The Dead Matter (soundtrack)

The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is both the twelfth album, and second movie soundtrack by the band, Midnight Syndicate, released July 30, 2010. The album features the original score to the supernatural horror film, The Dead Matter, composed by Edward Douglas, as well as other gothic rock and heavy metal songs from the film. The album also contained several remixes of previously released Midnight Syndicate material including one performed by related act, Destini Beard.

Background and information

In 1996 Midnight Syndicate composer, Edward Douglas, directed and scored a micro-budget version of The Dead Matter, shot on S-VHS for under two-thousand US dollars. After its release, he turned his attention to the formation and development of Midnight Syndicate. According to an article in Fangoria, the success of Midnight Syndicate's "soundtracks for imaginary films" caught the attention of horror filmmakers which led to film scoring opportunities. In 2008, the band scored and released the soundtrack to Robert Kurtzman's Rage. That collaboration with Kurtzman led to the creation of The Dead Matter movie and subsequent release of The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
The soundtrack album featured Edward Douglas' original score to the film, the darkwave song, Lost, by Gavin Goszka, two gothic rock tracks by Lazy Lane, and a heavy metal track by Hipnostic, all of which appeared in the film. Additionally, the soundtrack included a song inspired by the movie entitled The Dead Matter by the heavy metal band, Eternal Legacy and three remixes of previously released Midnight Syndicate songs. One of the remixes, Noctem Aeternus , was taken from the Destini Beard and Midnight Syndicate remix EP, ''The Dark Masquerade''

Release

The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released and self-distributed through Entity Productions, the second largest distributor of Halloween music CDs at the time. The album was also packaged for sale with The Dead Matter DVD, and Midnight Syndicate's compilation album Halloween Music Collection in a "3-Disc Deluxe Edition." The Deluxe Edition DVD was sold at Hot Topic stores throughout the US in coordination with an online cross-promotional campaign Entity Productions ran with the counter-culture-related clothing and music chain for The Dead Matter film. A zombie-themed music video for the Gavin Goszka's Lost was produced by 529 Films and released along with a music video for Eternal Legacy's track, The Dead Matter, which featured footage from the film. Both music videos were included on the DVD as extras.

Reception

Jeff Treppel of Outburn Music Magazine called the soundtrack "really spooky" adding though, that it "lacked a standout theme" like previous releases. Gregory Burkart of Fearnet said Douglas' score departed in some ways from the Midnight Syndicate's usual output, "having moved behind the action," but added there were "still some superb atmospheric touches, often reminiscent of John Carpenter's memorable scores." Trevor Tuminski of Rue Morgue Magazine said that while the score "didn't exhume anything new in duo's timeless Halloween music" it would "put the listener on edge," calling out the tracks Possession, Late Night Snack, and Death Is the Answer, but lamenting the tracks with vocals weren't evenly spread out throughout the soundtrack.

Personnel

Edward Douglas – composer
Gavin Goszka – writer, performer on Lost
Lazy Lane – writer, performer on The Graveyard, The Girl Upstairs
Jerry Vayne – guitars and remix on Shadows
Eternal Legacy – writer, performer on The Dead Matter
Destini Beard – lyrics, vocals on Noctem Aeternus
Pat Berdysz – remix, performer on Graveyard
Hipnostic – writer, performer on ''Ritual''

Production

Producer – Edward Douglas
Mastering – Gavin Goszka
Sound effects design – Patrick Giraudi at Virtual Mix
Assistant music supervisor – Colleen Douglas
Technical advisor – Jeff Kasunic
Photography – Darell Day
Cover art – Mike Digrazia
Design – Brainstorm Studios