Monsters of Legend Review

Monsters of Legend Cover Art

So often we debate whether or not movies, music, and video games are "art".  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines art as (n): decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter & (adj.): produced as an artistic effort or for decorative purposes.  By these definitions a musical cd isn't "printed matter" in the way described above, nor is it for decorative purposes.  These definitions imply art as a form "visual" matter in my opinion.  This is the beauty of The Midnight Syndicates new release "Monsters of Legend", it is not only something to listen to, but the sounds within create mental "decorations" if you will.  That's the thing about Monsters of Legend, if you just put the music on and lay back and close your eyes you will be instantly transported to a foggy cliffside castle, or a romp through an ancient european forest, or even perhaps a creepy old village where something is "not quite right".  People might ask if the new CD is a collection of creepy music, or is more of a soundscape of sorts.  My answer to them would be both.  As you listen to Monsters of Legend a well defined classic horror movie will play out in your head (if you have even the slightest imagination for these sorts of things, and if not why are you reading this!) accompanied by the gorgeous soundtrack provided by the music that accompanies the sound effects on the CD.  You will enter the village of Arcacia, visit the Inn of the Weeping Sparrow, experience the Witching Hour, take a Carriage Ride to the Dark Tower, and finally come face to face with A Terror Unleashed in a Cloistered Cemetery.  Yes some of those are actual song titles from the CD and I challenge you to purchase the CD, listen to those tracks, and tell me that they don't perfectly describe the scenes that will play out in your head!  A lot of the tracks on Monsters of Legend lean more toward the musical side but again there is a ton of stuff going on in the background if you listen close enough.  This is easily one of my favorite Midnight Syndicate releases and I will definitely be finding a way to incorporate it into my yard haunt this year.  What better way to kick off the Halloween Season than with a new release from the masters of Halloween Music, the Midnight Syndicate!  Click here to purchase Monsters of Legend!

Track Listing:

1.  Return to Arcacia

2.  Into the Valley of Shadows

3.  A Watchful Gathering

4.  Inn of the Weeping Sparrow

5.  Unwanted Visitor

6.  Requiem

7.  Witching Hour 

8.  Unexpected Cargo

9.  Black Woods

10.  Twilight

11.  Carriage Ride (My Favorite Track!)

12.  Stone Guardians

13.  Ancient Portal

14.  Dark Tower

15.  Building the Monster

16.  Lord of the Realm

17.  Forgotten Alcoves

18.  A Terror Unleashed

19.  Cloistered Cemetary

20.  It Lives!

21.  Beyond the Veil of Time

Don't those track names just make you wish it was Halloween already!  Once again click here to buy the CD and click the graphic to visit The Midnight Syndicate's website.  If you haven't figured this out from the review above I am awarding Monsters of Legend 5 "Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns!"

Full Disclosure: A review copy of Monsters of Legend was provided by Midnight Syndicate Halloween Music

30 Days until Halloween!

Kicking off this year's Halloween Countdown is a review of Midnight Syndicate's new cd, "Carnival Arcane"!

Midnight Syndicate's new cd, "Carnival Arcane" is so infectious that I simply cannot stop listening to it!  From the moment I popped it in the cd player on the ride to school I simply knew that the Midnight Syndicate had struck gold!  Carnival even left my wife sitting in the car saying, "What is this, it is totally creepy?".
Starting with the first track, "Mesonoxian Visitors", the cd actually feels like it is guiding you through this dark and twisted carnival that has just come to your town.  I love the use of the track "Midway" as an actual introduction by way of a carnival barker to the macabre realm we have just entered.  Midnight Syndicate's use of sound effects mixed with their trademark orchestral sound is cranked up to maximum effect here, as I actually felt as if I was experiencing all the thrills and chills of a creepy carnival.  The tracks range from downright spooky to over the top carny style thrills such as, "Under the Big Top".  Some highlights I'd like to point out from the cd are the tracks, "Carousel Ride", "Kiddieland" (I guarantee this track will send chills down your spine), "Krellsig's Kastle of Fun" (in which I actually felt like I was on one of those decrepit old haunted carnival dark rides), and "Lights Out".  My favorite track of "Carnival Arcane" was "Welcome to the Carnival" with its thumping background beat and it's haunting melody! One of the most amazing things about "Carnival Arcane" is the apparent use of  "Binaural Recording"  I'm not sure if Midnight Syndicate actually recorded some of the parts this way or if it was just my brain, but I swore on some parts of the cd I felt as though I was actually walking right down the midway or sitting in on one of the shows in the carnival.  (For those that don't know what binaural recording is, it is the use of  two microphones to record sounds so that a stereo 3d surround effect is  achieved)
Since this is an official review I am going to score it with the old "Jolly Jack-O-Lantern" rating scale, which I haven't used in quite a while.  I officially give "Carnival Arcane" from the Midnight Syndicate 5 out of 5 "Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns" and can officially say it is tied for first as my favorite Midnight Syndicate cd!

Yes, 5 "Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns" is a must own for those don't know the rating scale, so please do yourself favor and click the Midnight Syndicate logo at the end of the post and purchase the cd from them.  We really need to support artists such as this who go out of their way to make sure that our Halloween (and every other day for that matter) are as creepy and macabre as we all love them to be!

Don't forget to check out all of the other amazing cds and other treats that are in the Midnight Syndicate store as well!

Random News Update

Well yet again I have fallen off the wagon as far as updates go, but this full time student thing is killing me! Anyhow, with this random news update I'd just like to take some time to throw some random news out to everyone and to also make a few shout-outs along the way. First up I'd like to remind everyone that "Dead Island" is hitting store shelves in North America on September 6th, that's only 5 days away! For those across the pond, the game should be released on September 9th. Does anyone remember my post that showcased the amazing announcement trailer for the game? If not click here and relive the glory of one of the greatest video game trailers of all time! So any ghouls out there gonna pick this one up? It is definitely a release day purchase for me. Click the Dead Island logo below to be taken to the official "Dead Island" website and watch the new trailer.

Next up on the list are two huge shout-outs!  First off, I'd like to thank "The Myers House" website/blog for linking to HalloweenOverkill in their Affiliates/Related Links section.  Thank you!  Click the banner below to be taken to this amazing website which documents and shows off a full recreation of the Myers' House from the classic Halloween.  The time and dedication that went into this project is just astounding and I'm here to tell you that I have honestly spent hours on this site checking out all that went into this huge project.  Also check out their events section for listings on their huge Halloween party, other events such as Halloween night trick or treating at the house, and many other events.  Below is a picture of the poster being used to promote this year's Halloween event.  Click it to be brought to the events section of the site.

  One last thing I'd like to mention is their indie film section.  One of the features in the film section is "Judith" in which writer Kenny Caperton (owner of the Myers' House, N.C.) actually uses this film as a vehicle to explore the story of Judith Myers and dives a little deeper into the Michael Myers mythology.  On the site you can actually check out movie posters and even watch the film itself.  Again I'd like to thank The Myers' House website/blog for helping to promote HalloweenOverkill!

Another blog that I'd like to throw some love at is Cherry Neko's "The Little Blog of Blogs"  This huge undertaking is Cherry's way of organizing and cataloging all the blogs on the web that she either reads, or just blogs that contact her to be listed on the site as well.  HalloweenOverkill is listed under the Dark, Horror, Halloween, Weird section (a perfect little home for the blog!)  One other blog listed under the Halloween part of that section is the world's second biggest fan of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" (haha) a.k.a. Justine of Justine's Halloween, who also gets a huge shout-out as well.  If you haven't checked her blog out yet, go and check it out right now! (click her name!)  "The Little Blog of Blogs" is going to be a great resource for all of us bloggers who are too lazy to hunt down each and every blog that deserves to be read out there, as we can now just use this centralized location as a one stop shop for all of our daily readings!  Cherry also has her own personal blog over at Cherry Neko Saves the World, which you all need to go check out right now as well!  Click the link above to visit Cherry's personal blog, and click the banner below to visit "The Little Blog of Blogs"

                                  

Here are a few other things that I will be posting about in the coming days.  No Justine, I did not forget about the "Are You Afraid of the Blog?" feature and I will still be serving up full episode recaps of every single "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" episode and even some bonus stuff from the show as well in the coming days.  I am also participating in what I believe is the first annual virtual blogger zombie walk (created by Autumn over at Ghost Hunting Theories)

             

I'm also still looking for someone to possibly help me co-create this years logo for the 2nd Annual Halloween Countdown here on HalloweenOverkill, a.k.a. HalloweenOverkill's Halloween Countdown 2011.  I'd really like to incorporate a vintage Halloween like vibe to it, if that helps get anyone's creative juices flowing.  I will also be posting a review of the new Midnight Syndicate album, Carnival Arcane in the coming days.  So keep your eye's peeled, set your monitor to HalloweenOverkill and get ready for some new updates in the coming weeks.

New Midnight Syndicate CD on August 2nd!!!!!

Mark your calendars ghouls because on August 2nd Midnight Syndicate will be releasing another audio journey into the unknown!  This Gothic nightmare will be known as "Carnival Arcane".

"Carnival Arcane" is the 14th release from the masters of Halloween music, the Midnight Syndicate.  To get a little taste of what this release is all about, here is a preview from the CD insert: "The train smoke drifting through the pale moon light signals the arrival of the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival.  In a forest clearing, these mesonoxian visitors await your arrival.  Stroll along the midway and behold wonders both fantastic and macabre from every corner of the globe.  And be sure to ride their one of a kind carousel for an experience you'll never, ever forget."
Sounds pretty f'n sweet doesn't it?  If that preview doesn't give you goosebumps then maybe this little audio clip from the cd will!  The track featured in the preview below is titled Freakshow.

Click here to be taken to the CD pre-order page, where for only $12.00 you can experience the "Carnival Arcane" in the discomfort of your own crypt. (The $12.00 includes shipping & handling!) Also if you head over to the Midnight Syndicate shop you can purchase the official "Carnival Arcane" t-shirt! Please do yourself a favor and pick this CD up, I kid you not I have used several Midnight Syndicate CD's at my home haunt for about the last 8 years and every year several people ask me what soundtrack I am using. These guys really know how to bring that extra atmosphere to Halloween or any other rainy, dark, thunderstorm filled night for that matter!