Search - Midnight Syndicate :: Realm of Shadows

What darkness conjures, the night harbors.

Pamela Scarangello | Middletown, NJ USA | 01/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"2000's "Realm of Shadows" is an eerie soundscape set in a desolate village beyond the coast of Raven's Hollow. It was said that centuries ago, all of the occupants suddenly vanished during a thunderstorm, and that a curse (indicated by a murder of squawking black birds) condemned the missing inhabitants to forever stay in the crumbling dwellings. With this synopsis in mind, composers Gavin Goszka and Edward Douglas composed an original score for a movie yet to be made, one where the listener's mind is free to decide the action. Dominated by droning cellos, moaning choirs, trolling trumpets, and fragile piano keys, "Realm of Shadows" emits sepulchral melodies that crawl through the muddy earth and dive in the crashing waves.
It would be extremely difficult for me to describe the album's tracks in symphonic detail. Instead, I will mention the various scenes that Midnight Syndicate conjures in my head. The bellowing "Into the Abyss" travels on a hero's vessel, floating to an unknown destination. "Noctem Aeternus" sinks into a pit of lonliness, creeping out to a vast and empty space. "Tempest" sets the background for a near-fatal storm that tosses the ship back and forth, assailing the unnamed explorer with heaving gusts of wind and spraying rain. "Eye of the Storm," with its own twitching violin, parts the clouds asunder, exposing a full moon. "Sanctuary" lands the main character (and all listeners), onto the shores of Raven's Hollow. As a pipe organ plays a despondant melody, the island's abandoned ruins rise over the town square like menacing mountains. During "Realm of Shadows," where both the organ and violin strings quaver, angry spirits slowly emerge from the town's slimy ditches and vaults. Then, "Beyond the Gates," clues are found in relation to the island's mystery; the track's steady waltz is highlighted by twirling piano keys. The harp on "Spectral Mist" twinkles as an enchanted fog billows out of the ground. "Soliloquy" can be described as a blissful ballet, one that incorporates self-reflection with the past memories of loved ones. The muffled grunts of "Twilight" first appear to echo from the bowels of the earth, only to glance up into the stars' craters. "Black Wood" is a heartstopping chase through the woods; this particular tune includes a bass violin that can crush dry leaves under its feet. The bass rhythm on "Legions of the Dead" methodically claws both the trunks of trees and the flesh of its prey.
I can say in the end that "Realm of Shadows" is a sinister cinematic trip through one's imagination. I recommend you purchase this album as well as "Gates of Delirium.""

A beautifully crafted piece, both chilling and inspiring

Pamela Scarangello | 04/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Enter the realm where shadows lurk and nightmares reign. Beware of long passed souls unsettling before your eyes as you listen to the dark and eerie tale of Raven's Hallow.



A must have for those who want a chill with a little story in the mix."