Gruesome Joe’s Musical Morgue

'The Attic' Review

Listen up Deadites!

Gruesome Joe here with the latest installment of the Musical Morgue, right here on Rotting Flesh Radio.

This week I’ve got an album that just came out from the Haunt Rocker himself, Jerry Vayne, and I think it is one you’re going to like. We’re talking about his new album titled The Attic—so let’s get right to the music!

The very first thing that jumps out at me when listening through this new CD is the amount of detail Jerry has worked into the atmospheric elements and overall ambiance. There are several tracks on the disc that are completely ambient, gearing us up for his soaring guitar melodies and orchestrations. The very first track on the album is one of these ambient tracks, appropriately titled “The Attic.”

(“The Attic” clip)

Immediately after “The Attic” is the track “Alone In Darkness.” This track features Jerry’s more signature lofty guitar stylings. I think this track is perfectly placed on the album because it is heavy, driving, and gears us up for things to come. It is then followed by the track “Manifestation,” which introduces us to some new elements in Jerry’s musical arsenal—stranger guitar effects intertwined into heavy metal styling and a good driving beat. He also incorporates ambient elements into this track to really make the “Manifestation” come to life!

(“Manifestation” clip)

The next track is titled “The Ghost of Marianna Odile” and I think it is a terrific track because it incorporates Jerry’s heavy guitar styling, his lofty picked styling, cool ambient elements, as well as killer epic swells—and it sounds like he may have incorporated some synths, of which I love! The best part is that this track is almost 6 minutes long and changes pace several times—making for an awesome audio journey within the track itself.

(“The Ghost of Marianna Odile” clip)

The next track is an ambient, synth-heavy track titled “Possessed.” I thought it was pretty cool how Jerry incorporated these dark thematic elements to get us musically off-kilter and ready to rock, which is exactly what he does in the next track “Insanium.”

(“Insanium” clip)

The next track is a delightfully creepy track called “The Skin Marionette”. It begins with a very spooky ambience, but then heads into a driving, pulsing piece of metal madness. This track would fit perfectly into an intense scene in a haunted house because of how it keeps the beat moving and is constantly evolving and changing with the guitars. It would add that “intensity” we’re all looking for in our mazes, strobe rooms, and chop shops…

(“The Skin Marionette” clip)

Everything then gets taken down a notch with the next two tracks, “Midnight” and “Thin Trails of Red.” The track “Midnight” features some very lofty guitar solos on a bed of ticking clocks and clean guitar picking. It’s in a great spot on the album as well, as we’re halfway through, so it acts as a sort of intermission. “Thin Trails of Red” is a very interesting, disjointed track that is definitely musical, but almost acts more like ambience that music…

(“Thin Trails of Red” clip)

The disjointed feel is continued through the beginning of the next track “Self-Inflicted Wounds,” but once the driving beat kicks in—you know it’s time to rock! This heavy metal track gets the pulse pounding again, and utilizes a really nice, dark bass line to root the guitar overlay.

(“Self-Inflicted Wounds” clip)

The speedy beat really comes back with the next track “Death’s Throes.” Utilizing double bass pedal drumming counterpoised with some more ambient guitar arpeggios, Jerry creates a very dark, moody atmosphere reminiscent of his earlier work on Damnation’s Embrace. This feel continues through to the next track “In Darkness Forever.”

(“In Darkness Forever” clip)

The next track “Nightmare’s End” is a very cool, up-tempo piece that begins with a strong heavy metal vibe. It’s a fairly long, hard-rocking track, and changes pace several times throughout. After the first significant change, it has a very Goblin feel, because of the use of underlying effects, a distinct bass line, and maybe even a synth or two. It then ends with a more driving metal underbelly and a crazy, explosive ending. What really makes it stand out to me is how it has three very musically distinct sections that all come together to make almost a “Haunt Rocker Opus.” It’s by far my favorite track on the album.

(“Nightmare’s End” clip)

We’re then brought into the next track “Alone In Darkness (Reprise)” that brings the tempo way down and sets us up for the final ambient track of the official album “Epilogue.” There is one more track on the album, a little bonus track if you will, but I’m not going to let you hear that one—it’s too good. You’ll just have to buy your copy of the album to enjoy the heavy rocking track that is “Necromantix.”  Let me just say it’s a perfect final track on an album that has already proven to be a delightful, dark treat.

So overall, I give The Attic a full 5 stars and highly recommend you pick up a copy. I am very impressed with how Jerry’s musicality has evolved, as well as how he’s begun to incorporate more ambient features into the pieces. Given his main audience is haunters, you can tell he’s really trying to craft gems for his fans and listeners that not only rock out musically, but that also stand to be very useful within a haunted attraction. I absolutely loved this album from start to finish, and can easily say that it is his best work to date.

And at $8.99 for a digital download of the entire album, the price couldn’t be better for 16 killer tracks. Head over to his website www.JerryVayne.com or to his Amazon store to get the album for $8.99, or you can log in to iTunes and download it there for $9.99. You won’t be disappointed when you add this one to your music collection.

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue. Be sure to check out GruesomeJoe.com for the written version of my review, as well as well as all the links to buy your copy of The Attic from the Haunt Rocker, Jerry Vayne. I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the morgue, waiting for you… until next time…

'Carnival Arcane' Review

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

This week, I’ve got an album so hot off the press, it hasn’t even been available for a full week yet. I’m talking about the one and only Midnight Syndicate and their 14^th studio album Carnival Arcane. The CD just came out earlier this week, it is the bands first carnival or circus themed album, and I think was well worth the wait.

The album takes us back to the turn of the century, to the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival, where things are not quite what they seem. With 25 great tracks, Midnight Syndicate leaves very little ground uncovered, as they take the listener through the freakshow, into the mirror maze, to the fortune teller, on a carousel ride, and more. There really isn’t an avenue they didn’t explore with this CD. You can tell the immense amount of planning that went into this disc, because the CD plays with its own storyline—it’s not simply a collection of songs with a common theme. They literally pull us through the guts of this horrible carnival and in the end, we don’t know if we’ve made it out alive, or if we’ve become a permanent fixture in the circus itself.

Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka both have done a tremendous job with this album integrating very cool ambient environments into the actual music. I actually think this is one of the best parts of this new album—this CD, much like other Midnight Syndicate albums, has a very movie-soundtrack feel. But this album takes it one step further, especially with the way it has been produced. It actually sounds like these recordings were taken from scenes in a movie. They’ve incorporated actor voiceovers, lots of ambient sound effects, really slick mixing and mastering, and have paired tracks together to create a series of vignettes within the 25 tracks, that I think all contribute to the cohesive carnival storyline. That’s not to say that any track on this disc couldn’t stand alone—because they all very easily could. But it’s that continually evolving musical story that has caught my ear, and I think has raised the bar for Midnight Syndicate yet again.

With 25 tracks (well, maybe 26 if you listen closely… hehehe) there is no possible way I can give you Deadites a preview of each of them like I have in the past. So what I’d like to do to give you a good feel for the album is to highlight a few of my favorites. The first of which has to be the very first track on the album, “Mesonoxian Visitors.” This track quite literally brings the circus into town and begins the madness.

(“Mesonoxian Visitors” clip)

One of my favorite things about this album is how well Ed and Gavin have mixed in ambient sounds and effects to create incredibly awesome soundscapes. I think “Mesonoxian Visitors” in particular is a perfect beginning to the disc by showing off their skills and introducing you to their style. Later on in the album, Ed and Gavin utilized ambience-only, or minimally musical, tracks to further the ambient qualities of the album and give us some really sinister work. Tracks such as “Cheval Glass” and “Sea of Laughter” come to mind here.

(“Cheval Glass” and “Sea of Laughter” clips)

The thing I most enjoyed about this album was how the tracks have been arranged to fall into a naturally progressing storyline. They’ve paired track together such as “Madame Zora,” a predominantly ambient track with a voiceover, and the track “Agent of Fortune” to build small vignettes for your ear, but maintain the effective usefulness of the two separate pieces. If you were running a haunted house and wanted the ambient voiceover, you wouldn’t need to cut the track yourself—Ed and Gavin have already done that one for you. Conversely, if you wanted to use a track in your ‘mystic room’ then there’s no need to cut the opening voiceover out—it’s already done. I like that they’ve taken into consideration the usefulness of their tracks within the haunt industry, knowing how to present pieces to their fans that they’ll easily incorporate into their haunted houses. The later half of the album is particularly good at this concept, because track after track are all specific to a particular area of a circus or carnival, so the usefulness of the album as a whole is tremendous.

One of my favorite tracks on the album has to be the 15^th track on the album, “Carousel Ride.” I love how this track gradually decays and the incorporation of sound effects becomes greater as the track progresses. We start off with a very clean, old sounding carousel accompaniment, but as the track wears on, the evil behind the ride comes into full light.

(“Carousel Ride” clip)

There were several tracks on this album that I feel strayed from the more traditional “Midnight Syndicate Sound” than I would have expected. I in no way mean that as a bad thing—long time listeners of Midnight Syndicate have become accustomed to their signature sound. Huge strings, pounding tympani’s, it all contributes to the very epic nature of Midnight Syndicate music. I find this new style to be incredibly exciting, and I think the musicality of both Ed and Gavin expanded greatly with this album. The tracks “Under the Big Top” and “Agent of Fortune” come instantly to mind here. They’re both much brighter, bouncier tunes than I would have expected from Midnight Syndicate, but that maintain that signature Midnight Syndicate sound. Here’s a quick clip from the two:

(“Under the Big Top” and “Agent of Fortune” clips)

Keeping with that fun nature, there’s a great track on the album called “Dr. Atmore’s Elixirs of Good Humour and Fortification” that I absolutely love. It’s a ridiculously fun track, and yet again makes me wish I had been a traveling “Doctor” of sorts in the day selling my bottles of… well… whatever I had on hand.

(“Dr. Atmore’s…” clip)

The first half of the album does really well at establishing the circus vibe as well as developing the very mystical themes of the CD. The later half provides a very wide selection of tracks that are each focused on one particular element of the circus. Tracks such as “Freakshow,” “Pulling the Strings,” “Goons & Greasepaint,” “Kiddieland,” and “Krellsig’s Kastle of Fun” all contribute to the various different scenes you might find at an old carnival. All of these tracks use lots of ambient sound effects and voiceovers paired up with distinct musical compositions that further enhance the complete track. The best of which (I think!) is “Goons & Greasepaint.” I bet within just a few moments of listening to this track, you’ll know where this one is going…

(“Goons & Greasepaint” clip)

Overall, I think this is an absolutely tremendous album by Midnight Syndicate and I’m going to give it a full 5 out of 5 skulls. I find all of the compositions to be quite perfect for the subject matter of the track, and find that all of the ambient qualities and effects mixing are done in a way that really enhances the atmosphere of the tracks without sounding forced or contrived. I also like that Midnight Syndicate has maintained their epic signature sound, but have continued to grow musically and have offered up several tracks are noticeably out of their comfort zone, but that are equally as effective and sound awesome.

I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this CD for your collection or for your own haunted attraction, especially if you have any circus or carnival themed areas. I think that this CD blows all of the other circus haunt music CD’s out there completely out of the water. If you’re looking to get away from all the oom-pa-pa and calliope sounding CD’s, then this is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

You can pick up a copy of Carnival Arcane on the band’s website right now at MidnightSyndicate.com, as well as on iTunes, Amazon.com, or at select Hot Topic stores starting August 8. The album will also be available starting in September at seasonal Halloween retailers such as Halloween Express and Halloween City, but I recommend you pick up your copy well before then.

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue. Be sure to check out GruesomeJoe.com to check out the written version of my review, as well as all the links to buy the album directly from Ed and Gavin at MidnightSyndicate.com. I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, waiting for you… until next time…

'Il Capricci Diabolici' Review

Listen up Deadites! Gruesome Joe here. I hope you’re ready, because we’re about to crack open the latest installment of the Musical Morgue, right here on Rotting Flesh Radio!

This week, I not only have some great independent music for you, but I also have a new format for my final evaluation. Rather than giving an album one or two bloody stumps up, I’ve decided to change it to a 5 point system. Hopefully this will be a better way to convey my final thoughts on an album and give you all a better, more accurate measurement as to my thoughts of an album. So without further ado, let’s look into this week’s pick.

On the slab is the latest work by guitarist Mitch Kurfis. His latest album, Il Capricci Diabolici is a gothic, progressive horror album heavily rooted in Kurfis’ guitar melodies and improvisations. He combines his guitar melodies with dark orchestrations and ambient elements to create an ever-changing soundscape. Though the main focus of most of the tracks on the album are the guitar melodies, the other elements really keep you guessing and your ear tuned into the tracks as the play through. The order in which the tracks play also keeps the variety ongoing throughout the length of the entire album.

The first track on the album, “A Descent Into the Maelstrom” introduces you to Kurfis’ style, almost acting as an overture for the entire album. It touches on a couple of musical styles that will later show up in other tracks, but maintains two driving metal bookends at the start and finish of the track that keeps the tempo up and the chaos going.

(“A Descent Into the Maelstrom” clip)

The next track “The Waters of Nun” begins with a very cool piano arpeggio and then launches you into a very lofty guitar melody accompanied by light synth pads and harpsichords. The track has a very “Trevor Jones” feel, especially with the simple processed drum keeping the syncopated beat.

(“The Waters of Nun” clip)

The track that follows, “Breathing Fire,” is the polar opposite of “The Waters of Nun.” “Breathing Fire” starts right out of the gate with a heavy metal melody that then launches into a series of very syncopated and dissonant sections that create a very intense feeling of driving, metal chaos. This track seems to be processed similarly to the first track “A Descent into the Maelstrom”, both of which seem to be mastered to a lower volume than the other tracks on the album, and seem to be a little flat.

(“Breathing Fire” clip)

“Enoch 17:1” is the next track, and features a more distinct guitar melody over the top of synthesized orchestral hits and spikes. You can tell that there are several different guitars playing at the same time in this track, and I think it adds a great deal of variety in the tones, and I really like it. To further that idea, the track slows down into two very different bridges that bring the tempo way down and creates a very cool contrast. These slower sections feature string, harp, and synth arrangements and I really like what they do to the overall progression and feel of the track. Here’s a sample of what I mean.

(“Enoch 17:1” clip)

The next track “Sorrow” features two dueling melodies right on top of each other—a soaring guitar and a very progressive piano melody. This track is much more calming than its’ predecessors and offers a good “cool down” period for the album.

(“Sorrow” clip)

Following “Sorrow” is a grand track titled “Beneath Hollowed Ground.”. It beings with a very well-arranged gothic orchestration complete with strings and harpsichords that then propels you into Kurfis’ soaring guitar stylings over string accompaniment. I wish that this track would have incorporated more of that beginning gothic orchestral quality throughout—I think that would have made this track really stand out.

(“Beneath Hollowed Ground” clip)

Kurfis keeps you guessing with the next track “Melmoth the Wanderer.” This track starts off with a very dark piano melody that then slowly incorporates strings and finally the guitar work. As the track progresses, he picks up the tempo and introduces drums and even faster guitar arpeggios. I find this track to be outstanding. It incorporates the darker gothic accompaniment with the insane guitar arpeggios, and also maintains a very progressive arrangement between the piano and guitar—and I love how the two work together throughout the entire track.

(“Melmoth the Wanderer” clip)

The next track is incredibly ambient, and that’s what I love about it. Appropriately titled “Sinister Machines,” Kurfis shows his guns in soundscape design, creating a very full industrial environment that bookends a very sinister string and guitar center. I think this track is probably the most appropriate for all the haunted attraction designers out there, mainly because of how Kurfis incorporates the ambience into the composition. This is by far my favorite track on the album. It’s also the scariest—go figure!

(“Sinister Machines” clip)

Following “Sinister Machines” is the track “Cerberus.” This track brings us back into the world of strings, synths, and a well-crafted guitar melody. Similarly to “The Waters of Nun,” I feel this track had that film quality sound to it, again reminiscent of Trevor Jones or Fabio Frizzi. I really liked the tempo changes throughout this track and how the guitar melody had very clearly written sections, but also incorporated moments of improvisation.

(“Cerberus” clip)

The last track on the album, “Djinn,” is also one the one I least expected. This track is entirely acoustic and features an incredibly haunting, almost Middle Eastern melody. The guitar is very slow in comparison to other tracks on the album, and the combination of this tempo with the acoustic stylings makes it a phenomenal ending piece and, hands down, the most distinct track on the album.

(“Djinn” clip)

So overall, I give Il Capricci Diabolici 4 out of 5 rockin’ skulls. I think Kurfis has done a great job of combining some crazy guitar work with some really well-arranged orchestrations and ambient elements. I think a few tracks’ mastering are a bit off, but it isn’t enough to detract from the arrangements significantly. I did really enjoy the variety throughout the album, and it could have been even more varied with the guitar solos in my opinion. I could definitely see some of the solos having more of that “constructed” feel like in “Cerberus,” and I think that would have given those tracks more of a polished feel. But overall, I think this album is an awesome piece of guitar work that is both haunting and fun at the same time.

I absolutely recommend picking up a copy of Il Capricci Diabolici for your music collection. All of Kurfis’ work is available on both iTunes and Amazon as digital downloads and hard-copy CD’s, all of which can be accessed directly through his site at www.DarkMelodies.com. Mitch does not charge licensing fees for haunts to use his music in their attractions, but do give him credit where you can, share his website, and shoot him an email and let him know about it! He is currently working on a new album titled Slaying Cthulhu set to be released by the end of this year, and you can bet you’ll hear it here in the Musical Morgue just as soon as I can get a copy!

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue. Be sure to check out GruesomeJoe.com to check out the written version of my review, as well as all the links to buy the album and to get to Mitch Kurfis’ website, www.DarkMelodies.com. I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, waiting for you… until next time…

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

This week, we’re taking a little bit of a retrospective into the catalogue of a top-notch composer that I’ve reviewed before here in the Morgue.  Almost a year ago to the day I reviewed a great album called Morbid Melodies by Frank Petruccelli of Petruccelli Productions, and this week we’re going a bit further back to his second album entitled Music To Die For.  This album was his second release, following his first full-length album of music featured in Kevin McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion.

One of the album’s greatest assets, and one of the very first things I noticed while giving it a listen, was the sheer diversity of all the tracks.  This is an album I would consider a great go-to if I were to put together multiple varied scenes in a haunted attraction or home haunt.  The tracks range in everything from a Victorian manor, a space ship, even all the way to an Egyptian tomb.  There are actually few albums that I can think of that attempt to have this kind of versatility and breadth that actually do it well.  Petruccelli nails this perfectly, and actually intertwines the musical compositions with various special effects and synthesized elements that create 16 superb tracks to die for…

Because the album covers several genres all in one go, it’s nearly impossible for me to give it any sort of linear review—so let’s just cut to my favorites.  I think out of the entire album, my favorite track would have to be “Monsters Under The Bed.”  I absolutely love how this track takes a very familiar children’s tune and literally decays it while we listen…  We start with the light music box melody, but then as the organ and sound effects begin to wash in, the familiarity begins to break down with Petruccelli’s sinister arrangement.  He utilizes very dark pads and sweeps to create a sort of pulsing ambiance while the music box and pipe organ continue to tease us with the familiar tune.  I really love how innocent the track is, all the while keeping an incredibly sinister and dark underbelly.

(“Monsters Under The Bed” clip)

Another very dark track that I thoroughly enjoyed was “Dark Hallways.”  This track in particular kept a very ominous presence throughout by using a very haunting lone piano melody.  This track was very reminiscent of my childhood, staying up way too late watching vampire movies on TV…  This track would be a perfect addition to a parlor or gothic themed room in a haunted attraction because of its simple, foreboding nature.

(“Dark Hallways” clip)

The track that immediately follows “Dark Hallways” is titled “The Organ Donor” and is another very cool track that I thought would work great in a gothic or vampire themed room.  The use of pipe organs, harpsichords, and lots of sound effects creates an all-encompassing soundscape that is ready to go right out of the box!

(“The Organ Donor” clip)

There were several tracks that I noticed on this CD that reminded me a lot of the soundtracks and soundscapes found in video games.  I particularly enjoyed these tracks because their design is very functional when needing a looped piece of music or ambient sound all the while maintaining a constantly evolving texture that keeps the ear interested.  Such tracks that come to mind are “Lost Souls,” “Shadows,” and “Dark Autumn Nights.”

(“Lost Souls,” “Shadows”, and “Dark Autumn Nights” clips)

Another very interesting facet of this album was Petruccelli’s use of synthesizers and synth sound effects mixed into his dark orchestrations.  He really shows his chops when it comes to his knowledge of electronic music and composition with these tracks.  You have both very environmental and effect heavy tracks such as “Crash Landing” that create a very creepy atmospheric piece…

(“Crash Landing” clip)

…and then you have him show the complete opposite side of the spectrum with a track like “Pulled Into the Light” where the use of the synthesizers create an almost fairytale like emotion.  “Pulled Into the Light” in particular sounds like something out of a very dark film score.  He maintains the use of bright, bell like synths while using effects and deeper pads to keep a very foreboding underbelly.  The combination of the two produces a very surreal audio experience that I really, really enjoy.

(“Pulled Into the Light” clip)

So, overall I give this album two bloody stumps way up!  Again, I really enjoyed how Petruccelli was able to maintain his great orchestrations all the while being able to touch upon multiple genres and soundscape styles to create a very robust and diverse album.  There are lots of terrible albums out there that attempt to create something like Music To Die For, but your money would be much better spent by just picking up this album for yourself.

To get your copy of Music To Die For simply head over to www.MusicToDieFor.net and click on the CD Catalogue link.  There you can purchase an actual CD or can link through to Petruccelli’s CDBaby site and can download the entire album instantly.  The CD costs $13 and the MP3 download is just $9.99.  You can also listen to more examples of tracks not highlighted in my review from the CDBaby page.

One good thing to note is that Frank does not charge any licensing fees to use his music within your haunted attraction or yard haunt.  Simply head over to www.MusicToDieFor.net and send him an email letting him know that you’ll be using his music in your attraction.  He does ask that you provide a link to his website on your website and to include his website URL on any posters or other promotional materials you use for your attraction.  Help spread the word about Frank’s music through a little cross promotion and you’ve got yourself some pretty great royalty-free music for your attraction!

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue. Be sure to tune is next time—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 check out the written version of my review, as well as all the links to buy the album and to check out the Petruccelli Productions website. I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, waiting for you… until next time…

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

Well, with all the conventions and festivals going on, I’m getting green with gangrene… I mean, envy… watching all you haunters have all kinds of spooky fun without me.  But, we’re only a couple weeks away from one of my favorite conventions, and one I never miss, the Midwest Haunters Convention.  Now, Midwest Haunters has always been my favorite for a number of reasons, but I really like the camaraderie I feel there as well as the opportunity to get to talk with several of my favorite Halloween people.  And given that it takes place smack dab in the heart of Ohio, we’re right in the stomping ground of the one and only Midnight Syndicate.

Now, folks familiar with the haunt industry are no doubt very familiar with the work of Midnight Syndicate, but if you’re new to the industry or are still looking around for some stellar music to use in your haunted attraction, yard haunt, or your music collection in general, Midnight Syndicate has a host of superb CD’s available for you.  And in honor of my coming road trip to the strange state of Ohio, I thought it would be very appropriate to bring to you a review this week of one of my favorite Midnight Syndicate albums; The 13^th Hour.

The 13^th Hour is a unique album in that there is quite a serious focus put on the ambient qualities of the production that really tie all the musical elements together into a coherent storyline.  The entire album listens like an audio journey through an old Victorian mansion wrought with ghosts, ghouls, and other horrible entities that really culminates in an epic audio adventure through a superbly crafted gothic atmosphere.  This is the type of album you can listen to from beginning to end and will always be on your toes for what is coming next.

The blend of ambient noise and sound effects are mixed perfectly with Midnight Syndicate’s orchestration, and the tracks are cut together in a way which makes both the music and sound effect tracks easily accessible if you’re looking for a particular moment in the soundtrack.  Something like this, in my opinion, is very useful because if you’re using the album in your haunted attraction or yard haunt, it makes it very easy to quickly pull up the exact track you’re looking for.  There are several ambient or sound effect only tracks that range from breathing, footsteps, ambient noise, etc.—so the chances of finding a suitable track for your application is very high.

In addition to how the album was actually cut and produced, the musical qualities of the tracks vary greatly and offer a very diverse range of soundscapes, which keep the ear quite busy.  So let me take you along to some of my favorite tracks, both ambient and musical, to highlight the atmospheric qualities and superb compositions The 13^th Hour offers.

(“Mansion In the Mist” clip)

The first several tracks of the album introduce you to the mansion and set the mood for the entire work.  Solitary and gothic, with just the right amount of sadness and despair, they really get the album off to a tremendous start.  Once you’re “inside the mansion” the musical tracks really take off and immerse you in the dark history of the house.  The first two big musical pieces are “Time Outside of Time” and “Fallen Grandeur.”  “Time Outside of Time” really helps take you back through time to the days in which the mansion was at its peak, while the track “Fallen Grandeur” is an explosion of organ arpeggios and accompanying orchestration that again furthers your perspective of the house.

(“Fallen Grandeur” clip)

The next several tracks are ambient sound effect mixes that escort us along through the corridors of the mansion, past an old clock and into “The Drawing Room.”  It is at this point in the album where the mood turns incredibly creepy and the horror elements of the mixes start to take hold.  Through the use of unsettling sound effects and very dissonant chords, Midnight Syndicate is able to completely hurl you into the dark and foreboding “Mausoleum d’Haverghast”…

(“Mausoleum d’Haverghast” clip)

We’re then brought to a piece called “Family Secrets” that was, for me, very reminiscent of old school horror movies, featuring piano arpeggios, heavy strings, and a great mix of very dark vocal elements.

(“Family Secrets” clip)

The creep factor is then brought back heavily with the ambient breath track “Last Breaths” and we’re then launched into the heavily foreboding track “Vertigo.”  This track uses strings very well to create a very tense feeling, all the while using superbly mixed stereo vocal sweeps that create an all-encompassing, disturbing feeling.  This is one of my favorite tracks on the entire album because it is just so effective.

(“Vertigo” clip)

The next several tracks take us deeper into the audio storyline of the album with Midnight Syndicate’s signature epic orchestrations.  “The Watcher” uses piano and vocals to create a very lightly orchestrated, but effective feeling of suspense.  The ambient track “Cellar” then helps keep the suspense up by using whispers to help guide us through the dark catacombs beneath the mansion.  This track would be perfect for a haunt to help boost creep factor quickly.  Followed by the epic track “Cold Embrace” we’re greeted with a very dynamic, almost overpowering march.  This track is produced so well, it sounds like it was taken right out of a dark fantasy movie.  We then come up to another of my favorite tracks, “Hand In Hand Again,” where the use of processed vocals and sound effects make you feel like you’re listening to a very, very old record player.  The creep factor is way high by this point, and this track takes it yet one notch higher.

(“Hand In Hand Again” clip)

We’re then launched into an epic waltz titled “Harvest of Deceit” that really picks up the tempo of the album.  This track is about half way through the album, and it comes at a perfect time to act as almost an intermission.  But by now, I’m sure you’re aware that Midnight Syndicate won’t let you rest that easily…  The next track “Footsteps in the Dust” reignites the creepy ambiance with a great mix of sound effects, music box arpeggios, whispers, giggles, and more.  The creep factor flies through the roof by the end of this track.

(“Footsteps in the Dust” clip)

The next track “Veiled Hunter” is again very reminiscent of the horror movies of the late 80’s, and I think it is very successful in following “Footsteps in the Dust” because it very effectively keeps the suspense high.  We then come to the very gothic organ track titled “Sinister Pact.”  This lovely blend of pipe organ and strings provides a disturbingly soothing dénouement to the suspense of the last several tracks.  The next track “Grisly Reminder” continues this dénouement but adds piano and mixed sound effects to help start stirring the suspense again.  The soothing qualities of these two tracks are quickly smashed to bits with the next track “Deadly Intentions.”  With the use of synthesizers, voices, sound effects, and very jarring reversed music, they quickly bring the heightened suspense back to the forefront of the audio experience.

(“Deadly Intentions” clip)

The next track “The Lost Room” is a more up-tempo score that uses a driving bass underscoring to pick up the flow of the album.  They use piano arpeggios with lofty strings on top of this bass to help give a good blend of driving tempo with the classic Midnight Syndicate orchestration powering the experience.  A slower harpsichord and sound effect driven track titled “Living Walls” follows “The Lost Room” and helps bring an epic quality to the apex of the mix.

(“Living Walls” clip)

We’re then launched into the heavy string track “Gruesome Discovery” that you might have heard here on Rotting Flesh Radio…  It’s a great track that helps build a strong sense of dread by using pounding strings and harp arpeggios to really build the feeling.  The next track “Return of the Ancient Ones” is a very strange track that uses lots of sound effects and scoring to bring back that epic feeling to the flow of the album.  We’re then brought to the final track of the album, and one of my favorites “The 13^th Hour.”  This track begins with similar sound effects as “Return of the Ancient Ones” but quickly takes off with very fast string arpeggios, swirling sound effect mixes, dissonant chords, piano arpeggios and more to create an incredible sense of urgency as we listeners barely escape from the bowels of the mansion…

(“The 13^th Hour” clip)

So Deadites, as I’m sure you can tell by my enthusiasm, this album gets two bloody stumps way up from me.  The album is billed as “the ULTIMATE haunted house CD” and I would have to agree with that statement—especially if you’re going for the Victorian/Gothic haunted house theme.  Whether for use in a yard haunt, pro haunt, or even a party, this album provides a very wide soundscape of both ambient sound effect tracks and musical tracks that could be used in a wide array of scenes pretty seamlessly.  The production quality of these recordings is phenomenal and every track could stand-alone easily.  Let me put it this way—this is one of the few haunt albums I’m able to listen through from start to finish that keeps me thoroughly entertained and excited.

If you’re interested in purchasing The 13^th Hour just head over to www.MidnightSyndicate.com and check out their online store.  It’s just $14, plus they let you use the album for your attraction royalty free.  As a haunter myself, it just doesn’t get any better than that!

Also be sure to check out Midnight Syndicates latest release—their first official music video.  It’s the track “Dark Legacy” from the album The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates. I’ve already posted the video on my website at www.GruesomeJoe.com or if you’re already buying the album on Midnight Syndicate’s website—it’s there too!

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue. Be sure to tune is next time—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 check out the written version of my review, as well as all the links to buy the album and to check out Midnight Syndicate’s first official music video. I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, waiting for you… until next time…