, Doc Gangrene here with some big news!

 

My good friends at Midnight Syndicate have launched a kickstarter to bring to life something I've wanted to see for years - a LIVE Midnight Syndicate concert - BUT, what they have planned is more than a simple concert - this is going to be a multimedia extravaganza.

 

http://midnightsyndicate.blogspot.com/2013/10/midnight-syndicate-live-kickstarter.html

 

 

 

Midnight Syndicate launches Kickstarter campaign in support of MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE LIVE! multimedia Halloween horror concert.

After seventeen studio albums, including three horror movie scores and a motion picture of their own, Gothic Halloween Horror music composers Midnight Syndicate have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a multimedia concert experience. Entitled MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE LIVE! the Halloween horror-themed show will feature a unique blend of live Midnight Syndicate music, original films, music videos, and live theatre.

"We want it to be a feast for the eyes as much as the ears," said Gavin Goszka, "a unique show that is not only a Midnight Syndicate concert but also something that stands on its own as a great horror multimedia experience." In order create the visual elements of the show, the band is teaming up with of veterans from the special FX, film, and haunted house industries. The initial group includes special FX legend Robert Kurtzman (Creature Corps, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, KNB EFX), director Gary Jones (XENA, AXE GIANT), David "House" Greathouse (FACEOFF, Mushroomhead), Jason Carter (BABYLON 5, THE DEAD MATTER), Beki Ingram (FACEOFF), and Jason Blaszczak of Screamline Studios (Rob Zombie's AMERICAN NIGHTMARE). "Because of the style of our music and our ties to the film, roleplaying game, and haunted house industries we're in the perfect position to put together a unique show that blends the best of these different worlds," said Edward Douglas. "It's a project almost two decades in the making. We want to bring your nightmares to life," added Gavin Goszka.

"We've always been our own label and distributor with little commercial radio airplay, so it's really been the fans' support over these past seventeen years that has allowed Midnight Syndicate to continue to grow. They really are the best fans in the world," said Edward Douglas. "This live concert is something that our fans have been asking us to do for many years. The Kickstarter campaign is giving us the opportunity to involve them from the beginning and allowing us to take this exciting next step together."

MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE LIVE! Kickstarter Campaign:

Midnight Syndicate Official Website: www.MidnightSyndicate.com

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 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 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 special FX legend Robert Kurtzman and director/producer Gary Jones.

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 released the soundtrack to that film along with MONSTERS OF LEGEND a tribute to the classic Universal, Hammer and Euro horror films that gave birth to horror cinema. MONSTERS OF LEGEND has quickly become the band's most critically-acclaimed album to date.

New Midnight Syndicate CD released today!!

 

Midnight Syndicate releases MONSTERS OF LEGEND album

July 19, 2013 (Cleveland, OH) - Symphonic gothic horror musicians MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE have just released their sixteenth studio album, MONSTERS OF LEGEND. This "tribute to the golden age of horror" is inspired by horror films from the silent era, Universal Studios' horror classics, Hammer Films, and other European horror films of the 60s and 70s. It features sweeping symphonic horror instrumental music and sound effects in the signature style the band helped pioneer. "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 those iconic Universal monsters could be right around the corner," said composer EDWARD DOUGLAS. The CD artwork features original images from classic Universal Studios horror movies including BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, WEREWOLF OF LONDON, and DRACULA.

"Those classic horror films are at the core of what we do in Midnight Syndicate, so to do an entire disc based on them was a lot fun," added Douglas. "Musically it required us to use more traditional orchestral instruments, and use them in more ways than we have in the past. The result is a fuller orchestral sound with a heavy classical music influence. There are plenty of nods to James Bernard, Bernard Herrmann, and other early film composers." Although the band promises the new disc will deliver the dark atmosphere haunted house designers, roleplaying gamers, and Halloween music enthusiasts expect from them, they feel they've crafted a disc that transcends their favorite time of the year. "Like CARNIVAL ARCANE, we feel we've taken things up a notch both musically and with the sound design on this release," said GAVIN GOSZKA. "There's a lot there to listen to and lose yourself in."

 

In addition to over 50 minutes of new music, the band went back into its archives and recreated several tracks from its early releases Born of the Night and Realm of Shadows, bringing the total runtime of the disc to over 65 minutes. "Both the new album and those older ones are set in and around the mysterious hamlet of Arcacia. We felt it would be a great opportunity to breathe new life into a few of our lesser known tracks from those discs to help tell this story. For additional atmosphere the band called on voiceover artist Dick Terhune. "Dick's known throughout the haunted house industry as the "Voice from Hell," needless to say he was the perfect match for this disc," added Goskza.

The CD is available now through the band's website, as well as iTunes and Amazon.com. It will also be available in select Halloween retailers beginning in August. A collector's edition 12" vinyl version is also available on the band's site.

--- 7 / 19 / 13

Official Midnight Syndicate website: www.MidnightSyndicate.com
Midnight Syndicate on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MidnightSyndicate
Midnight Syndicate on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/MidSyndicate
Dick Terhune - Voice From Hell website: www.VoiceFromHell.com

Midnight Syndicate - Carnival Arcane

    Midnite Syndicate has released a new CD called Carnival Arcane. I got a copy this past weekend and can't stop liastening to it!  As with all of Midnight Syndicate’s CDs it is full of movie style dark music perfectly suited for Halloween, but this one is more thematic in nature, set in a twisted traveling attraction called the Lancaster Rigby Carnival. Carnivals are always a spooky setting for a movie, and that’s what this is – the audio equivalent of a movie. It contains 25 tracks, each based on a different element of the Carnival – The Midway, the Freakshow, Under the Big Top, Goons and Greasepaint, Madame Zora – I can just smell the mix of cotton candy and fear. Definitely a worthy addition to the Midnight Syndicate  oeuvre,  come take a trio to the big top – if you dare!

New Midnight Syndicate CD coming in August!

The circus is coming to town... Midnight Syndicate is in the studio working on a new CD entitled Carnival Arcane, with an anticipated release date in early August.

Pay no attention to the rumors, the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival is alive and well and awaits you just beyond the outskirts of town. Bring your wives and children for an unforgettable night of entertainment from the four corners of the globe, and be sure to enjoy a ride on our Grand Carousel. But hurry ~ as this once in a lifetime opportunity is only here for a limited time!

Winner of the August Free Giveaway - Midnight Syndicate Prize Pack

The winner of the August free giveaway contest has been announced - congratulations to jbeeching - you are the winner of the Midnight Syndicate Prize Pack- Congratulations!!

August Free Giveaway - Midnight Syndicate Prize Pack

The August free prize giveaway is a Midnight Syndicate Prize Pack - 3 cds and a tshirt. Check out the video below to see details on how to enter - Good Luck!!

The Dead Matter officialy released

The new movie THE DEAD MATTER by Ed Douglas and Midnight Syndicate is officially released today. It is available exclusively through Hot Topic Stores everywhere!! The set is 19.99 for the movie, a greatest hits Halloween cd and the soundtrack from the movie - pretty kick ass!

About The Dead Matter movie:
The Dead Matter is the remake of a film that director/composer Edward Douglas shot on a shoe-string budget of $2000 back in 1995.   The film tells the story of a guilt-ridden young woman (Sean Serino of The Rage) desperate to contact her deceased brother who discovers a powerful ancient relic that controls the dead.  Her dark obsession drags her into the tangled world of two warring vampire lords (Andrew Divoff of Lost, Wishmaster and Tom Savini of Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead) each with his own sinister plans for the artifact and a vampire hunter (Jason Carter of Babylon 5) who will stop at nothing to destroy it.  This chilling gothic dark fantasy co-produced by Robert Kurtzman (creator of From Dusk Till Dawn, KNB FX) and Gary Jones (Xena, Boogeyman 3), also features a score by director Edward Douglas of the Gothic Halloween music band Midnight Syndicate.  It's a mix of classic horror themes with modern twists and a touch of dark humor that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

About Midnight Syndicate:
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 roleplaying game, and Barbara Walters specials, their CDs are designed to take listeners on a journey into the darkest corners of their imagination.

Special edition The Dead Matter DVD set including soundtrack and Midnight Syndicate Greatest Hits CD available at all HOT TOPIC stores nationwide.

July 30, 2010 (Cleveland, OH) Midnight Syndicate Films is releasing a special edition of The Dead Matter DVD that will include two bonus CDs by gothic Halloween music artists Midnight Syndicate.  It will be available at all Hot Topic stores nationwide on July 30^th.   It will also be available online at Hot Topic, Amazon, and Midnight Syndicate’s site.  The specially-priced set will include The Dead Matter DVD, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD by Midnight Syndicate, and a new Midnight Syndicate 13th Anniversary greatest hits CD entitled Halloween Music Collection.  

The Dead Matter DVD features the much-anticipated dark fantasy film produced and directed by Edward Douglas of Midnight Syndicate Films and Gary Jones and Robert Kurtzman of Precinct 13 Entertainment. DVD extras include two Midnight Syndicate music videos, the music video to Eternal Legacy’s song, The Dead Matter, three of the finalists from Midnight Syndicate’s 13^th Anniversary Video Contest, audio commentary with the producers, gag reels, and a feature-length behind-the-scenes production entitled Maximum Dead Matter.  Produced by Frank Purtiman of Smudgeline Studios, Maximum Dead Matter allows viewers to watch the film in one area of the screen while behind the scenes footage, interviews, location information, and concept art comparisons related to that scene play in other areas of the screen.

The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD contains the score composed by the film’s director, Edward Douglas of Midnight Syndicate, as well as several limited-edition remixes of Midnight Syndicate songs performed by Jerry “Haunt Rocker” Vayne, Destini Beard, and Pat Berdysz of the industrial band Encoder.   The disc also features other music that appears in the film from bands like Lazy Lane, hipNostic, and Eternal Legacy. 

 

Midnight Syndicate’s Halloween Music Collection is a greatest hits-type CD that features over 60 minutes of songs hand-picked by Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka to celebrate the band’s first 13 years.   Both new CDs will also be available at Halloween retailers nationwide beginning in August.

--- 7/30/10

Maximum Dead Matter behind the scenes trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzIYws_qb1U

The Dead Matter trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liAifLs_8zk

The Dead Matter motion picture: www.TheDeadMatter.com
Midnight Syndicate Halloween Music Gothic Soundtracks: www.MidnightSyndicate.com
Hot Topic – Everything about the music: www.HotTopic.com

The Dead Matter on DVD

Midnight Syndicate's new movie, The Dead Matter,is coming to DVD in July. It will be available at Hot Topic Stores nationwide...

Midnight Syndicate Movie Making Contest Details!!

Details for a new Film Making Contest by Midnight Syndicate - you filmmakers out there need to jump on this!!

Midnight Syndicate Video Contest

My buddy Ed Douglas at Midnight Syndicate is running a really cool video contest - check out the info below!!

HAVE YOUR VIDEO FEATURED ON THE DEAD MATTER DVD AND WIN CASH AND PRIZES IN THE MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE VIDEO CONTEST!

Interested in making your own silent film or video cut to Midnight Syndicate music? Midnight Syndicate is conducting a contest to give new or experienced filmmakers a chance to be featured on the upcoming The Dead Matter DVD and win other fabulous prizes.

Entries will be judged on creativity and effectiveness. Our judging panel includes: Dee Snider (Twisted Sister, Van Helsing’s Curse, Strangeland), Tom Savini (Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead), Robert Kurtzman (producer Dusk Till Dawn, Wishmaster), Gary Jones (Xena, Boogeyman 3), as well as Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka of Midnight Syndicate, with a few more industry names to be added shortly.

The grand prize includes having your video featured on The Dead Matter DVD, hundreds of dollars in gift certificates from Screamline Studios (horror props, makeup FX, latex), Robert Kurtzman’s Creature Corps (horror props, costuming), and Conquest Graphics (posters, flyers, postcards), autographed merchandise from Van Helsing’s Curse, autographed props from The Dead Matter movie, and a complete collection of Midnight Syndicate CDs (including out-of-print titles). MORE GREAT FILMMAKING PRIZES TO BE ADDED!

For complete contest rules CLICK HERE!

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates CD

Got the post-Halloween blues?

Then Midnight Syndicate's newest release, The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates, is just the thing to help you keep it Halloween all year long!


The folks at Midnight Syndicate have been quite busy - in addition to their haunted soundtrack work, they have also been involved creating a motion picture, The Dead Matter. Co-written and directed by Edward Douglas of Midnight Syndicate, the film is scheduled for a 2009 release.

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates CD includes several tracks from the upcoming soundtrack and is some of the best work Midnight Syndicate has done to date. It is done in the dark orchestral style Midnight Syndicate has become known for and is highly recommended - this is one CD Halloween lovers must have!

Here's the track listing:

1. Cathedral Ruins
2. Shadowed Grove
3. Meeting of the Acolytes
4. The Revenants
5. Called From Beyond
6. Nightfall
7. The Hunt
8. Across the Chasm
9. Cemetery Gates
10. Entering the Crypt
11. Alchemists's Chamber
12. Tear of Osiris
13. Forging the Scarab
14. Shadows Descend 1
5. Inside the Scarab
16. Exodus
17. Dark Legacy
18. Lullaby
BONUS TRACKS
19. Lost
20. Not Your Saviour
21. Theme to "The Dead Matter" (A.B.T. Remix)

To find out more about this film and listen to some of these tracks, go to:
The Dead Matter website - www.TheDeadMatter.com

Here is the teaser trailer for the film:

Midnight Syndicate's The Rage

I finally got the chance to sit and listen to the soundtrack for a new independent horror film called The Rage. This soundtrack was scored by Midnight Syndicate, who have been making horror soundtracks for the past 11 years. The Rage is an independent film produced by Precinct 13 Entertainment starring Andrew Divoff, from the TV show Lost. It is a classic mad scientist tale complete with Franksteinien creature that runs amok, causing havok for his creator (as all good monsters should). It is distributed by Screen Media Films and Universal Home Entertainment.

This is the first actual movie soundtrack that Midnight Syndicate has scored, and it really has a different feel from previous Midnight Syndicate work. Their previous releases were a collection of individual songs all based around a central theme. This time, however, the music was written specifically to follow the action on the screen. That isn't to say it's any less enjoyable... matter of fact, it is every bit as atmospheric, dark and suspensful as previous Midnight Syndicate releases.


I haven't seen the Rage yet, but the soundtrack is really first rate. If the production values of the film are up to par with this soundtrack this will be one to see. Midnight Syndicate should have a successful soundtrack future ahead of them, as they're a natural to score horror movies.