''Carnival Arcane'' is the 14th album by

dark ambient Dark ambient (referred to as ambient industrial especially in the 1980s) is a genre of post-industrial musicReed, Alexander: ''Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music'', Oxford University Press, 2013, , p. 190 that features an ominous, ...

band

Midnight Syndicate Midnight Syndicate is an American musical duo that has been working primarily in the genre of Neoclassicism (music), neoclassical dark ambient music since 1997 in music, 1997 and is based in Chardon, Ohio, Chardon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Oh ...

, released in 2011.''Carnival Arcane'' – Midnight Syndicate (2011, CD) on Discogs
/ref> Featuring the blend of dark, orchestral, instrumental music and horror-inspired

soundscape A soundscape is the acoustic environment as perceived by humans, in context. The term, originally coined by Michael Southworth, was popularized by R. Murray Schafer. There is a varied history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline, ...

the band had become known for, the "dark carnival" theme of the album centers on a fictional, early-20th century traveling circus called The Lancaster Rigby Carnival.''Carnival Arcane'' CD Review
Jeremy Webster,

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

, August 12, 2011

Background and album information

''Carnival Arcane'' was inspired by research into carnivals of the early 20th century and

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...

's '' Something Wicked This Way Comes''. In a 2011 interview with

FEARnet Fearnet was an American digital cable television network, website and video on demand service owned by Comcast. The network specialized in horror entertainment programming through a mix of acquired and original series, and feature films. Backgr ...

, composer, Edward Douglas said:

We've definitely put together something different for us (
Midnight Syndicate Midnight Syndicate is an American musical duo that has been working primarily in the genre of Neoclassicism (music), neoclassical dark ambient music since 1997 in music, 1997 and is based in Chardon, Ohio, Chardon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Oh ...
), but we still maintain our identity. More than ever, we really focused on using
sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...
and
design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
to pull you into the world of the disc. The music is still the focus, absolutely, but there are many times that it feels like an 'imaginary film' more than anything we've done to this point."

The album featured

voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated, off-stage, off-sc ...

performances by actors, Jason Carter, Dennis Carter, Jr., and Brian Van Camp, all who had appeared in the band's previous project, ''The Dead Matter'' (2010) horror film.

Reception

'', ''

Dread Central Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...

'', ''

'', and '' Outburn Magazine'' all praised the band's execution of their "cinema of the mind" concept through the use of

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

music and

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating auditory elements of media. It involves specifying, acquiring and creating audio using production techniques and equipment or software. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking ...

. Mike Beardsall of Rue Morgue complimented the album's "immersive" qualities, adding that " coulrophobics, however, should probably skip this ride." In 2012, the album won the ''Best Horror CD'' category in the 10th annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. The album was also nominated for ''Best

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Track listing

Personnel

*Edward Douglas – composer *Gavin Goszka – composer * Jason Carter – voice actor – ''Ringmaster, Montgomery Lancaster'' *Dennis Carter, Jr. – voice actor – ''Laughing Denny'' *Amber Foth – vocals on ''Kiddieland'' *Brian Van Camp – voice actor *Todd Malkus – voice actor *Keith Martin – voice actor *Mary Kate Douglas – voice actor *Sarah Douglas – voice actor

Production

*Producers – Edward Douglas, Gavin Goszka *Mastering – Gavin Goszka *Cover art and Design – Brainstorm Design Group *Band Photography – Anthony Gray *Additional Photography – Wisconsin Historical Society, Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE)

References

External links

Midnight Syndicate band website
{{Authority control 2011 albums Midnight Syndicate albums 2010s instrumental albums Halloween albums Classical crossover albums