Line #53 Music/MidnightSyndicate


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/midnight_syndicate.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka.]]
3
4	->''[[TitleDrop Born of the night]], we are shadows.''
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6	A strange, creepy, yet compelling mix of neoclassical music, dark ambience, and HeavyMithril, Midnight Syndicate is an UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}-based music group that creates "soundtracks to movies that do not exist". Their discography is lengthy and notable for its gothic tone and use of sound effects. They have been recognized for their impact on creating atmosphere for the holiday of Halloween, haunted house attractions, amusement parks, and tabletop gaming. Recently they have begun scoring actual films.
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8	After releasing an [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness eclectic]] eponymous [=CD=] in 1997, Edward Douglas teamed up with gothic artist [[Music/NoxArcana Joseph Vargo]] and Gavin Goszka to create an exclusively dark-themed Midnight Syndicate CD called ''Born of the Night''. With music written by Douglas and Goszka based on Vargo's artwork and featuring narrations performed by Vargo, ''Born of the Night'' was a mammoth success, putting the band firmly on the gothic music map. In 2000, the band followed it up with ''Realm Of Shadows'', which followed the same formula of music written by Douglas and Goszka following Vargo's art, and narrations done by the latter. Unfortunately, Vargo split from the group shortly after ''Realm of Shadows'' (CreativeDifferences was the most common theory). Four years later, Vargo would [[StartMyOwn go on to form]] Music/NoxArcana.
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10	In 2001, Goszka and Douglas introduced the Haverghast family (a recurring theme throughout some of their later discs) with their haunted asylum-themed CD ''Gates of Delirium''. Over the next nine years, they explored themes such as haunted Victorian mansions, vampires, and Egyptian lore on their albums. Their long discography also includes the official soundtrack to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game, the soundtrack to the 2008 film ''The Rage'', and the soundtrack to a film that they produced entitled ''Film/TheDeadMatter''.
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12	''Film/TheDeadMatter'', a horror movie about a woman's efforts to bring back her dead brother (which leads to a whole 'nuther mess involving [[OurZombiesAreDifferent zombies]], [[ArtifactOfDoom ancient artifacts]], and warring [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire lords]]) premiered in 2010. Despite going straight to DVD, it's earned very positive feedback from reviewers. A Midnight Syndicate CD entitled ''The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates'' featuring music inspired by themes in the movie (and several songs from the score) was released before the actual film.
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14	Discography:
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16	* ''Midnight Syndicate'' (1997)
17	* ''Born Of The Night'' (1998)
18	* ''Realm Of Shadows'' (2000)
19	* ''Gates Of Delirium'' (2001)
20	* ''Vampyre: Symphonies From The Crypt'' (2002)
21	* ''Dungeons And Dragons'' (2003)
22	* ''The 13th Hour'' (2005)
23	* ''Out Of The Darkness: Retrospective 1994-1999'' (2006)
24	* ''The Rage: Official Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (2008)
25	* ''The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates'' (2008) - Contains music inspired by the movie and several tracks from the score
26	* ''The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (2010) - Contains the score and other music that appears in the movie.
27	* ''Halloween Music Collection'' (2010) - A best-of collection
28	* ''Dark Masquerade'' (2010) - Songs from Midnight Syndicate featuring additional vocals performed by Destini Beard
29	* ''Carnival Arcane'' (2011) - A soundscape planned around the concept of a [[CircusOfFear haunted carnival attraction]].
30	* ''Monsters of Legend'' (2013) - A tribute to the classic [[Franchise/UniversalHorror Universal]] and [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer]] horror movies.
31	* ''Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering'' (2015) - A christmas album, but with a Midnight Syndicate flavour.
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33	(''Film/TheDeadMatter'' has its own page.)
34
35	!!This band contains examples of:
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37	* AllThereInTheManual: Apart from the theme and tone of the music, the album inserts give some insight in the story the music is trying to tell.
38	* BedlamHouse: The setting of their 2001 album ''Gates of Delirium''.
39	* CircusOfFear: ''Carnival Arcane'' revolves around this trope.
40	* ConceptAlbum: Almost all of Midnight Syndicate's albums have had an overarching theme to them, including a backstory of some kind.
41	* CreepyChild: Douglas' young daughter on ''Footsteps in the Dust''.
42	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The very first album had only three or four tracks that sound anything like the Midnight Syndicate most people know.
43	* EtherealChoir: ''Residents Past'' soaring choirs from beyond the grave.
44	* ForDoomTheBellTolls: At least twice an album, frequently more.
45	* GenreBusting: Their eponymous debut album experimented with rap, techno and rock before the group settled on being predominantly dark classical.
46	* HauntedHouse: The setting of their 2005 album ''The 13th Hour''.
47	* HeartbeatSoundtrack: Used to great effect in the original version of "Haunted Nursery" from ''Born of the Night'' and on "Footsteps in the Dust" from ''The 13th Hour''
48	* HeavyMithril: The official roleplaying game sound to ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', these albums also work well for a game of in ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'' or ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu''.
49	* HiddenTrack: The ''Dungeons And Dragons'' album has a very short unlisted 24th track, which is simply the sound of dice rolling, followed by a voice saying "uh oh", and [[HellIsThatNoise some ominous otherworldly sounds]] -- apparently it's meant to represent a hapless D & D player accidentally summoning a monster from the game into the real world. The track is only on physical copies of the CD and hasn't officially been made available digitally.
50	* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: Double whammy with Haverghast Asylum and Haverghast Mansion.
51	* IntercontinuityCrossover: Oftentimes, themes or story elements from one album can be found in another.
52	* LonelyPianoPiece: Some of the best Midnight Syndicate tracks - ''Soliloquy'', ''Night Beckons'', ''Ruins on Bone Hill,'' although they tend to be a bit darker than purely sad.
53	* MadDoctor: All of the doctors in ''Gates Of Delirium''
54	* OminousLatinChanting: Subverted, as the choirs on their albums seem to be singing in [[SingingSimlish gibberish]].
55	* OminousMusicBoxTune: Doesn't get much creepier than ''Haunted Nursery'', ''Grisly Reminder'', and ''Lullaby''
56	* OminousPipeOrgan: Present in every CD, ''Fallen Grandeur'', ''Sinister Pact'' are two good examples
57	* OneWomanSong: "Adelaide" from ''Gates of Delirium''. (she has such a pretty singing voice doesn't she?)
58	* {{Prequel}}: ''Gates Of Delirium'' is a prequel to ''The 13th Hour'' - the house in ''13th'' is the long-abandoned Haverghast asylum, with our adventurer discovering the dark secrets of his family's past.

Context Music / MidnightSyndicate