Gruesome Joe’s Musical Morgue

'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…

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…

'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…