For over 28 years, composers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been known as Midnight Syndicate and have been creating dark symphonic soundtracks to imaginary films that transport the listener to worlds of their own creation. To many, they are horror music pioneers crafting fifteen studio albums with their signature blend of orchestral gothic music and movie-style sound effects. To others, they will always be the first “haunted house band” that elevated "Halloween music" and became a staple in homes, theme parks, amusement parks, and haunted attractions worldwide during the Halloween season. Still others know them as the duo that created the first official soundtrack to the legendary Dungeons & Dragons game trailblazing a new era for the use of music in the role-playing game industry. Reminiscent of sweeping, complex masterpieces by artists such as James Horner, Danny Elfman, Black Sabbath, and King Diamond, their critically-acclaimed music has also been featured as a part of films, television shows, video games, and theatrical productions worldwide.
Midnight Syndicate’s music has become integral to setting a powerful mood at top-rated haunted attractions and amusement parks as well as at costume shops, gaming and Halloween parties and Halloween-themed cruises worldwide. In 2005, industry expert Leonard Pickel estimated that 75-90% of the attractions in the haunted house industry owned at least one Midnight Syndicate CD. In September, 2009, AOL released the Top 10 Best Halloween Music CDs of all time according to AOL/CBS Radio listeners, and three of the ten listed were Midnight Syndicate discs, which ranked lower only than Danny Elfman’s “Nightmare Before Christmas” and John Carpenter’s “Halloween” soundtracks. More recently, the band was included in Rue Morgue Magazine’s 50 Essential Horror Albums – Discs that Created, Evolved, or Defined Genre Music Over the Decades. The duo has released 18 studio albums since 1997, and their work has appeared at Hugh Hefner’s Halloween parties, on episodes of The Barbara Walters Special and Monday Night Football, in the drive-in film “The Rage,” and Halloween Horror Nights as well as music by artists Insane Clown Posse, Three Six Mafia, Twiztid and Misfits. In 2010, Midnight Syndicate released a full-length horror film called “The Dead Matter,” directed, scored and co-produced by Douglas alongside Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Till Dawn, co-founder, KNB FX) and Gary Jones (Xena, Boogeyman 3).
In 2013, the band scored the SyFy Channel grindhouse thriller “Axe Giant” and also released “Monsters of Legend,” a tribute to the classic Universal Studios films that gave birth to horror cinema. Featuring cover art showcasing original Universal Monster images with an epic sound to match, the disc has become one of the band's most critically-acclaimed albums to date winning the band it’s second Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards for Best Horror Album. The first award being for their 2011 “Carnival Arcane” album.
In 2014, Midnight Syndicate announced that they were teaming up with the world famous amusement park, Cedar Point, to launch their first live performances. “Midnight Syndicate Live! Legacy of Shadows,” a multimedia horror-themed concert blending live music, theatre, and film debuted at HalloWeekends 18. A huge hit with audiences and critics alike, the show would continue for the next nine years.
In September of 2015, Midnight Syndicate's "Out of the Darkness" album was included in Rue Morgue Magazine's 50 Essential Horror Albums - Discs that Created, Evolved, or Defined Genre Music Over the Decades. That same month Midnight Syndicate released "Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering." The album featured the band’s unique twist on classic holiday carols blended with new and original material. The album has gone on to become a favorite of the band and its fans.
Although COVID brought many changes to the band’s 2020 plans, they did team up with Universal Orlando to release a limited-edition "Music of Halloween Horror Nights" album which sold out in 36 hours. It was subsequently re-released in 2021 with a second album, "Halloween Horror Nights' Legendary Truth" arriving in 2022.
In 2021, the band released their first live album, "Live Shadows," coupled with music videos from their Midnight Syndicate Live! shows. They followed it up immediately with a new album entitled "Bloodlines," which is a prequel to 2005's haunting "The 13th Hour."
In May of 2022 Midnight Syndicate celebrated its 25th anniversary with a relaunch of its Legions of the Night Fan Community. They also announced that, going forward, Legions of the Night would be the primary outlet for exclusive merch, giveaways, behind-the-scenes material, and potential livestreams. An exclusive fan-created “best of” album, entitled Legions of the Night Vol. 1 is one of the special items offered to fans who join.
In 2022, Midnight Syndicate teamed up with Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends to celebrate both entity’s 25th anniversaries. A special "Midnight Hour: 25 Years of HalloWeekends with Midnight Syndicate" show was produced along with a commemorative album showcasing music featured at the event.
In 2023, the band released it's haunted theatre-themed album, "The Brimstone Club." After debuting at #2 on Billboard Magazine’s Classical Crossover Charts, a live show entitled "Echoes of the Brimstone Club" was produced at Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends.
In August of 2025, the band announced that they had created the original score for Universal Entertainment's first year-round haunted experience, Universal Horror Unleashed located in Las Vegas. On September 26th they followed that up with the release of an EP of rarities entitled "Darkened Corners"
The band is currently at work on their next full-length album scheduled for release in 2026. Listeners wanting to be informed of new releases and receive access to exclusives, giveaways, and more are encouraged to check out Legions of the Night.
