CHARDON, Ohio — You’ve heard their terrifying tunes live at Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends for years. Now, the macabre musical masterminds of Midnight Syndicate are haunting Halloween a bit differently this year.
Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka, the Chardon-based duo behind Midnight Syndicate, are gaining national attention for a newly released limited-edition album exclusively available at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store in Orlando.
The album – titled Music of Halloween Horror Nights – features previously unreleased content and songs created by Midnight Syndicate specifically for Halloween Horror Nights, in addition to other tracks that have been used at the event and on the Halloween Horror Nights site since 1999.
Music of Halloween Horror Nights, which went on sale Aug. 26, sold out in less than three hours. The 500 hand-numbered copies are pressed on red vinyl.
Like other Halloween events across the country, Universal Studios canceled their 2020 plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cedar Point, which has been home to Midnight Syndicate Live! during HalloWeekends for the last several years, has also nixed its traditional Halloween event. For that reason, Midnight Syndicate Live! will not be happening in the park this fall season.
"While Gavin and I are really going to miss performing at the park this year, Cedar Point makes the safety of its guests their top priority," Douglas tells 3News. "That's a good thing for everyone. We hope things work out that we can return soon. When we do, we have a really cool show planned!"
First founded in 1997, Midnight Syndicate’s work has gained international attention. Their eerie music echoes throughout haunted attractions, theme parks, TV shows, video games, movies and more. A few years back, AOL ranked the top 10 Halloween CDs of all time -- and Midnight Syndicate claimed three of the those spots (third, fourth and eighth).
T.J. Mannarino, Vice President of Entertainment, Art and Design at Universal Orlando, stressed the impact that Midnight Syndicate has made on Halloween Horror Nights through the years.
"It is difficult to overemphasize how much the music of Midnight Syndicate played in the historic success of Halloween Horror Nights," Mannarino said in the album's liner notes. "Our art and design team drew inspiration from the various tracks from many of their albums as we envisioned, created and produced early websites, attractions, scare-zones and haunted houses. ... To this day, Midnight Syndicate music wafts through our design studios as we imagine worlds to come."
