Gruesome Joe’s Musical Morgue

'Haunted Mansion Holiday' Review

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

Well, I don’t know about you all, but my Halloween season was crazy as hell, and it has been a blessing to take a week or so and relax and refocus.  But, with Turkey Day right up upon us, I thought it would be the perfect time to bring you another Musical Morgue music review you could enjoy while chowing down on your Thanksgiving day goodies.

To help ring in Rotting Flesh Radio’s Morbidly Merry Christmas celebration, we thought it would be a great idea to review an album that is full of holiday cheer, all the while keeping it as spooky as I could.  So, up on the slab this week is the ridiculously appropriate album Haunted Mansion Holiday brought to us by the folks over at Disney and Buena Vista Records.

Those who are familiar with Disneyland’s holiday festivities are no strangers to the transformation that occurs at their Haunted Mansion attraction.  For years the famous attraction has been taken over by Jack Skellington and his crew of merry townsfolk in preparation for Christmas day.  Haunted Mansion Holiday is the official soundtrack for the attraction, released in 2003, and includes all the various carols visitors would hear out in front of the mansion, as well as a full audio tour of the house as it was for their 2003 season.

With that, let’s dive into the album.

The first eight tracks are all “scarols” that were heard in front of the attraction while waiting in line.  All of them are spooky themed parodies of traditional Christmas carols performed by a cast that is over the top in their presentation, and all the while recorded in a style very similar to the old Disney Halloween specials you would see on TV.  Complete with a nice narration, here are several clips of these “scarols” to help you know what I’m talking about.  Included are “Up On The Housetop,” “Old Mansion Tree,” “Wreck The Halls,” and “We Wish You A Scary Christmas.”

(“Up On The Housetop” clip)

(“Old Mansion Tree” clip)

(“Wreck The Halls” clip)

(“We Wish You A Scary Christmas” clip)

The next track, I’ve been told, actually never appeared anywhere in the attraction, but was a tribute to the Jack Skellington theme and Danny Elfman’s tunes from Nightmare Before Christmas.  The track is appropriately titled “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas Medley” and features a simplified medley of “Making Christmas,” “What’s This,” and “Kidnap the Sandy Claws.”

(“Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas Medley” clip – “Making Christmas” part)

The final track on the album is by far my favorite.  The track is appropriately titled “Disneyland Haunted Mansion Holiday Ride-Through Mix” and is a wonderful mix of all the various audio tracks, songs, and sound effects as heard as one rode through the attraction.  I particularly love this track because it reminded me so much of my trips to the Haunted Mansion—with all the cacophony of all the sounds going on at once, it immediately took me back and brought a smile to my face.  In addition to that, you have the very clever musical composition and intermingling of themes from Nightmare Before Christmas amongst traditional Christmas carols and the spooky original music from the Haunted Mansion.  This track blends all of these elements seamlessly into one glorious production—you actually feel as if you’re riding through the attraction.

So, here is a little clip from that wonderful 16-minute track…

(“Disneyland Haunted Mansion Holiday Ride-Through Mix” clip)

So, I give this album one bloody, rotten stump up as it is a great piece of Disney magic, but it leaves a little to be desired.  The best track on the album is the last track, which actually makes up almost half the entire play length of the album.  The other tracks on the album I’m sure were great queue-line entertainment, but as stand-alone recordings are a bit sparse and dissonant.  They offer a delightfully cheesy selection of tracks that would be great as music for your Christmas party, but as stand-alone recordings, I can’t give them the two-stumps up praise.  They are, however, great background tracks—which is exactly what they were designed to be.  So—kudos to Disney on hitting the nail on the head, however before releasing this album they could have remastered the tracks to smooth them out a bit, or could have even added additional orchestration to help render the CD as a more stand-alone piece.  However, as a historical recording, the tracks are spot on.

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 a host of other goodies!  Until then, I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, chowing down on some turkey, waiting for you, until next time…

'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…

'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…

'The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates' Review

Listen up Deadites! Gruesome Joe here, straight from the musical morgue, with the first of many music reviews here on Rotting Flesh Radio.  And let me tell you—we have picked the PERFECT album to start things off with.  We’re talking about the one and only Midnight Syndicate and their latest offering The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates.  This album marks Ed and Gavin’s first collaborative musical endeavor since The 13^th Hour, and features some songs that will be included in the film The Dead Matter, created and directed by Edward Douglas of Midnight Syndicate.

Now, those listeners out there who have been in the haunt industry for a little while, whether it be a yard haunt, home haunt or a pro haunt, will instantly recognize the name Midnight Syndicate as being synonymous with some of the best gothic orchestration this side of the Atlantic, if not in the world.  If you’re new to the haunt industry however, or you’re not familiar with the work of Midnight Syndicate, definitely do yourself a favor and get over to MidnightSyndicate.com and check these guys out.  Ed and Gavin have produced some of the best haunt albums available, and you can find out all of their information, history, and where to get their CD’s by logging on to their website at www.MidnightSyndicate.com.

Those of you Deadites who have been rotting away for a while have had the privilege of getting a sneak preview of the album right here on Rotting Flesh Radio—but to those of you Fresh Deadites out there, don’t worry—there is still plenty of time to sneak a listen in while you’re waiting on your copy to be delivered.  Just head over to Midnight Syndicate’s myspace page at myspace.com/midnightsyndicate where you can preview two of these great tracks, those being “The Revenants” and “Alchemist’s Chamber”.

Now this album is hot off the presses, having just been released at the end of August, and it is a jam-packed piece of work that covers a LOT of ground.  Everything from beautiful haunting melodies reminiscent of the very first Midnight Syndicate albums, to epic driving melodies and tribal drumming, all the way to very delicate piano and string arrangements that give you goosebumps.  To top off the experience, the album ends with three phenomenal tracks, two of which were written and mixed by Gavin specifically for the film, and are the first we have heard of the gothic rock side of Midnight Syndicate since their self-titled debut back in 1997.  AND, to top that all off, they have included a killer remix of, you guessed it, the “Dead Matter Theme.”  I mean seriously—what does this CD NOT have?  This album will take you on a musical journey so complex that it will leave you lost in your own imagination—and when you finally come back, you’ll only want more.

Very much keeping to the “Mission,” if you will, of Midnight Syndicate, the album is, in and of itself, its own complete film score for a movie you would see in your nightmares.  Midnight Syndicate started off over a decade ago with the mission of creating soundtracks for the imagination, and this album, I do have to say, is their best work yet.  Each track on the album offers its own distinct flavor to the overall feel of the album, each building upon the other to create an incredibly diverse musical journey.

Now—let’s talk about the actual album!

The CD starts off with a brilliant track called “Cathedral Ruins” that begins with the deep, sinister voices and ringing pipe organ chords that Midnight Syndicate has become so incredibly good at arranging, and then launches into a vibrant arpeggio of pipe organ, tolling bells, strings, and choir.

The next track elevates the heart rate of the listener, incorporating ancient sounding drums with distorted ambient sound layers, which is then quickly followed up with by the third track on the disc “Meeting of the Acolytes” which has to be one of the most beautifully melodic tracks Midnight Syndicate has ever created.  Continuing alongside the distorted sound layering is a gorgeous piano arpeggio with soaring strings and choir highlighting the sinister underbelly of this phenomenal track, almost calling for moments of pure, sacred reverence.

The next several tracks bring up the pace of the album, with more pounding beats and percussive elements coupled with stronger elements of paranoia and distortion.  Clever use of choral arrangements and piano quickly turn this driving, pulse-pounding album on its heels with the track “Nightfall.” And then in the next moment, you’re back in the action with “The Hunt.”  With this vast track, Midnight Syndicate leads an army of chords and melodies to conquer your imagination.  After you cross “”the Chasm,” you’re quickly brought back to ground with soothing and disturbing piano melodies and deep, low string arrangements in “Cemetery Gates,” “Entering The Crypt,” only to be launched into “Alchemist’s Chamber” a track that utilizes loud organ and vibrant harpsichords.

The way in which this album has been put together adds greatly to the varying musical styles they utilize.  The upbeat and driving pieces lead you to grand melodies, only to be whisked away again by a pulse-pounding epic score.  For example, the next track, track 12, “Tear of Osiris” instantly transports you to an ancient time where mystery and darkness prevailed.  The almost tribal drumming and flute completely highlight the deep resonance of the ancient voices and slithering violins.  But—never to keep you on the same level for too long, Ed and Gavin then whisk you away into a deliciously evil track called “Forging the Scarab.”  This great track presents such a driving and dark arrangement of horns and percussive elements that give an absolutely fantastic, almost sacrificial quality.  If you have a haunt and you have a tribal sacrifice type of room, then you need to buy this album right now and get licensed!

The next track “Shadows Descend” helps to keep your pulse going, by utilizing a nice, driven beat underneath a smooth piano, vocal, and string melody, and then drops you into a couple of incredibly foreboding tracks called “Inside the Scarab” and the driving “Exodus.”

The next track “Dark Legacy” is very elegant.  As you are listening to the violin melody in this track, the almost ballad-like piano lulls you along with the incredibly lush harmonies in the vocals and organ.  This track is, hands-down, a close runner to the previous track I talked about “Meeting of the Acolytes” in hauntingly beautiful orchestrations and grandeur.

Fans of Midnight Syndicates older track “Haunted Nursery” that appears on both the Born of the Night and Out of the Darkness CDs will absolutely LOVE this final orchestral track on this album, very accurately titled “Lullaby.”  But, never to fall to convention, Ed and Gavin make sure to shake things up with the final 40 or so seconds of the track—but I am definitely not going to tell you how it goes—you’re going to have to give this a track a listen yourself!

The final three offerings on the CD are quite fun—two gothic rock songs and a great remix of the actual “Theme to the Dead Matter.”  Out of the three, my favorite has to be the final track on the CD, the remix.  It provides a very smooth and cool variation on a theme that I greatly admired in the first place.  Some remixes are made to help a failing song at least become a novelty—this remix does the exact opposite.  It gives a completely fresh interpretation on the styling of Midnight Syndicates music, keeping true to their ominous tones and driving beats.

Overall, this album gets two bloody, rotten stumps way up here at The Musical Morgue.  To sum up my review, I have three words for you:  BUY.  THIS.  ALBUM.

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates is going to be available nationwide at Halloween stores and other shops such as costume shops, Halloween retailers, and some party stores.  However, I recommend getting this CD long before the stores open up.  Head over to www.MidnightSyndicate.com where you can purchase this CD, as well as all the other great Midnight Syndicate CDs, directly from the band in their online store.  If you’re going to be shopping around for all your Halloween goodies on other sites, you can pick up the new album on sites like Amazon.com, FrightCatalog.com as well as a slew of others.  Like I said, head over to www.MidnightSyndicate.com and click on the “Where to Buy” link, or send an email to sarah@midnightsyndicate.com including your city, state, and zip code and they will email you information regarding the nearest retailers that will be carrying Midnight Syndicate’s great albums.

Well Deadites, that about wraps up this week’s Musical Morgue music review.  Tune in next time, where we’ll have some more great tunes that I think you’ll probably 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…