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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dr. Gangrene is a television horror host based in the Middle Tennessee area, played by actor/writer/producer Larry Underwood.
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.
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.
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 performed 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bloodlines is the fourteenth studio album by Midnight Syndicate, released August 20, 2021. 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" 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.
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.
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.