Gruesome Joe’s Musical Morgue

'Demagogue' Review

Listen up Deadites!  Gruesome Joe here with the latest installment of the Musical Morgue right here on Rotting Flesh Radio.

Well—it’s officially here.  We’re at the start of the haunt season, and several of you professional haunts out there are opening your doors tonight.  I know that all of us here at Rotting Flesh Radio wish each and every haunter out there the absolute best and a very prosperous 2009 season!

And with that said, let’s cut to the chase—if you haven’t quite figured out what music you’re going to be using throughout your haunt, or if you haven’t quite finished the sound work for a particular room in your haunt—then you’re going to want to give a quick listen to what I have in store for you this week.  Those familiar with Michael Hedstrom will remember his debut album Midnight Circus, which was a delightfully spooky album of circus and carnival themed haunt music.  Well, up on the slab this week is his latest, and possibly darkest album yet, Demagogue.

This spectacularly dark and versatile album easily sets the tone of ominous terror within the very first moments of the album with the track “In the Beginning.”  This track blends a great sense of chaos and serenity almost seamlessly…

(“In the Beginning” clip)

The next track “Awakenings” pulses with ominous serenity until right up at the end when it concludes with a very loud series of swells and crashes to really accentuate the movement into the next track “Basic Instinct.”  This highly thunderous track is highlighted with gothic vocal work, racing pianos and strings, and very well organized percussion.

(“Basic Instinct” clip)

The album is then taken down a notch with the very ambient track “Sanctuary.”  This incredibly dark piece utilizes swelling horns oozing with ancient ambiance.  Further along in the track we are graced with a very light flute and piano melody that enhances the spooky vibe you get while listening to the piece.  This foreboding ambiance is further sustained into the next track “Isolation” where the delicate piano and swelling horns underscore a very delirious tension.

(“Isolation” clip)

This tension is brought into full delirium with the next track “Epiphany.”  Don’t let the length of this 58-second track fool you—it starts off quietly but ends with an incredibly macabre manifestation of distorted sounds, effects, and tones.  I love this track because of it’s unassuming, but incredibly dominating once it picks up the volume!

(“Epiphany” clip)

We’re then launched back into the foreboding world of Demagogue with the next track “Demagogue Emergent.”  This track combines several of the different qualities from the previous tracks and uses these to paint a picture in your mind of a ruthless entity of incredibly dark power.  Its almost domineering power is alluded to in the next track “The Word” where a pipe organ plays a somber ode to darkness.

(“The Word” clip)

The gothic church style continues on throughout the next track “The Order” incorporating a vaster sounding pipe organ composition with several instances of sacred-like vocals.  The next track “Sister Mary Katherine” lulls us with a very somber string arrangement to then lead us to a very whimsical arrangement in the next track “Idol Worshippers.”  You can tell Sister Mary Katherine did not approve of the Idol Worshippers…

(“Idol Worshippers” clip)

The next track “Victory Prayer” reintroduces us to the pipe organ and sacred vocals with the beautiful orchestration and vocal arrangement.  This track is probably my favorite on the entire album because it keeps the creep-factor nice and high, but the incredibly skillful orchestration really makes this beautiful track stand out amongst all the rest for its perfect musicality.

(“Victory Prayer” clip)

We’re then launched into the next track “Holy War” which is a great blend of epic orchestration with lots of timpani and horns, and also a nice blend of ambient sound effects like horses, wind, bells tolling, etc.  It creates a nice all-around audio experience.  Followed up by the track “Mourning” you can tell that the battle was vast…

(“Mourning” clip)

The final track of the album “Afterlife” is a nice blend of somber strings, light piano arpeggios, lofty voices, and select ambient sound effects.  These all culminate in a very well composed ending that hints very sinisterly at what’s beyond this life.

(“Afterlife” clip)

So, overall I give this album two stumps enthusiastically up!  To be honest, I was surprised at how good this album sounded.  The very first record from Hedstrom I ever heard was the Midnight Circus album, and being a bit older, the synths he used on that album sounded a little like calliopes—which was perfect for the clown theme!  However, I did not anticipate that Demagogue would sound so crisp and authentic.  The whole album sounds much more like a very well composed, very dark film score—there are highs and lows, fast tracks and slow tracks, all lending to an overall audio adventure that really tells a story.  I think Michael did an incredible job with this release, and I eagerly anticipate his next album!  Demagogue in particular offers us a very nice, very dark and gothic ambiance without being as lofty as some of the other haunt CDs out there.  The album is also incredibly versatile—you could use these tracks all over your haunt and create a really dynamic and diverse world.

I highly recommend, if you haven’t done so already, that you check out Hedstorm Productions.  You can visit his site at www.Hedstorm.net and purchase his albums directly there.  Each album individually is only $13—BUT if you want to buy all three albums, he has them on sale as a package for just $30 plus shipping!  I can tell you first hand that all three albums of his are amazing and are definitely worth adding to your collection and to your haunt.  If you do want to use them in your haunt, it’s also good to know that you can use his music royalty free!  Just shoot him an email and let him know that you’re using it in your haunt and you’re all set!

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue.  Be sure to tune in next time when I’m sure I’ll have more great tunes you’ll want to add to your collection.  Also be sure to check out GruesomeJoe.com to catch the written version of my review, as well as all the links you’ll need to get to Hedstorm Productions!  Until then, I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, waiting for you, until next time…

Greetings Deadites!

As we’re upon the opening weekend for several haunts across the US, I wanted to ring it in with some superb music that you can use throughout your haunted attraction or yard haunt.  He’s a superb composer that some of you might already know–but this is his latest, darkest work to date…  Keep tuned in to find out who he is and come back to GruesomeJoe.com this Friday at 8pm for the official written version of the review–and be sure to visit Rotting Flesh Radio on Friday evening to hear the latest review on the podcast!

Happy Haunting!

GJ

'Morbid Melodies' Review

Listen up Deadites! Gruesome Joe here with the latest installment of the Musical Morgue right here on Rotting Flesh Radio.

As we’re all getting ready for the fast-approaching haunt season, putting the final touches on the sets, rigging the lights, and most importantly—wiring for music and sound, I wanted to introduce to you a great haunt composer that you might not have heard of before.  Those of you familiar with, or who have visited, Kevin McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion have already heard his music ringing through the hallways for a number of years now, and he has left quite a mark on the gaming and film music world as well.  I’m talking about the one and only Frank Petruccelli of Petruccelli Productions.  The album up on the slab this week is his most recent release for the haunted attraction industry: Morbid Melodies.

Now, prior to the release of Morbid Melodies, Petruccelli had released several albums including two with music featured at McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion, as well as another album of music specifically for haunted attractions called Music To Die For.  In listening through his entire collection, I found that Morbid Melodies featured some of the best orchestral tracks and technically sound recordings as well as had a nice variety of pieces that you could use in all sorts of different rooms throughout your haunt.

So—let’s get to the music!

The album starts off with the very gothic track “No Escaping Purgatory.”  The track has a very synthesized feel in a very epic-sounding style.  A track like this would make a good underscoring to a room that featured someone speaking or an engaging enactment of some sort.

The next track, called “Garden of Evil,” continues with the synthesized vocal orchestrations, but utilizes a much smoother mixed in female vocal element that gives the piece a very ghostly presence.  I liked this track much better than the first.

(“Garden of Evil” clip)

We are then launched into a very grand piece entitled “Celeste’s Curse” which utilizes a very nice sounding pipe organ in addition to reeds, bells, and strings to produce a very nice, very spooky waltz.

(“Celeste’s Curse” clip)

We then come to the eerily delightful track “Restless Sleep.”  This track is predominantly ambient, utilizing a droning underscoring to help build tension.  Along with this, there are mixed in sound effects and percussive elements that helped to further the tension and suspense.  I really liked this track because it had similar nuances to the scores from the old Italian horror movies by Lucio Fulci.

(“Restless Sleep” clip)

The next track “March Into The Lair” is a very bombastic march performed on pipe organ with incredibly loud cymbals.  I’m not entirely sure if this mix was intentional, but the cymbal crashes are a bit overbearing at times, especially coming from the quieter middle portion of the piece.

We are then taken back into the high-creep-factor mode with the sixth track of the album “Creepin.”  This song is very similar to “Restless Sleep” in that it is a softer piece, but maintains the eerie nature with great mixing and light orchestration.  Again, this piece reminded me of the Fabio Frizzi scores from the Lucio Fulci films—especially in the use of effects on the piano and bass lines.

(“Creepin” clip)

The next track is a very fun track called “Suspense 101.”  This song features a very ominous string section underscored with a neat electronic beat.  It’s almost as if it was a classic 1930’s horror film score remixed over a light drum machine.  This track would be great for a room that was a little lighthearted and fun.

(“Suspense 101” clip)

The next track “Darkness Descends” brings an end to the suspenseful tracks on this portion of the album and introduces us to a more fantastical style with the following four tracks: “Grimmer Fairy Tale Intro,” “Poor Muffet,” “Grimmer Fairy Tale Interlude,” and “Grimmer Fairy Tale Ending.”  You can tell right away that these tracks were meant to go together and offer an interesting through-story with the music.  I’m not the biggest fan of the spoken track “Poor Muffet” mainly because I find words with haunt audio (unless customized to your show) can be bit limiting and harder to incorporate.  But, given the fantastical nature of a haunted house, really anything goes—especially if you have a children’s room theme, or even a fairy tale theme.  My favorite of these four tracks was definitely “Grimmer Fairy Tale Ending.”  I loved this track because it was a gloriously mixed track with lots of ambiance, very cool pulsing effects work, and a just enough musicality to tie it all together.  The only down side is that it is, sadly, only 50 seconds long…

(“Grimmer Fairy Tale Ending” clip)

We’re then taken out of fairy land and into outer space with “The Visitor.”  It is a nice track that uses bits of silence throughout, with a constant pulsing bass.  To accentuate the other-worldliness, Petruccelli uses lots of nice, slow washes and sweeps of various synth pads on top of this pulsing bass to really make the track stand out.

(“The Visitor” clip)

We then come up to two tracks that are coupled: “The Biscuit Factory Intro” and “The Biscuit Factory.”  I again didn’t like “The Biscuit Factory Intro” because it is an entirely spoken track coming in at just over a minute long.  I wouldn’t have much use for a track like this outside of my Halloween party—but if you’re purchasing this album to use for your party, then I’m sure it will fit in great.  The second track though, “The Biscuit Factory,” is a great piece of industrial inspired noise and synths all running over the top of a good driving beat.  This track I enjoyed a lot because it sounded like it was taken right out of a movie—the production quality and mixing were excellent and the usefulness of a track like this for a haunted house is absolutely stellar.

(“The Biscuit Factory” clip)

The last track on the album, “Rituals,” is a nice gothic piece using a lot of ambient noises, dark effects, and a background of choir-like orchestration.  It sounds as if it were recorded in a vast, cavernous church or something similar.  This is a great ending track for Morbid Melodies because it left me feeling a bit creeped out and wanting to hear more.

(“Rituals” clip)

So overall, I give this album two bloody stumps up here in the Morgue.  Petruccelli really shows off his guns when it comes to horror orchestration and excellent production quality with Morbid Melodies, and I think the album is far more applicable for use in a haunted attraction than many other CDs available out there.  He covers many bases with his music; having tracks that would work well for example in a gothic church, or an alien abduction scene, or a vampires lair, or a village of angry ogres—pretty much everything is covered here.  It’s not often that I find an album that covers so much ground and yet maintains a steady stream of consciousness throughout that is able to tie all the tracks together as well as Frank has.  You can easily tell that the years and years Frank has spent working in haunted attractions and composing for them has come to fruition within this great album.  Not to mention, but this album makes a great stand-alone CD to just play through and enjoy all in one sitting.

So, you should get yourself a copy of Morbid Melodies, especially now that we’re coming right up into the haunting season.  If you haven’t gotten your music yet for your haunt—now is the time to get your order in so Frank can have it to you well before you open your doors!  You can get the album, as well as listen to Petruccelli’s other works, by visiting www.MusicToDieFor.net, or by visiting www.cdbaby.com/artist/frankpetruccelli, or by heading over to iTunes and looking up “Frank Petruccelli.”  All his albums are just $13 and are well worth it.

It is also good to note that Petruccelli Productions does not charge any licensing fees to use his music within your haunted attraction.  All you need to do, if you want to use his music for your haunt, is to visit his website at www.MusicToDieFor.net and send him an email letting him know that you’re going to be using his music at your haunt.  He does ask that you provide a link to his website on your website and to please include his website URL on any posters or other promotional materials you create.  Outside of those small, fairly standard industry requests, you’re well on your way to a spectacularly orchestrated season, and a lot of very affordable and unique music.

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue.  Be sure to check out www.GruesomeJoe.com to read my review in full, as well as to find the all the links to Petruccelli Productions.  Be sure to tune in next time when I’m sure I’ll have more great music that you’ll want to add to your collection.  Until then, I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, waiting for you… until next time…

Hello Deadites!

Coming this Friday, Sept 4 2009, there will be a new Musical Morgue music review on Rotting Flesh Radio!  This week, I have found a great haunt composer that some of you might not know about…  And the best part–his original music has great production value, is varied in style, and is royalty free for haunted attractions to use in their events…

To find out who I’m talking about, be sure to tune in to Rotting Flesh Radio on Friday evening–and check back here at 8pm sharp for all the links, written review, and more!

Chilling out in the Morgue,

GJ