Live Shadows | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | June 11, 2021 | |||
Recorded | October 2014 – October 2019 | |||
Venue | Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA | |||
Genre | Gothic, classical crossover, dark ambient, neoclassical dark wave, darkwave | |||
Length | 33:22 | |||
Label | Entity Productions | |||
Producer | Edward Douglas Gavin Goszka | |||
Midnight Syndicate chronology | ||||
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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. [1]
In September 2014, seventeen years into their career, [2] Midnight Syndicate began producing their first live concerts. These first shows were performed at Cedar Point's HalloWeekends event under the moniker, Midnight Syndicate Live! and featured a mix of film, special effects using fog and lasers, [3] and live renditions of music from Midnight Syndicate's albums. [2] [4] [3] At the time, Craig Webb of the Akron Beacon Journal described it as "Part concert, part movie, part theater, part just plain creepy," going on to call it "top-notch and ambitious." [5] The band would return to Cedar Point's HalloWeekends with new productions of their Midnight Syndicate Live! show in 2017, [6] 2018, [7] and 2019. [8]
In a May 2021 interview with Rue Morgue Magazine, the band said that the idea for Live Shadows, came from a desire to share their live performance experience with fans who could not attend the shows in person. They added that the timing of the release had a lot to do with the coronavirus pandemic cancelling of their live show plans for 2020 and the fact that many people were currently unable to experience live music in person. [9]
The songs on the album come from recordings of Midnight Syndicate Live! shows from 2014 through 2019. [10] Many of the selections are new arrangements of songs from Midnight Syndicate albums although some of the selections are new, previously unreleased songs that were written specifically for particular Midnight Syndicate Live! shows. [9] [11]
On June 11, 2021, Live Shadows was digitally released on CD with an accompanying limited-edition purple vinyl. The band produced four music videos in support of the album: Creatures of Darkness, Alchemist's Chamber, Nightstalker, and Into the Valley of Shadows. Each music video represents one of the four shows featured on the album. [12] [13]
William J. Wright of Rue Morgue Magazine called the album an "aural onslaught of their concert performances with surprises for even the most dedicated fans." [9] While calling the album's content "compelling", Games Gazette writer Chris Baylis lamented the fact that the music video offerings did not feature a complete Midnight Syndicate concert. [14] Writer Lino Endorphino commented that the lack of audience noise in between every track made it different from a typical rock music live album. He asked the band if it was intentional in an interview with them for the German-based horror magazine, Virus. Album co-producer Edward Douglas replied that they "wanted the same loss of reality to occur while listening (to Live Shadows) that happens (while listening to) their studio albums." [15]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
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1. | "The Stage is Set" | Edward Douglas | 1:00 | |
2. | "Alchemist's Chamber (Live)" | Edward Douglas | 2:52 | |
3. | "Sigil (Live)" | Gavin Goszka | 0:59 | |
4. | "Twilight (Live)" | Gavin Goszka | Janina Bradshaw | 2:08 |
5. | "Creatures of Darkness (Live)" | Gavin Goszka | Amber Foth | 4:00 |
6. | "Noctem Aeternus (Live)" | Edward Douglas | Emily Viancourt | 2:34 |
7. | "Haunted Nursery (Live)" | Edward Douglas | Janina Bradshaw | 1:19 |
8. | "Gatekeeper" | Edward Douglas | 1:25 | |
9. | "Into the Valley of Shadows (Live)" | Gavin Goszka | 2:37 | |
10. | "Kiddieland (Live)" | Edward Douglas | Daniel Prillaman | 2:26 |
11. | "Nightstalker (Live)" | Edward Douglas | Janina Bradshaw | 3:01 |
12. | "Grisly Reminder (Live)" | Gavin Goszka | 1:56 | |
13. | "Twisted Labyrinth (Live)" | Gavin Goszka | 1:01 | |
14. | "Haverghast Asylum (Live)" | Edward Douglas | Ashley Watkins | 3:01 |
15. | "Conspiracy of Shadows (Live)" | Edward Douglas | 2:03 |
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.
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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 Strange Familiar is an American pop rock band from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The group was originally formed in 2006 by the husband and wife singer-songwriter team Jeff Andrea and Kira Leyden, former members of the popular Akron, OH band Jaded Era. Their first single, "Courage Is...", gained them significant attention after it was heavily promoted on ABC Family to launch a brand new series. In 2012, the band was featured on mtvU, Season 3 of the hit series The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars. Other members include fellow Ohio natives Frank Freeman (bass) and Nicholas Sainato (drums).
Nim Vind is a Canadian solo musician/artist and songwriter, who has also played in Mr. Underhill and The Vincent Black Shadow. He describes his sound as "Music for Outsiders". His music has no specific genre but is sometimes referred to as horror punk.
HalloWeekends is an annual Halloween event at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. It was introduced in 1997, and takes place during the Halloween season, usually from the second Friday after Labor Day until the Sunday before Halloween, or sometimes into early November. The event is open on Thursday Nights, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It is included free with park admission. As of 2021, HalloWeekends features 11 haunted houses and nighttime scare zones, and there are several children's attractions. It is advised that children under 13 years old be accompanied by an adult. HalloWeekend's yearly slogan is "All You Fear is Here!". Other Six Flags parks including Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Valley Fair, and Worlds of Fun all have formerly used the HalloWeekends name. The name has changed to Halloween Haunt at all 3 parks. Cedar Point is the only Six Flags park that still uses the HalloWeekends name.
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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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