From Tremblerz to Tremors

Remember that recent trip to The Domes I shared? Well, I felt inspired to learn more about what the "Tremblerz" display there was based on. I appreciated the work that went into those little critter models! Wouldn't seeing this inspire you to learn their story?

After a lot of googling about sandworms, you might remember that I learned these little critters were inspired by the "Graboids" in the movie Tremors.

I searched our library system for the Tremors movies and found quite a few DVD options! In fact, there were a number of "Attack Packs" available to check out. The Tremors "Attack Pack" consists of four Tremors movies, two of which I've watched.

I tried to photograph this Graboid in its natural environment. 😉

After having a few of you recommend the movies to me, and knowing they were monster movies that seemed inspired by some of the greats of the 1950s and 60s, I had a feeling I'd like Tremors. Turns out I loved it! As expected, Kevin Bacon and Reba McEntire were a hit with me. But there was another character who stole the show...

I watched this guy with his off-the-grid lifestyle, with more weapons hoarded away than you can imagine, and I kept thinking "I know this face, I know this face!" but I couldn't place it. I learned after watching the movie that I was watching Michael Gross in action. Would you believe this is the man who played the dad on Family Ties? Talk about a different role! I never would have guessed it was him. For those of you who have seen The 'Burbs, you might find his character, Burt to be an awful lot like the Rumsfield character. Burt and Rumsfield are both highlights. I wonder what a movie starring both those characters would be like? Hmm... There would probably be a little competition.

Rumsfield keeping watch with his Animal Crackers

OK, so what can I say about Tremors without giving much away... I mean, for anyone who hasn't seen it already. And I got the feeling I was one of the few people who had not! Anyway, Tremors is a monster movie. And I think you have a pretty good idea of what the monsters look like at this point. It's a very fast-paced thriller but with so many funny moments. And with the exception of maybe one character, I really liked everyone in this.

On the DVD commentary someone said that this movie is like JAWS but on land, and I think that's fair. Like the shark in JAWS, these monsters aren't playing favorites. If you're standing on the ground as they snake on by, you could be eaten. It doesn't matter if you're a good person or not. So while I kept thinking one character would get eaten on account of being really annoying and doing every dumb thing possible, well nope.

The setting for this movie is a town in Nevada called Perfection, and I'm pretty sure that's one of those ironic town names. Only 16 people live in this desert town. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward play some sort of freelance handymen, who are likable guys. There's a female grad student who is out there working on some research. Burt and his wife Heather (played by Reba McEntire) are survivalists, or I guess we would say Preppers nowadays. They own every weapon short of a cannon. And it's implied that they have a cannon. There are a few other side characters who are nice people. The town is faced with a killer monster problem.  The townsfolk have their different ways of problem solving and working together, and that's interesting and fun to watch. You have to wonder what you would do in their shoes as you watch this.

It seems like a funny thing to say, but I liked how normal the people were. The men and women interacted in a realistic way and nearly everyone worked well together and had their own strengths. I think that would be the very realistic challenge if you were thrown in with a handful of people in a situation like this. Everyone would be thinking on their feet, almost literally! You'd have to think and act quickly, and just bring any skills you had forward to help. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie with this much functional teamwork.

The second Tremors is also fun, but not quite as good as the first. I still recommend it, though. Kevin Bacon isn't in the second one. Chris Gartin is in his place and he's beyond goofy. Michael Gross makes another appearance in this one and basically steals the show. I started really getting into that movie after he showed up. Without sharing too much, I'll just say that the Graboids have a new trick up their sleeves in Tremors II and the challenges start multiplying very quickly. If you thought the people had to move fast in the first one, just wait and see the second!

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to watch the third and fourth Tremors. I can see that Michael Gross is in them, so that is encouraging. After a bit of googling, it would appear that the fourth movie is an origin story/Western! OK, I think I'm going to need to watch that. 🤠

So, any Tremors fans out there? I'm guessing basically everyone?

Watch out ladies!

Do you ever wander around the library, hoping just the right book or movie will jump out at you? I do that and have had pretty good luck! My latest random find was the movie The Ladykillers. I'm talking about the one from 1955, not the newer remake with Tom Hanks. I doubt I'll even watch the new one because I'm pretty sure it would pale in comparison to the original.

When I first saw the DVD case, I thought it was a movie about Nosferatu! Because there was Sir Alec Guinness, looking so gaunt and sallow, wearing what are clearly fake choppers. Next to Guinness with his Nosferatu look, is Herbert Lom. Doesn't he look like he's channeling Dr. Evil? This was clearly a DVD I needed to check out.

I loved The Ladykillers! It's super funny, and gets funnier as it goes on. Some might say it's funny in a dark way. I'll give you the basic premise, because I don't want to spoil any of the surprises. I'll just tell you more or less what you'd read about it on the back of the DVD case.

You can tell he's loving every minute of this.

For me, this is basically Alec Guinness' movie. I might watch some scenes of it again, just to see him in action. Guinness plays a character named Professor Marcus. The Professor is a deranged criminal who seems pretty confident that he's covering that up with his elegant, polite, professor act. While working on a bank robbery, The Professor needs somewhere to stay. He decides to rent a room from a sweet, elderly lady named Mrs. Wilberforce. He tells her that his musician friends will be visiting from time to time to practice. His friends carry instrument cases, but that's about as close as they get to being musicians.

It's implied that the other men are also criminals, although you're not told exactly what they've done in the past. I liked that their previous crimes weren't spelled out and that I was left to figure some of it out. I also liked that any violent moments were implied. You're able to put together what happened without seeing the details. That's something I like about older movies, that you're asked to use your imagination.

As I write about it now, it occurs to me that if I'd known what these guys had done in the past, they might not have seemed so funny. And I probably wouldn't be laughing as much if I'd seen the violence play-by-play. That would have broken up the mood for sure! Somehow this movie manages to walk the line of funny and dramatic without ever seeming uneven.

The "musicians" are all very different, as you can see. There's the nutty one, the tough guy, the one that could fill in as Watson in some Sherlock Holmes movie, the typical gangster, and the young, goofy guy. (Played by Peter Sellers!) This photo shows the characters' personalities perfectly.

I don't think I'm spilling the beans too much by telling you that the men carry on with the robbery they've planned and that Mrs. Wilberforce gets wise to it. Not that it took a whole lot of deduction on her part! After that, Mrs. Wilberforce is a problem for them, and you can guess how they choose to deal with her from the title of this movie.

I won't say anything beyond that, except to say that for me, that's when the movie gets extra funny and surprising. I'm really tempted to mention a few parts, but I'll make myself stop here.

I didn't manage to find The Ladykillers in its entirety online, not for free anyway. It's on one of those paid sites for $1.99:

The Ladykillers on YouTube Movies

I bet you guys could also find it at your local library. It stands a good chance of being at the library since it's been around for a while and it turns out a lot of people think it's a classic. If any of you have seen this movie already, I'm happy to discuss it in the comments!

I'll leave you a moment with Mr. Charming, himself:

"Such Pretty Windows"

Watching this again, I'm seeing several red flags with "The Professor"!

Midnight Syndicate's Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering ~ My Review and Interview with Edward Douglas

Midnight Syndicate has a new Christmas album out this year! I was very excited to hear this news and even more thrilled to receive a copy of it to review. I wondered which direction Midnight Syndicate might go with a Christmas album. I knew I would like it, but I wondered how they would strike that balance of Christmas themes and spooky music. It can be tricky to do a spooky take on Christmas, because you wouldn't want to hear too scary of a version of the beloved carols. That doesn't happen at all here. This album struck the perfect balance for me!

You know the way the ghosts are presented in A Christmas Carol? In that way where Christmas is seen as a magical time when the ghosts and memories of Christmas past can come alive. The ghosts in A Christmas Carol are at times beautiful, at times jolly, and times truly haunting. Well, that's the way Christmas is handled on Midnight Syndicate's Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering. The music is beautiful and strikes an eerie chord while remaining respectful to the Christmas classics. 

I am a big fan of Christmas themed albums. I might have more Christmas CDs than Halloween CDs and I'm at the point where I thought I had nearly every style of Christmas music out there - Cajun, Country, Jazz, everything. Trust me! But I didn't have anything like this in my collection.

When I chatted with Edward Douglas from Midnight Syndicate about this album, he said they weren't working with an overall story line on this one. Still, I heard a story through this album. So this will be my interpretation of the songs and how they piece together into a story in my mind. What I heard on this album were the spirits of holiday past, always present and haunting a beautiful Victorian house. The CD cover art and album title definitely started me thinking in that direction. Check out that fireplace!

Also on the back cover was this description:

As fierce winter winds cut across the frozen landscape, a welcoming golden glow beckons from the windows of a venerable country mansion. Decorated in the festive trappings of Yule, its stately walls seem to offer a much-needed respite for the weary traveler. But the holiday spirits are restless and eager for company this night, as the haunting strains of melodies old and new call forth from the shadows.

Once I started picturing the house in that illustration and what might be happening in it during the Christmas season, all of the songs fit together with that setting. For this telling, the great Pabst Mansion will be playing the role of the stately home:

And these will be the spirits of Christmas past that you will encounter:

I just saw this and thought how the scene fit perfectly with what I pictured as far as who would be haunting this house at Christmas. Thanks to Dex for letting me know that this painting is titled "The Ball" and that the artist is Julius L. Stewart.

Each song stands strongly on its own, but I enjoyed fitting them together into one long Christmas Eve story format. So here are my descriptions of the tracks along with my personal photos to illustrate the story.

The night starts off in track 1 with magical, wintery sounds, followed by horsewhip noises and some bits of classic Christmas carols in minor off key spooky tones. The horses are hurriedly transporting you to your destination. The carriage whips through the snow and trees on its way to the old Victorian house.

Meanwhile, in track 2, the ghosts are floating through the hallways, waiting for the guests to arrive. A large grandfather clock chimes in the grand hall. This is a variation of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".

"Carol of the Bells" is my favorite Christmas song, and that's number 3. I'm not sure why this has always been my favorite carol, but it probably has something to do with the mysterious and magical tone of the song. I love whatever version I hear of it. In this case, there's a slow build up to the familiar music with what sounds to me like monks chanting. Then there is some soft string music and light little bells.  

I was really looking forward to hearing the fourth track: "Night of the Krampus". How could I not? Has there ever been a Krampus song before this? Maybe something in German. We all have an idea of what Krampus looks like and this music fit perfectly with my vision of him. The song conjures up images of Krampus sneaking into town and then cracking his whip/switch at those who have been naughty. So fitting with the story line, your horse-drawn carriage is now passing quickly through a little European town - very quickly! Your driver is careful to avoid that scary furry guy with the whip. As you make it quickly out of town, you hear manic giggling and the sound of bells behind you... I really liked the Old World feel to this one.

Next you pass by a pretty little church where you hear organ music and then a harpsichord. Track 5 is "Angels We Have Heard on High" and I can picture the old house coming to life as it plays. The lights are slowly flickering on as the ghostly music begins. The fireplace lights up and the memories of the past become the present.

"Greensleeves" is Track 6. Beautiful guitar playing is followed by the heavy old doors of the gate opening. Your carriage approaches the old mansion and makes its way to the entrance. This is one of the more traditional songs on the album, but there are still some eerie little undertones. They're subtle.

You make your way inside the old house and Clump, clump, clump. What's that noise above your head? "Up on the Housetop" is next. I thought this was a pretty clever use of the title and song. What is up on the roof in this case? It doesn't sound like Santa, that's for sure. Did Krampus get a ladder? Whatever it is, it has heavy footsteps and isn't feeling too jolly. I think I heard a deep "HOHOHO" in the mix. Maybe Santa's had a rough night?

There are some pretty church-like bells in Track 8 "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". There's a slight churning darkness under the surface, but for the most part the song is angelic. After hearing Santa or Krampus or whoever stomping around on the roof, it's nice to hear the angelic singing outside the house. I like the way there's a variation of light and dark through this album.

"Coventry Carol" is number 9. There are slightly ominous bells and then some fairy-like music box type music in this one. I can imagine the little toys coming to life in the house as I listen to this song.

I love Track number 10 "Little Helpers"! This one reminds me a bit of some of the songs on Carnival Arcane. That sort of slide whistle mischievous music. Santa's helpers are more like little gremlins taking time away from the carnival here. Or pointy-eared little elves who are sort of a mix of naughty and nice. I picture some green little critters running around. This is one of my favorites on the album.

"Sing We Now of Christmas" is almost a waltz. I think people could waltz slowly to this beat. There's an interesting percussion on this one that I can't quite figure out. It's a pretty song and back to the haunted mansion, I can imagine the ghosts appearing and slowly dancing around the great hall to this music.

The next song "Winter Storm" makes me think of what will probably be one of the best times to listen to this album - during a winter storm. There's always that spooky side to the winter season, especially with the snow storms we have here. I know there will be some time when I'm snowed in and in the mood to listen to this. There's a heck of a storm in this song! It's like listening to an avalanche, from which emerges the abominable snowman, charging at the old house. The wind is hitting the house from all sides, the windows are clattering, the snow is spinning in the strong air, and the beast is out there.

A sort of peace falls over the house in track 13 "Into the Stillness". You'll recognize the first part "Still, still, still..." from the classic carol. Then you'll hear the voices of a beautiful choir. I liked how the album is pieced together with that innocent sounding singing tucked into some of the songs. It keeps the music just light enough. The way I see it, you and the rest of the visitors decide to leave the old mansion after the storm clears, and head out "Into the Stillness" of the dark winter's night.

Everyone rides along in the horse-drawn carriage into the old streets of the village. There's merriment as people celebrate and also that threatening Krampus lurking around every dark corner. "Little Toy Soldiers" plays as people shop in the market, but every now and then you hear the heavy footsteps... Better stay in the carriage!

There's a definite regal feeling to track 15 "Everywhere, Everywhere, Christmas Tonight". This gives a warm, bold ending to the album. This is the kind of music to toast a mug of warm cider to. Think of this song as the Ghost of Christmas Present. It's warm and celebratory with just a hint of ghostliness. I imagine the ghosts sitting around a warm fireplace in the old house and wishing one another a Merry Christmas.

There is a bonus track after this one called "Christmas at Midnight". It is a sweet and quiet song. The bells in the mansion chime 12:00 and the ghosts wave goodbye, wishing you a Merry Christmas! An angelic choir finishes the song.

I think Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering would make an awesome Christmas present, especially for Midnight Syndicate fans. It would also be good for people who like that more magical side of Christmas or for those who feel (like I did) that they have every type of holiday music already. They don't have anything like this!

And now for a special treat - an interview with Edward Douglas about the new Christmas album! It was fun for me to read his answers to my questions. How many times do you get the chance to discuss what you were wondering about a piece of music with the person who created it?

My interview with Edward Douglas

When is the perfect time to listen to this album? During all of December, leading up to Christmas or maybe during those cold, windy winter nights? Sometimes I wonder what the perfect time is for spooky Christmas entertainment. Like with A Nightmare Before Christmas, it's hard for me to decide if I should watch it for Halloween or Christmas. I've personally been enjoying your album through November, but I'm wondering what time you had in mind when you composed these songs.

>> This album has a very winter feel to it for me. One thing we found was that as we took these classic holiday carols and started putting our own spin on them, they became more like Midnight Syndicate tracks and less associated with any particular time of year.  I found myself listening to it in October and even September (which is something I never do with holiday music).  If we created a holiday-themed album that can transcend the season for some of our listeners, I think that would make us both very happy.  

Looking at the back cover of your CD, you guys are standing in front of a sort of stone archway. I see a bit of what I think is a European city between you and behind the arch. Do you know where those buildings are located? 

>> That's actually a picture of Gavin and I taken by photographer Steven Franczek in front of Squire's Castle in Cleveland, Ohio. There's a lot of wonderful architecture in Cleveland. As for the buildings through the archway, those came courtesy of Topher Adam of Dark Beauty Magazine who's done additional photo design work for us on our past two albums.

I assumed that the setting for this album was in Europe, maybe because of those buildings and the Old World flavor of the Krampus song. I mean, the setting we might imagine while listening to this. Did you have a sort of European Christmas theme in mind?

>> We saw this album existing in the same world as all of our other albums.  Although it's not specific to any particular place in the real world, there's definitely a European flavor to this album. I think that's because most of the songs we chose are centuries-old European carols or classical compositions written by European composers.

It's pretty heavily implied that part of this album involves the ghosts who haunt an old mansion around Christmastime. Who do you think the ghosts are or who had once lived in the old house?

>> As always, we want to leave that up to the listener... ;)

What kind of bells were you using on this album? Like when we hear what would maybe be a horse carriage, reindeer, or Krampus jingling. And the whip noises for that matter. Are you actually back behind the mic with bells and a whip?

>> Sometimes yes. We got to use a lot of bells, woodwinds, and crazy percussion on this disc. It was great. Lots of sleigh bells (which I think is what you are referencing).

In "Sing We Now of Christmas" I heard some interesting percussion in the background. What instrument am I hearing? Maybe it's even a cowbell? That little popping sound.

>> Christopher Walken would not be pleased as there is definitely no cowbell in that song.  It's actually a type of traditional European hand drum.

What kind of elves did you picture in "Little Helpers"? I'm assuming you were thinking of elves... Because I was visualizing some creepy little critters running around.

>> All sorts.  When I told my kids we were doing a Christmas album, one of my daughters said that we had to do an "evil elves" song, so that's how that one started. I don't know if they're necessarily "evil," but mischievous? Most definitely.

In "Up On the Housetop" Is Santa the one who is on the roof? Traditionally I would think so, and I think I heard a HOHOHO, but that song is pretty ominous!

>> That was a fun track to do. We didn't want to make an entire album where we were just taking happy light songs and turning them all dark and ominous but there were a few songs we wanted to do that to and this is one that Gavin heard in his head from the very beginning.

What is your favorite classic Christmas carol?

>> Sleigh Ride is both of our favorites but I also love O Holy Night.  

So now that you've read quite a bit about Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering, you'll want to hear some of the songs and watch the slideshows of antique imagery that accompany them. The first eight videos on this playlist are from the Christmas album.

I found this playlist on Midnight Syndicate's YouTube page, which is really worth a visit.

If you'd like to purchase this album, here is where you can buy it on CD:

Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering purchase page

And for those of you who download music, you can go to these pages:

CD Baby and Amazon

You can hear little clips from each song on those two sites.

Go take a listen, I'm sure you guys will enjoy this collection of Christmas songs!

Halloween Goodies from UncommonGoods

Recently, UncommonGoods generously reached out to me to ask if I'd review some of their products. UncommonGoods is a company that sells the work of individual artists and craftspeople, so there were many stylish and unique items for me to choose from.

Something cool about UncommonGoods is that they give $1 of every purchase to a charity, and you choose the charity out of various options that are all worthy causes, from saving forests to literacy to human rights. More info here.

Tom (the person who reached out to me) was nice enough to look through their stock and recommend some Halloween themed products. I ended up choosing two items. One was a beautiful nightlight with a full moon glowing behind the silhouette of a tree.

The Midnight Moon Lithophane Nightlight:

This is feeling like the year of the full moon for me with all the photos of the moon I've been taking and the recent Super Blood Moon Eclipse. So this nightlight seemed like the perfect choice for me! I'm showing it here with two different walls so you can see how it casts light on different textures. It gives a big glow, more than I'm used to from a nightlight. It fills a small room with a soft warmth.

Something you can only really appreciate in person is the material this nightlight is made from. The artist used porcelain and a process inspired by the lithophanes of the 1800s. A card was included with this which explained the history of the lithophane process.  Knowing the history made me appreciate this nightlight even more!

I'm very interested in things from the 1800s, so I was surprised at how little I knew about lithophanes. When you're done reading this, I suggest googling "antique lithophanes" to see some examples. I'd like to get my hands on one of those antiques!

This is what the nightlight looks like when it's not switched on. It's an easy assembly to attach the porcelain pane to the base. You can see in the photo below that there are two little plastic screws on the back that you tighten once you've fit the porcelain pane in. This takes a standard nightlight bulb.

Briefly, this is the process behind the nightlight: First the artist carves the image in wax while illuminating it from behind. Then they take a plaster mold of the carving and cast a fine porcelain in the mold. They then kiln fire it to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours, giving it a translucency. Pretty cool, hey? A lot of work went into this nightlight.

The second item I requested happened to be something I'd pinned a picture of on Pinterest some time back. So I was super happy to see it offered by Uncommon Goods! This Bat on a Branch is made from age-accelerated steel. The sturdy bat comes on a metal "branch" that can attach to a wall or tree with two screws.

Here's the bat's backside:

In his natural habitat :)

I haven't decided where to hang the bat for this season. I'm hoping to have him securely hanging in time for this year's Halloween party, because I think he'd be something fun and welcoming at the door.

Something else Halloweeny and moon related that I was tempted to choose was this scarf:

Hubble Telescope Moon Phase Scarf

The moon gradually makes its way from a sliver to full as you make your way up the scarf. UncommonGoods actually sells a lot of cool scarves, which you can see here if you like. 

The moon theme will continue through October for me, because this year's Witch Party will have a full moon/spooky tree theme. A theme that as it happens will fit perfectly with my new nightlight! I'd actually been thinking about that party theme before this offer was made to me, so that's a fun coincidence.

I should mention that UncommonGoods is not for the most part a Halloween themed site. They have many lovely gifts for all occasions, especially if you're shopping for a lady. For example, you can find a gift for your girlfriends here and there are some very unique gifts for wives here. Where else could you find a ladies belt made from a recycled fire hose? Or a pair of library card socks? It's worth a look!

The monsters have arrived! My review of Midnight Syndicate's Monsters of Legend

Remember my recent blog post about Midnight Syndicate's new album Monsters of Legend? Well, the CD just arrived in the mail! The men of Midnight Syndicate were cool enough to send me a copy to review. How lucky am I? I couldn't wait to pop this into my CD player the minute I saw the package. First of all, I have to say how well done the cover art is. Both the front and back. The CD itself has a very vibrant Frankenstein and cool fonts on it too.

The album's cover art

The back of the album and song list

Pretty cool, hey? I love when the CD itself is well designed.

The men of Midnight Syndicate looking dapper and deadly

So, first I listened to the album all the way through. I wanted to soak in all the songs as a collection or series of events. Much like Midnight Syndicate's Carnival Arcane album, this one sets a mood in part through atmospheric sound effects. If you listen closely, you really can visualize the different settings and story lines. The album is open to interpretation, and I think those with a creative mind will be able picture more with every time they listen to it.

As I wrote in my previous blog post, this album was inspired by the classic Universal and Hammer movies. The songs aren't titled in a way where they directly point to one movie. Well, there is a little hinting with "Building the Monster" and "It Lives!" but otherwise I think it's up to the listener to connect the dots. The back of the CD states:

A foreboding castle perched upon the cliffs looms over the mysterious village of Arcacia where monsters of legend roam its hillsides. Will you dare to venture forth?

So there is a loose story line involving those classic Horror movie characters. For those of us who are familiar with Universal and Hammer movies, it's a fun exercise to listen for the clues as to which movie influenced each song. I think I figured out most of the movie influences. That's not to say that I interpreted the movies and sounds in the same way as the musicians did! Maybe I'm hearing something different in the songs than was intended.

As I wrote before, I first listened to the full 65 minutes of the album to sense it as a whole. Then I listened for the little details a second time around. I'm going to go through the songs and give you a brief or not so brief idea of what I heard. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has listened to this album to see if you agree with my interpretations.

1. Return to Arcacia: The album starts off with subtle sound effects, the clanking of chains, a wolf howling in the distance, a faint heart beating. This is followed by foreboding orchestral music. This introduction felt like the calling of the creatures to gather at Arcacia castle.

2. Into the Valley of Shadows: After all the movie monsters have gathered in the castle and surrounding woods, you get the feeling you are riding through the dark woods in a stagecoach towards the castle. This image is very Hammer. So many of those movies had these awesome fog filled settings with a carriage on its way to a dreary location. You hear the sounds of the forest, crickets chirping, an owl hooting, and then the hooves of the horses carrying you along. There's that Wolfman howling again! The cymbals crashing at the end give this an old time cinema feeling.

3. A Watchful Gathering: Now that you've traveled through the dark haunted woods in your Victorian stagecoach, you stop at a clearing. It's dark and fog swirls around the coach. Crows are cawing all around you. You can't see much because it's a dark night, but you have the distinct feeling that you're being watched. Something is approaching the carriage from all sides.

4. Inn of the Weeping Sparrow: The carriage moves along to the Inn. You know the classic Inn the protagonist always visits on his way to the haunted/vampire filled/mad scientist occupied castle. The Inn with peasants drinking beer who suddenly warn him against going where he simply must go! There's a harpsichord playing and then an organ. This song has a very haunted feeling. There's the hint of wind blowing through chimes and what I interpreted as the singing of ghost children. This could also be seen as a Woman in Black interpretation, because of the haunted, isolated, ghost child feeling. Maybe the townsfolk are warning someone away from Eel Marsh House?

5. Unwanted Visitor: Well, I see this one of two ways. Either the protagonist who just left the Inn is on their way to the castle where they are an unwanted visitor or it's about Dracula as an unwanted visitor. You know that classic line about how a vampire can only come in a place where he's been invited. A door creaks open and light footsteps can be heard. A bell rings. There are some dark mumbling voices that you can't quite make out, similar to those in the Carnival Arcane album. You can tell the mumbling voices are attached to something scary, though. By the end of this song someone or something has been let in.

6. Requiem: Another door opens and the organ music begins to play. I very much feel like we're in Dracula's castle at this point. We're in an old, abandoned chapel in the castle that most people do not know exists. The church bells are ringing and there is the sound of monks chanting. At first I'm not sure if these are positive spiritual people hoping to fight Dracula or something darker. There is another dark voice I can't quite make out. It sounds like he's speaking in Latin. I managed to make out "infinito" in the man's chanting. So infinite... Is this a dark rite where Dracula is becoming something that will be around for an infinite amount of time? Or is this a priest who banishing him for infinity? This is a mysterious one. There is a huge crash at the end of the song. A Requiem or Requiem Mass is known as a Mass for the dead, so take that for what you will.

7. Witching Hour: This is a pretty orchestral song with sort of a dink-dink-dink in the background that reminds me of the kind of music Michael Myers would be stalking along to. There is a definite stalking in the night feeling to this track.

8. Unexpected Cargo: There is no doubt in my mind what this one is about. From the title and sound effects, I know Dracula has traveled in the bowels of a ship in his coffin. He is the unexpected cargo. The ship rocks back and forth as the waves crash. Chains clank and the faint howl of a wolf sounds at the end.

9. Black Woods: This is definitely a song for The Wolfman or a werewolf. This is the sound of a creature stalking through the darkness seeking out its prey. There are some great howling moments in this song, followed by the sounds of something cracking twigs in the woods and rustling through plant life. You can almost feel him breathing down the back of your neck.

10. Twilight: I'm going to assume this has absolutely nothing to do with the recent series of Twilight movies. I'm sure the title more refers to the sun setting as men are about to turn into wolves and Dracula is about to emerge from his coffin. This could also be inspired by The Woman in Black because it is a very haunted song. There is the singing of what sounds like ghost children. Twilight was the about the time things got ugly at Eel Marsh House.

11. Carriage Ride: The sound of horse hooves coming to a stop. Suddenly they're moving and quickly. This is classic Hammer for me. I can picture the introduction to many a Hammer movie. Peter Cushing is probably in this carriage, rushing to Dracula's castle. I really like the horse and carriage sound effects in this one. They make me feel like I'm listening to an old time Horror radio drama. Every once in a while, the crack of a whip can be heard. The scary end to this makes you feel like Peter Cushing has just arrived at Dracula's castle.

12. Stone Guardians: The title makes me think of gargoyles, maybe the types of gargoyles that can be seen on Dracula's castle. I definitely think that's where we are, from the sounds of bats and vampiric organ.

13. Ancient Portal: There is the sound of rattling chains and the opening of what sounds like a heavy entrance to what is indeed an ancient portal. The Mummy's tomb perhaps? Also, there's the plodding sound of something slowly moving. I can imagine The Mummy dragging his feet out of the tomb to this music. Then there is the sound of ancient chanting, perhaps the voices of those who built this tomb?

14. Dark Tower: This song is probably creating a setting for the next one. Like the Frankenstein monster is going to be created in this tower.

15. Building the Monster: You can hear Dr. Frankenstein clanking at chains and equipment while building his creature. Later there are the bubbling noises you'd imagine in a mad scientist's lab. There is what sounds like an electrical charge building up at the end. Then there is the definite sound of electricity flowing. My favorite tracks on this album have the subtle sound effects and multiple layers of sound.

16. Lord of the Realm: The intro to this one reminded me of The Twilight Zone. It's a mysterious, haunted song. This is the only one I wasn't able to connect to a Horror character or movie, so if you know the movie connection please let me know!

17. Forgotten Alcoves: This brief track starts with more great sound effects. I think I'm hearing chains being dragged. Something just woke up and decided to escape the forgotten alcoves of an old mansion.

18. A Terror Unleashed: The terror being unleashed could be any number of the movie monsters, but it's probably something that was chained up. There is some subtle heart beating interspersed.

19. Cloistered Cemetery: This song has a haunted sound. It's like the spirits of long ago monks are chanting through the cemetery. There are some nice, magical sounding instrumental parts after the chanting. This is the most relaxing track for me.

20. It Lives!: You can guess who this is about. This song has a very classic movie feel for me. Then there are some kind of high pitched metallic strings. The song ends with the electric sound that gives the creature life.

21. Beyond the Veil of Time: Is the title referring to vampires and their endless existence? Or is it referring to how these classic movie monsters endure through time?


The album didn't end up having any of those swinging 70s Johnny Alucard type songs. Much as I like the old cheesy stuff, it wouldn't have fit with the rest of the songs. Midnight Syndicate kept their collection classy. 

Monsters of Legend is a fitting tribute to the classic movie monsters. It fits with all the images you have in your head of Dracula emerging from the mist, The Wolfman stalking the woods, and Frankenstein coming to life. Like other Midnight Syndicate albums, this would work well as the background music in a haunt. In my case, the trick-or-treaters will be hearing these songs as they approach my door, as will the guests at the annual Witches' Gathering!