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The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates is the tenth album of the band Midnight Syndicate, released in 2008. The album consists of original music in band's orchestral, gothic, horror soundtrack-style inspired by the themes in the horror film, The Dead Matter.[2][3]
| The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 28, 2008[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Entity Productions | |||
| Producer | Edward Douglas Gavin Goszka | |||
| Midnight Syndicate chronology | ||||
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| Alternate cover | ||||
 Alternate cover (current) | ||||
Background and release
editIn an interview with Fearnet, composer, Edward Douglas, said this about The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates:
Gavin and I wanted to do a new Midnight Syndicate CD for 2008. It had been three years since The 13th Hour and we were anxious to get back to doing an all-original Syndicate release that wasn’t a movie soundtrack. When we were tossing around ideas for the theme for the new disc we thought, “why not The Dead Matter (2010) movie?" Here we had a movie about vampires, zombies, mysticism, and an Egyptian occult relic... perfect material for a Midnight Syndicate disc. We liked it because, although it gave us familiar ground to work from, it also allowed us to explore new territory and bring back a splash of some fantasy elements reminiscent of our Dungeons & Dragons soundtrack. The bonus track Lost was actually written for the movie and will appear in it.[4]
The album was released and self-distributed into counter-culture music chains like Hot Topic and Halloween retailers like Spirit Halloween, through Entity Productions, one of the largest distributors of Halloween music CDs at the time.[5][6] A music video for the song Dark Legacy was released in March 2010, debuting at the TransWorld Halloween & Attractions Show. The video, filmed in Cleveland's Phantasy Theater, was directed by David Greathouse whose work included music videos for the band, Mushroomhead.[7] The video marked the first time Midnight Syndicate performed live together on stage and featured cameos Mushroomhead band members Jeff Hatrix and "Schmotz".[8]
Reception
editThe album was named runner-up for Best Horror CD in the 2008 Rondo Awards.[9] Craig Harvey of Movement Magazine compared the minimalistic piano lines on certain tracks to early John Carpenter scores.[2] Tomb Dragomir of Rue Morgue Magazine described it as an "eerie offering of dark soundscapes" adding that "if Midnight Syndicate weren't around at this time of year, I think we would actually have to cancel Halloween."[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cathedral Ruins" | Edward Douglas | 3:03 |
| 2. | "Shadowed Grove" | Gavin Goszka | 1:02 |
| 3. | "Meeting of the Acolytes" | Gavin Goszka | 3:19 |
| 4. | "The Revenants" | Gavin Goszka | 3:26 |
| 5. | "Called from Beyond" | Gavin Goszka | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Nightfall" | Edward Douglas | 3:44 |
| 7. | "The Hunt" | Edward Douglas | 2:56 |
| 8. | "Across the Chasm" | Gavin Goszka | 1:16 |
| 9. | "Cemetery Gates" | Edward Douglas | 3:00 |
| 10. | "Entering the Crypt" | Gavin Goszka | 2:09 |
| 11. | "Alchemist's Chamber" | Edward Douglas | 2:50 |
| 12. | "Tear of Osiris" | Edward Douglas | 1:57 |
| 13. | "Forging the Scarab" | Gavin Goszka | 3:24 |
| 14. | "Shadows Descend" | Edward Douglas | 3:06 |
| 15. | "Inside the Scarab" | Edward Douglas | 1:29 |
| 16. | "Exodus" | Gavin Goszka | 3:46 |
| 17. | "Dark Legacy" | Gavin Goszka | 3:38 |
| 18. | "Lullaby" | Edward Douglas | 1:56 |
| 19. | "Lost" (Performed by Gavin Goszka) | Gavin Goszka | 3:55 |
| 20. | "Not Your Saviour" (Performed by Gavin Goszka) | Gavin Goszka | 3:13 |
| 21. | "Theme to The Dead Matter (A.B.T. Remix)" (Remixed by Gavin Goszka) | Edward Douglas | 2:49 |
Personnel
editProduction
edit- Producers – Edward Douglas, Gavin Goszka
- Mastering – Gavin Goszka
- Album cover design – Brainstorm Studios
- Album photography – Darell Day[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Midnight Syndicate – The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates". Discogs.
- ^ a b Magazine, Movement (October 10, 2008). "MOVEMENT: MUSIC REVIEWS: Midnight Syndicate". MOVEMENT. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "Under My SKin - the DARKLIFE fanzine". www.darksite.ch. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ Burkart, Gregory S. (October 31, 2008). "Musical Horrors Incarnate: Midnight Syndicate's THE DEAD MATTER - FEARNet". www.fearnet.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
- ^ "A Ghoulish Business", Inside Business Magazine (Cleveland, OH), October 2007, p. 15
- ^ FEATHER, CARL E. (October 7, 2008). "Syndicate ready for Halloween". Star Beacon. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "Midnight Syndicate at Transworld". Horror Society. February 23, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ Barton, Steve (March 12, 2010). "Go Behind the Scenes of Midnight Syndicate's Dark Legacy Music Video". Dread Central. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "RondoVIIwinners". rondoaward.com. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ Tomb Dragomir, "Music Review: The Dead Matter Cemetery Gates", Rue Morgue Magazine (Toronto, ON), October, 2009, p. 38