Article By: Pugilist
As part of our pre-Origins prep we received two (2) CDs from Sarah at the Midnight Syndicate (http://www.midnightsyndicate.com). And we'll be honest; we'd seen them around previously but never really knew anything about them. And to be even more honest, it looked like something we'd pass at. Music to listen to while playing games and music designed as soundtracks to classic horror movies that do not exist? Are they kidding?
Firstly, I've got plenty of music that I like and I know how to operate a radio and I've even been known to make my way around an MP3 player. Secondly, I really don't care for horror movies. Thirdly, I've heard some fan-derived music and, to be brutally frank, most of it would alter the orbit of a distant galaxy it sucks so badly.
But we have a simple rule. If people ask us to review something, we will give it an honest review and report fairly on it.
Since I am the most critical when it comes to music as far as production values and presentation, I listened to the CDs and I noticed something. I'd found the source Nocturnal used as "inspiration" for their music. I can't describe it exactly but think of it this way:
- Print out an original document
- Make a copy of that document
- Make a copy of that copy
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 1,000,000 times
- Compare the original and the last copy
That's the difference between the effort behind the music Midnight Syndicate puts out and the "inspired by" selections of which Nocturnal is an example. While listening to Midnight Syndicate's work, I never once had to fight off the compulsion to drill out the parts of my brain responsible for auditory processing. I still have that compulsion whenever I remember Nocturnal.
We're talking professional level production values in both the music itself and the presentation of the CD. No hisses, no "good enough takes" no gold backed CD-R, no press on label. All of this stuff adds up to leave you with a quality product that looks and sounds as if it had been turned out by a major studio.
Fine, it's pretty and they used a duplicator rather than burning the CDs themselves. So what? What about the music?
As stated, I don't care for the horror genre, especially what passes for horror today. As such, how much could I really enjoy music created, in the case of Out of the Darkness, to be representative of horror movies the Midnight Syndicate folks would like to see or, in the case of The Rage, that which serves as a soundtrack for Robert Kurtzman's drive-in/late-night horror show thriller, The Rage?
Surprisingly, the answer is:
Quite a lot.
Why? Why would I enjoy horror music? Mainly because it's not horror music. It's music that plays on the psychology behind classic horror films and writing. It creates a tension, it builds suspense, and it sends chills down your spine. And all this is while listening to it during the day with the sun shining in and my mind on reports and e-mail and other mundane things that pay the bills.
Simply put, Midnight Syndicate puts out a quality product and composes and records solid music.
If you run games, these are great things to have playing in the background. If you have a horror themed party, you will want this type of quality soundtrack queued up and ready to go. If you are just looking for something that is interesting and not derivative of the latest Britney Spears pile of "got to pay for rehab," give them a listen to.
It's great stuff, competently done, and fits the genre perfectly.
Oh, and it makes me want to see The Rage and their upcoming project The Dead Matter, a movie that Midnight Syndicate is producing. If they can put this much effort and talent into music, I am anxious to see what they do with the rest of the package.