Carnival Arcane

Press Reviews

Fangoria Magazine – “CARNIVAL ARCANE proves that, 14 years into their career, Douglas and Goszka are still very capable of outdoing themselves… their mission statement of ‘soundtracks to imaginary films’ has never been as well-realized as it has been in this outing.”

FEARnet – “(Carnival Arcane) has a real sense of cinema to it, unfolding like a movie in your mind, and that movie is a lights-out chiller on a grand scale… you’re in for an early Halloween treat!”

Killer Reviews – “…this time it is flat out perfection… they take their craft to another level with no looking back… a unique listening experience that is rarely seen in much of music today.”

Mr. Frights – “All in all, this is about the closest thing to a perfect CD that I can imagine.”

Apex Publishing – “…might be a high point in the band’s already stellar and legendary career… What they have produced is a memorable album that blends historical realism with the recognizable fantastic elements that has helped make Midnight Syndicate one of the most popular instrumental-only groups in the world.”

Dread Central – “OK, folks, it’s Midnight Syndicate. At this point in their career, that’s all you need to know. You know it’s going to be really good. This one is just particularly solid because of the added narrative …interactive audio horror to engage your mind and send you into a thrilling adventure. 5 out of 5!!”

Virus Magazine (#45 – Germany) – “A new classic! 10/10 – MONSTER OF THE MONTH!”

Dr. Zombie’s Midnight Theater of Terror – “Carnival Arcane is, in a word, perfection. This CD is a masterpiece, and the deviant minds behind Midnight Syndicate – Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka – have outdone themselves.”

Rotting Flesh Radio #242 – “…an absolutely tremendous album! 5 out of 5! Midnight Syndicate has maintained their epic signature sound while continuing to grow musically.” This 10-minute segment features sample tracks with commentary from a music fan and haunter’s perspective.

Halloween Overkill – “…so infectious that I simply cannot stop listening to it! Midnight Syndicate’s use of sound effects mixed with their trademark orchestral sound is cranked up to maximum effect here… 5 out of 5 ‘Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns’ and can officially say it is tied for first as my favorite Midnight Syndicate CD!”

HorrorTalk – “Epic. That’s the word that immediately came to mind after listening to Midnight Syndicate’s ‘Carnival Arcane’ all the way through for the first time: Epic… an impressive album… a wonderful mixture of tunes from bleak to thrilling to hopeful all seamlessly put together for one journey. An epic one, if you will.”

Scott Sandridge (SpecMusicMuse) – “Midnight Syndicate outdo themselves with ‘Carnival Arcane’ – one of, if not the best music CD they’ve yet produced.”

Drunken Severed Head – “the best Midnight Syndicate CD yet!”

Dark Beauty (#8) – “…sublime and perfect …genius and altogether disturbing in the most amusing of ways.”

Rue Morgue (#116) – “Those seeking more than the usual haunted houses and dark castles need look no further. Coulorphobics, however, probably should skip this ride. – 4 skulls.”

Haunted Radio (review starts at 8:00) – “This is a must-have CD. …unbelievable!”

Haunt off the Press – “Midnight Syndicate has another masterpiece on their hands with CARNIVAL ARCANE … it truly is one hell of an adventure.”

Love-It-Loud – “…arguably their strongest album to date.”

Outburn Magazine (Issue #61) – “…evocative, somber, and moving in tone, setting up a wide sweeping level of atmosphere that sounds so massive that the band’s in-demand status totally makes sense – 8 out of 10.”

Drive-In of the Dead – “Gavin Goszka and Edward Douglas have done it again… a terrific ‘soundtrack to an imaginary film’ loaded with realistic turn-of-the-century sound effects and seriously sinister atmosphere. To be honest, I had my doubts (the) subject matter would be too narrow… (but) this IS Midnight Syndicate we’re talking about. Who else could take a theme like a circus and completely turn it on its head? ‘Carnival Arcane’ exceeded my expectations.”

Behind the Thrills – “a very ambitious album that hits the mark every single time on every single track – keeping you guessing, and leading you down paths in ways you never thought Midnight Syndicate would take you.”

Teilzeithelden (Germany) – “…grade das ist doch grandios! – 4/5.”

Dr. Gangrene’s Tales from the Lab – “I can’t stop listening to it!”

Bastards of Horror – “…beautiful but downright horrifying great music that is a must buy. 4 out of 4 stars.”

Sandman Cinema – “…Midnight Syndicate sets out to take ‘listeners to the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival, a turn-of-the-century traveling circus with more than a few skeletons in its closet.’ And they succeeded magnificently… a great story-telling CD that works on multiple levels.”

Terror from Beyond the Daves – “…this is a must-have for your collection! The music at times is genuinely creepy and yet manages to hold on to the charm that only circus music can provide!”

Halloween Alliance – “…an essential album to add to your horror collection and powerful mood music while celebrating Halloween… ‘Carnival Arcane’ continues their grand, masterful tradition of storytelling with music, but is even more ambitious than all others – both in the depth, grandeur and creepiness of the music, and in the well-researched and accurate representation of what it would be like to visit a slightly shabby, sinister circus from the Victorian era.”

Video Vault – “a creepy, fascinating take on the Carnival that begs your imagination to run wild… a great listen…already made its way to the top of my playlists … Only King Diamond’s themed albums such as ‘Abigail’ and ‘Them’ do as well of a job of telling a horror story through music and Midnight Syndicate does it repeatedly without singing. Quite a feat in my book.”

Monsters From The Basement – “I enjoyed every second… From the minute you first put this CD in the player you are transported to another world… a very unique musical experience. Midnight Syndicate hit the nail right on the head.”

Horror News – “…featuring beautifully sonic pieces of terror and mystery, ‘Carnival Arcane’ manages to haunt with a fun edge oozing evil clowns, ideshows and big top menagerie.”

Darkest Radio – “…a triumph for Midnight Syndicate… up there with my favorites… 5 out of 5! Every carnival has a duality to it… Midnight Syndicate captures that duality perfectly. They harness the fantasy, the mystery, the sinister darkness, and weave it into a tapestry of unnatural phantasmagoria.”

Hayes Hudson’s House of Horror – “Never have kids laughing and singing sounded so scary! While some tracks are just cool, spooky sounding songs, some are very beautiful songs that could easily be used as title music for a big budget, blockbuster film… definitely getting your money’s worth with this one!”

Blackgate – “Each one of the twenty-five tracks is a self-contained gem of a storyline that will strike a nerve with anyone who believes there’s something more disturbing at traveling carnivals than employees without good dental plans.”

The Sketchy Details – “…probably is their best release yet.”

Cleveland Scene – “…somehow, after 14 years and just as many albums, the Chardon duo still manages to give us nightmares every time.”

Movie Crypt – “…another moody masterpiece.”

Horror Addicts – “Old fans of Midnight Syndicate will not be disappointed as their trademark epic instrumental soundtrack feel is here in abundance, and you can see also that they have grown in their musical storytelling.”

Side-Line (Belgium) – “There’s no better band to play when approaching Halloween.”

Nightmare City Halloween Radio – “Another tour-de-force from Midnight Syndicate! …their best work ever!”

Best Horror Movies.com – “Midnight Syndicate is always a great choice for creepy music that is unique and original, and Carnival Arcane not only continues on that vein but takes it a bit further by successfully making the joyful frightening, the familiar uneasy.”

Dark Grave – “Get pulled into the twisted labyrinth of the ultimate circus horror.”

DnD-Gate (Germany) – “4.7 out of 5!”

Music and Entertainment Underworld – “I have been listening to Midnight Syndicate for years and I will say that I was seriously blown away by ‘Carnival Arcane.’”

Steampunk Canada’s Dominion Dispatch (Vol. 2 Iss. 2) – “will not disappoint their regular fans… will likely win them new ones as fans of Steampunk and dark Carnival discover it.”

Terry Wickham MantaRay Reviews – “…the richest sound design the band has created so far. Another fun-filled adventure….”

Killer Film – “Douglas and Goszka do an amazing job pulling the listener into their twisted world… an album that you won’t get tired with since the more you listen to it, the more you hear.”