Carnival Arcane | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 2, 2011 | |||
Genre | Gothic, Dark Ambient, Neoclassical Dark Wave, Darkwave | |||
Label | Entity Productions | |||
Producer | Edward Douglas, Gavin Goszka | |||
Midnight Syndicate chronology | ||||
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Carnival Arcane is the 14th album by dark ambient band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2011. [1] 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. [2] [3]
Carnival Arcane was inspired by research into carnivals of the early 20th century and Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. In a 2011 interview with FEARnet, composer, Edward Douglas said:
We've definitely put together something different for us (Midnight Syndicate), but we still maintain our identity. More than ever, we really focused on using sound effects and design to pull you into the world of the disc. The music is still the focus, absolutely, but there are many times that it feels like an 'imaginary film' more than anything we've done to this point." [4]
The album featured voice acting performances by actors, Jason Carter, Dennis Carter, Jr., and Brian Van Camp, all who had appeared in the band's previous project, The Dead Matter (2010) horror film. [5]
Fangoria , Dread Central , FEARnet , and Outburn Magazine all praised the band's execution of their "cinema of the mind" concept through the use of instrumental music and sound design. [2] [6] [7] [8] Mike Beardsall of Rue Morgue complimented the album's "immersive" qualities, adding that "coulrophobics, however, should probably skip this ride." [9] In 2012, the album won the Best Horror CD category in the 10th annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. [10] The album was also nominated for Best RPG Related Product in the 2012 ENnie Awards in the role-playing game industry [11]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mesonoxian Visitors" | Edward Douglas | 3:27 |
2. | "Midway" | Edward Douglas | 1:03 |
3. | "Welcome to the Carnival" | Gavin Goszka | 3:32 |
4. | "Canvas Wonderland" | Gavin Goszka | 3:12 |
5. | "Midway Reprise" | Edward Douglas | 0:24 |
6. | "A Strange Menagerie" | Gavin Goszka | 2:45 |
7. | "Madame Zora" | Edward Douglas | 0:37 |
8. | "Agent of Fortune" | Edward Douglas | 3:10 |
9. | "Dr. Atmore's Elixirs of Good Humour and Fortification" | Gavin Goszka | 3:09 |
10. | "Alura the Snake Lady" | Edward Douglas | 3:16 |
11. | "Arcane Wonders" | Gavin Goszka | 2:39 |
12. | "Under the Big Top" | Gavin Goszka | 4:34 |
13. | "Freakshow" | Edward Douglas | 4:56 |
14. | "Pulling the Strings" | Gavin Goszka | 3:17 |
15. | "Carousel Ride" | Edward Douglas | 1:50 |
16. | "Revelation" | Edward Douglas | 1:19 |
17. | "Goons and Greasepaint" | Edward Douglas | 3:03 |
18. | "Kiddieland" | Edward Douglas | 1:51 |
19. | "Krellsig's Kastle of Fun" | Edward Douglas | 1:19 |
20. | "Diversions in the Dark" | Edward Douglas | 1:44 |
21. | "Twisted Labyrinth" | Gavin Goszka | 1:20 |
22. | "Cheval Glass" | Gavin Goszka | 1:19 |
23. | "Sea of Laughter" | Edward Douglas | 1:25 |
24. | "Lights Out" | Gavin Goszka | 2:42 |
25. | "Epilogue" | Gavin Goszka | 1:30 |
26. | "Crum Car" (Bonus track - performed by International Novelty Orchestra with effects and overdubs by Midnight Syndicate) | M. Earl | 1:21 |
Midnight Syndicate is an American musical group that has been working primarily in the genre of gothic music since 1997 and is based in Chardon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
Chris Alexander is a Canadian magazine editor, film critic, director, musician, composer and freelance writer. Alexander was a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association and was an editor of film website ComingSoon.net and a writer for The Toronto Star's daily newspaper Metro News. In 2010 he became the editor-in-chief of Fangoria magazine, a position he held until September 2015, when he stepped down in favor of pursuing his directorial and music career. Alexander also stated that he intended to continue to contribute editorial content but that he also intended to focus on Delirium, a Full Moon Features magazine he launched with filmmaker Charles Band.
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(for the 1927 silent film starring Lionel Barrymore see → The Thirteenth Hour )
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.
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Dr. Gangrene is an award-winning television horror host based in the Middle Tennessee area, played by actor/writer Larry Underwood.
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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.
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.
Criminal Intents/Morning Star is the third EP album by Italian industrial rock band Dope Stars Inc.. It was released on April 21, 2009 as an immediate precursor to their third album, 21st Century Slave, which was released exactly three months later on July 21, 2009. Lyrically it focuses on traditional cyberpunk beliefs and themes. Like their previous album and EPs, Criminal Intents/Morning Star was recorded on the Trisol record label, being distributed by them in most of Europe and by Metropolis Records in the United States, Canada and much of the rest of the world. Various other companies have handled distribution in other counties.
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.
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.
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 peformed by related act, 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.
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website four times and was selected as AMC's Site of the Week in 2008.
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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.
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