Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering is the eighteenth album by the gothic horror instrumental band, Midnight Syndicate.[1] The album features a mix of re-imagined Christmas carols and original compositions in a style similar to the band's other gothic, paranormal, and Halloween-themed releases.[2][3] Midnight Syndicate founder and composer, Edward Douglas, said it's one of his favorite albums they've ever created.[4]
| Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 10, 2015 | |||
| Genre | Christmas music, gothic, neoclassical dark wave | |||
| Label | Entity Productions | |||
| Producer | Edward Douglas, Gavin Goszka | |||
| Midnight Syndicate chronology | ||||
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Background and album information
editIn an interview with InPark Magazine a year after the album's release, composer, Edward Douglas said this:
A Christmas album with a Midnight Syndicate twist is something we’d wanted to do for years. The traditions of Christmas as celebrated around the world are seeped in the supernatural and in folk tales passed down from generation to generation. Those stories and traditions were a tremendous source of inspiration for the music on this album. Additionally, the haunting quality to some of the older carols lent themselves well to what we wanted to do. It was extremely important to both Gavin and myself that we be very respectful of the music and the traditions of holidays. I like to think of this album as hauntingly beautiful as opposed to very dark. We have some fun taking a few uptempo tracks down a creepier path but it’s all done carefully so as not to go too far. I think that is one of the reasons this album has appealed to so many different people.[4]
In an interview with Gothic Beauty, Gavin Goszka said the band wanted to do more than take Christmas songs and "redo them in minor keys", adding many of the songs were completely re-imagined and that the band's musical palette had never been more varied.[5]
The album included four original tracks: Night of the Krampus, Little Helpers, Winter Storm, and Christmas at Midnight. The track, Little Helpers featured vocal artist, Dennis Carter Jr., who previously portrayed, Laughing Denny in the band's Carnival Arcane album.[1][6] The album artwork was created by French illustrator and matte painter, Pascal Casolari.[7]
Reception
editAaron Von Lupton of the horror magazine, Rue Morgue, called the album's darkness "more subtle and genuine" than he typically saw when horror was mixed with a Christmas setting, adding that the holiday music was "redone with Midnight Syndicate's unique stamp, reflecting beauty, fantasy, and the supernatural."[3] On his America's Most Haunted website, Blogcritics founder, Eric Olsen praised the album's roots in the Victorian era tradition of telling ghost stories during Christmas.[8] Justin Dark of the horror website, Dread Central called the album "a creepy and dark tribute to (Christmas)" and a "masterful collection of holiday spooky," while lamenting that some of the original songs got lost in their new "comprehensive" rearrangements.[2] Several horror blog sites like Mr. Fright's and Gross Movie Reviews as well as haunted house-related YouTuber page, DEAD with Dave, praised the album's appeal to fans of horror[9][10][11] while Sue Granquist of the fantasy and role-playing game-related online publication, Black Gate Magazine, called the album "charmingly haunting."[12] While giving the album a "7 out of 10," Outburn Music Magazine's Kevin Stewart-Panko added "if you want to put a dampened pallor on holiday cheer, here's some ammunition."[13]
Other appearances
editIn 2017, Edward Douglas' version of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was featured in the SyFy television series, Happy! in the episode When Christmas Was Christmas.[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Christmas Overture" | Various | Edward Douglas | 2:18 |
| 2. | "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Edward Douglas | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Carol of the Bells" | Mykola Leontovych | Gavin Goszka | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Night of the Krampus" | Edward Douglas | Edward Douglas | 3:51 |
| 5. | "Angels We Have Heard on High" | 18th century French | Gavin Goszka | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Greensleeves" | 16th century English | Edward Douglas | 3:12 |
| 7. | "Up on the Housetop" | Benjamin Hanby | Gavin Goszka | 2:38 |
| 8. | "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" | 16th century English | Edward Douglas | 4:00 |
| 9. | "Coventry Carol" | 16th century English | Gavin Goszka | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Little Helpers" | Edward Douglas | Edward Douglas | 2:15 |
| 11. | "Sing We Now of Christmas" | 15th century French | Gavin Goszka | 3:04 |
| 12. | "Winter Storm" | Gavin Goszka | Gavin Goszka | 3:14 |
| 13. | "Into the Stillness" | 19th century Austrian | Gavin Goszka | 1:46 |
| 14. | "The Parade of the Tin Soldiers" | Leon Jessel | Gavin Goszka | 3:47 |
| 15. | "Everywhere, Everywhere, Christmas Tonight" | Philips Brooks, Lewis Redner | Edward Douglas | 1:47 |
| 16. | "Christmas at Midnight" | Edward Douglas | Edward Douglas | 3:33 |
Personnel
edit- Edward Douglas – composer
- Gavin Goszka – composer
- Dennis Carter Jr. – voice actor on Little Helpers
Production
edit- Producers – Edward Douglas, Gavin Goszka
- Mastering – Gavin Goszka
- Cover art – Pascal Casolari
- Design – Brainstorm Design Group[1]
- Band Photography – Steven Franczek
- Band Photography Design – Topher Adam
References
edit- ^ a b c Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering - Midnight Syndicate (2015, CD) on Discogs
- ^ a b "Midnight Syndicate: Christmas A Ghostly Gathering", Justin Dark, Dread Central, Sept. 30, 2015
- ^ a b Aaron Von Lupton, "We Scary Gentlemen", Rue Morgue Magazine (Toronto, ON), Issue 162, p. 59
- ^ a b "Holiday Cheer... and Fear" Martin Palicki, InPark Magazine, December 1, 2016
- ^ Emily Bielby, "Midnight Syndicate" (featured interview), Gothic Beauty Magazine (Portland, OR), Issue 48, pp. 48–54
- ^ Carnival Arcane - Midnight Syndicate (2011, CD)
- ^ Pascal Casolari official site (English version)
- ^ "Midnight Syndicate Brings Spooky Sensibility to Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering" Eric Olsen, America's Most Haunted, December 2, 2015
- ^ "Review: Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering" Justin Lewis, Mr. Frights, September 27, 2015
- ^ "Midnight Syndicate Gets a Jump on the Holiday Season with their New Creepy Soundtrack" Tim Gross, Gross Movie Reviews, September 27, 2015
- ^ "Review of Midnight Syndicate's Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering" Dave Danyankin, DEAD with Dave, December 13, 2015
- ^ "Christmas at Beetlejuice's House - Midnight Syndicate Does It Again Sue Granquist, Black Gate Magazine, October 8, 2015
- ^ Keven-Steward Panko, "Music Review: Midnight Syndicate Christmas A Ghostly Gathering", Outburn, Issue 82, Pg. 63
- ^ When Christmas Was Christmas - Happy! on IMDb