Bloodlines (Midnight Syndicate album)

Last updated
Bloodlines
Bloodlines-Midnight-Syndicate-CD-Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Midnight Syndicate
ReleasedAugust 20, 2021
Recorded2021
StudioApothecary Nine
The Dungeon
Genre Gothic, classical crossover, dark ambient, neoclassical dark wave, darkwave
Length26:43
Label Entity Productions
Producer Edward Douglas
Gavin Goszka
Midnight Syndicate chronology
Live Shadows
(2021)		Bloodlines
(2021)		 The Brimstone Club
(2023)

Bloodlines is the fourteenth studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 20, 2021. [1] It is a prequel to Midnight Syndicate's popular 2005 haunted mansion-themed album, The 13th Hour providing an additional backstory to the cursed Haverghast family and the occurrences that happen before The 13th Hour's narrative begins. Bloodlines is a "cinema of the mind" [2] or "faux soundtrack" album similar to its predecessor, where the track list is a scene guide to a movie that must be imagined while listening. [3] [4]

Contents

Background and album information

In an August 2021 interview with Germany's Virus Magazine, composer Gavin Goszka mentioned that the idea for Bloodlines came from Midnight Syndicate's desire to create new material to add to an upcoming vinyl reissue of The 13th Hour . [5] In another interview, he also spoke of the band's interest in extending the backstory of the characters from The 13th Hour, [6] a sinister clan called the Haverghast family which were first introduced on Midnight Syndicate's 2001 release, Gates of Delirium . [7] In the same interview he added that recapturing the sound and feel of The 13th Hour's original classic haunted house story while still taking it in a different direction was the goal. According to composer, Edward Douglas, the events that occur in Bloodlines happen before The 13th Hour but how long before is left up to the listener. [8]

The band has mentioned that making sure Bloodlines flowed seamlessly into The 13th Hour was a priority. [9] As such, the tail end of the album's last track, Sands of Time, is designed to segue directly into Mansion in the Mist, the first track on The 13th Hour. Bloodlines includes a humorous and distorted take on Richard Wagner's Bridal Chorus. [3] Artist, Eddie Mendoza created the cover art for the album. [1]

Release

Bloodlines was released and distributed by Midnight Syndicate's own label, Entity Productions, debuting at #12 on Billboard's Classical Crossover charts. [10] On October 20, a music video for the song Grand Waltz was released. It marked first music video to a studio track to feature both Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka since the Dark Legacy music video from The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates . [11]

Reception

The album was favorably received, with fans like Grim D. Reaper of Movie Crypt noting that the album "flows like a throwback to some of Midnight Syndicate’s earliest work but with a modern styling and refined edge — a deliberate work rather than an experimental one." [12] Jeff Szpirglas of Rue Morgue Magazine praised the album's "depth of sound and gothic grandeur" as well as its "real narrative drive, rather than disconnected cuts of mood music." [3] Anne Nickoloff of The Plain Dealer described the album as "lush doomy orchestrations vividly painting a picture of ghoulish adventures" [6] while Cinemusical described its music style as "engaging thematic ideas that have a dark Elfman-esque quality with a bit more growl and Poledouris-style rhythmic ingenuity." [13] Readers of The Aquarian voted it one of their Top Ten Albums for 2021. [14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Inspired byLength
1."Bloodlines"Edward Douglas 3:58
2."Servitor"Gavin Goszka 2:45
3."Ancestral Decree"Gavin Goszka 2:55
4."I Won't Tell"Gavin Goszka 2:52
5."Assembly"Edward Douglas, Gavin Goszka 0:34
6."Wedding March"Edward Douglas Bridal Chorus, R. Wagner 3:29
7."Grand Waltz"Edward Douglas 2:47
8."A Light in the Attic"Gavin Goszka 2:39
9."Sands of Time"Edward Douglas 3:41

Personnel

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midnight Syndicate</span> American musical duo

Midnight Syndicate is an American musical duo that has been working primarily in the genre of neoclassical dark ambient music since 1997 and is based in Chardon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> (album) 2003 soundtrack album by Midnight Syndicate

Dungeons & Dragons is a studio album by the American musical group Midnight Syndicate, released August 12, 2003, by Entity Productions. The album is designed as a soundtrack to the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and was produced by Midnight Syndicate at the request of Wizards of the Coast, the company that owns the rights to the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Midnight Syndicate was approached by game designers at a gaming convention where they had set up stall, and they agreed to produce the album.

<i>The 13th Hour</i> 2005 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

The 13th Hour is the sixth studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released June 7, 2005, by Entity Productions. The album took listeners on a journey through a haunted Victorian mansion through the blend of symphonic gothic horror instrumental music and horror-inspired soundscape the band had become known for. Since its release, it has become one of the band's most popular titles, winning awards in the gaming industry and inspiring the prequel-themed album, Bloodlines, in 2021.

<i>Out of the Darkness (Retrospective: 1994–1999)</i> 2006 compilation album by Midnight Syndicate

Out of the Darkness is a retrospective album by Midnight Syndicate, released July 4, 2006, by Entity Productions. The album features re-recorded and re-mastered tracks from the band's early years (1994-1999). The 24 tracks on the album include 4 previously unreleased songs.

<i>Vampyre</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt is the fifth studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 13, 2002 by Entity Productions. Centering on themes surrounding vampire lore, gothic literature, and classic horror films, the album featured the band's "symphonic horror" blend of dark, synth-created orchestral music and soundscape. The album features cover art by fantasy artist, Keith Parkinson.

<i>Realm of Shadows</i> 2000 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

Realm of Shadows is the third studio album by American band Midnight Syndicate, released March 6, 2000 by Entity Productions. Musically keeping with the band's blend of dark instrumental music and horror-influenced soundscape, the theme of the album centers around a cursed and abandoned village.

<i>The Rage: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i> 2008 soundtrack album by Midnight Syndicate

The Rage: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was both the ninth album and first movie soundtrack by the band Midnight Syndicate, released February 26, 2008. The album features the score to the 2007 horror film, The Rage, composed by Edward Douglas.

<i>The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates</i> 2008 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates is the tenth album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2008. The album consists of original music in band's orchestral, gothic, horror soundtrack-style inspired by the themes in the horror film, The Dead Matter.

<i>Halloween Music Collection</i> 2010 compilation album by Midnight Syndicate

Halloween Music Collection is a best of album by the gothic, horror instrumental band, Midnight Syndicate, released on July 30, 2010. Featuring a selection of tracks made popular through the music's exposure in the Halloween, haunted attraction, horror music, and role-playing game industries.

<i>Gates of Delirium</i> 2001 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

Gates of Delirium is the fourth studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released March 3, 2001, by Entity Productions. The album is set in the fictitious haunted Haverghast Asylum and features the blend of horror-inspired symphonic music and sound design the band had become known for.

<i>The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i> 2010 soundtrack album by Midnight Syndicate

The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was both the twelfth album, and second movie soundtrack by the band, Midnight Syndicate, released July 30, 2010. The album features the original score to the supernatural horror film, The Dead Matter (2010), composed by Edward Douglas, as well as other gothic rock and heavy metal songs from the film. The album also contained several remixes of previously released Midnight Syndicate material including one performed by related act, Destini Beard.

<i>The Dark Masquerade</i> 2010 remix album by Midnight Syndicate with Destini Beard

The Dark Masquerade is a collaborative remix EP by vocalist, Destini Beard and Midnight Syndicate. The EP blends Destini's original lyrics and vocals with previously released songs from Midnight Syndicate's albums. A previously unreleased gothic rock remix of Troubled Times was used in the title track, Dark Masquerade.

<i>Carnival Arcane</i> 2011 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

Carnival Arcane is the 14th album by dark ambient band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2011. Featuring the blend of dark, orchestral, instrumental music and horror-inspired soundscape the band had become known for, the "dark carnival" theme of the album centers on a fictional, early-20th century traveling circus called The Lancaster Rigby Carnival.

<i>Monsters of Legend</i> 2013 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

Monsters of Legend is the sixteenth studio album by the gothic horror instrumental band, Midnight Syndicate. Advertised as a tribute to the Golden Age of Horror, the packaging featured images from Universal Classic Monster films Bride of Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, and Dracula. The album featured the blend of dark orchestral music, sound effects, and audio storytelling that the band had become known for.

<i>Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan</i> (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2013 soundtrack album by Midnight Syndicate

Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan is both the seventeenth album and third movie soundtrack by the gothic horror instrumental band, Midnight Syndicate. The album features Edward Douglas' score to the 2013 horror film Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan and the song The Ballad of Paul Bunyan, performed by Hick'ry Hawkins.

<i>A Time Forgotten</i> 2012 studio album by Destini Beard with Midnight Syndicate

A Time Forgotten is the second collaborative remix album by vocalist Destini Beard and Midnight Syndicate, the first being the 2010 EP, The Dark Masquerade. The album blends Destini's original lyrics and vocals with previously released songs from Midnight Syndicate's albums. The theme of A Time Forgotten centers around a once-thriving Victorian-era hotel that has suffered a fire and is now haunted by its past residents. The album also included an original song written and performed by Destini entitled, My Last Goodbye, and an electro dance remix of Farewell Forever from The Dark Masquerade EP by Pat Berdysz of Encoder.

<i>Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering</i> 2015 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering is the eighteenth album by the gothic horror instrumental band, Midnight Syndicate. The album features a mix of re-imagined Christmas carols and original compositions in a style similar to the band's other gothic, paranormal, and Halloween-themed releases. Midnight Syndicate founder and composer, Edward Douglas, said it's one of his favorite albums they've ever created.

<i>Artificial Selection</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Dance Gavin Dance

Artificial Selection is the eighth studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on June 8, 2018, on Rise Records. It is the follow-up to the band's seventh studio album, Mothership (2016) and is their third consecutive studio release with the same line-up. The album was produced by Kris Crummett, Erik Ron, and Dryw Owens, and was self-produced by Dance Gavin Dance, making it the first release by the band to feature more than one producer.

<i>Live Shadows</i> 2021 live album by Midnight Syndicate

Live Shadows is the first live album by Midnight Syndicate. Released on June 11, 2021, it features performances from the band's multimedia Midnight Syndicate Live! shows recorded from 2014 through 2019 at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio during their annual HalloWeekends event.

<i>The Brimstone Club</i> 2023 studio album by Midnight Syndicate

The Brimstone Club is the fifteenth studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 18, 2023. With a "shadowy theatre" theme inspired by the Parisian Cabaret de L'Enfer, the album blends orchestral music and sound effects to create a "soundtrack to an imaginary film" in a style similar to the band's other releases.

References

  1. 1 2 Midnight Syndicate - Bloodlines (2021, CD) on Discogs
  2. ↑ Adrian Bromley, "Midnight Syndicate: Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", Unrestrained! (Mississauga, ON), Issue 16, Pg.52
  3. 1 2 3 Jeff Szpirglas, "Bloodlines", Rue Morgue Magazine (Toronto, ON), September 2021, Pg. 81.
  4. ↑ Rick Davis, "Bloodlines", Dark Times (Vienna, OH), Vol.21 Issue 4, September 2021, Pg.3.
  5. ↑ Lino Endorphino, "America's Most Successful Mental Cinema Soundtrack Band is Back!", Virus Magazine (Frankfurt, Germany), Issue #101, Pg.46-47.
  6. 1 2 Midnight Syndicate returns to HalloWeekends with plenty of new music in store The Plain Dealer, Anne Nickoloff, September 28, 2021
  7. ↑ Horror Highlights: Midnight Syndicate The Daily Dead, Jonathan James, August 19, 2021
  8. ↑ Midnight Syndicate Releases First-Ever Live Album Cleveland Scene, Jeff Niesel, June 14, 2021
  9. ↑ So Much Going On It's Scary News Herald, Mark Meszoros, September 19, 2021, Pg. D6-D7
  10. ↑ Classical Crossover Chart, Sept 4 2021 Billboard Magazine, September 4, 2021
  11. ↑ Basement Announcement: New Music Video and Bloodines T-shirts by Midnight Syndicate Basement of the Bizarre, David Albaugh, October 23, 2021.
  12. ↑ Midnight Syndicate Bloodlines Prequel Album Review Movie Crypt, Grim D.Reaper, August 21, 2021
  13. ↑ Midnight Syndicate Returns Cinemusical, Steve Kennedy, August 30, 2021.
  14. ↑ AQ's Very Own Definitive List of the Top Albums of 2021 The Aquarian, December 29, 2021
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.