'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 13th 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…
