Midnight Syndicate
Midnight Syndicate is a US-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 Halloween haunted houses.
Formation
Midnight Syndicate was formed in 1996 with members consisting of Scott Angus, Composer Edward Douglas, Jeff Kasunic, Mark Rakocy, Toni Demci, Dennis Carleton, and Christopher Robichaud. This group of college students created a self-titled debut album of experminetal and ecclectic sounds, incuding rap, country, humor-pop, and new age or neo-classical, which was released in support of a student film by Edward Douglas. The album was referred to as "cine-fusion," described as "a blend of movie soundtrack music and pop-music, a compilation of sounds to movies that do not exist." After 1997, all of the band members except Edward Douglas seem to have gone their separate ways, as there is no further mention of them in relation to writing music for this group.
National Exposure
In 1998, a year which proved to be the turning point for this group, Edward Douglas teamed up with a well-known gothic fantasy artist and publisher, Joseph Vargo, who stepped in as the executive producer, record producer and creative director for the band and brought Midnight Syndicate into the public eye with his concept for a classically orchestrated, theme-based gothic horror album, much like a score created for a specific film. Fellow composer Gavin Goszka also joined the group later the same year. Riding on Vargo's popularity in the gothic subculture and his success in the Halloween market, the band spent the next several years tailoring their albums to appeal to these audiences, and report a high amount of success. Since their 1998 breakthrough album, Born of the Night, Midnight Syndicate's style of music has become popular with Halloween fans, role-play gaming campaigns, and low-budget horror films.
Discography
Midnight Syndicate Discography:
- 1997: Midnight Syndicate (self-titled)
- 1998: Born of the Night
- 1999: Realm of Shadows
- 2001: Gates of Delirium
- 2002: Vampyre
- 2003: Dungeons & Dragons
- 2005: The 13th Hour
Films with music by Midnight Syndicate
- The Dead Matter (1997)
- Dead and Rotting (2002)
- Demons at the Door (2004)
References
- Julie E. Washington, "Haunting Tunes Are Goth Band's Specialty", The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), October 30, 2000, Sec. arts, Pg. 1E.