It is no surprise that the vampire theme holds a great appeal for many people, particularly due to the metaphoric nature that can depict man and addiction or man as an outsider from the norm. Vampyre adds a bit more than just your garden-variety spooky cliche. There are clearly demarcations of bittersweet memories, dark seductiveness and forlorn emotions interwoven with some of the creepy elements. It is though we get a sense of the "life" of our undead travelers that flitter by in a subconscious way.

Without any authored prose or spoken dialogue to set the scenes, as in previous releases, the macabre elements are given a three-dimensional aspect of the vampyric characters, deftly created via the utilization of sound alone. From the dark tones of the opening track "Awakening," through the funereal style "Unhallowed Ground," right through the last track "Vampyre," we are provided with a first hand voyeuristic perspective of the entire transformation and damnation of the vampire.

The magic behind the music is to create "soundtracks for the mind as well as the movie that has never been made." However, all of Midnight Syndicate's work is simply prime material waiting to be tapped for future film scores. Recently, the astute horror maestro and film director, Danny Draven, featured their earlier work in his film score of Witchhouse 3. (Available for rental at Blockbuster or for sale at Amazon...Hearing this music coupled with the marvel of cinema is a natural progression and transition that hopefully, more in the filmmaking industry will come to realize as well.


Okay...   July 12, 2003
 8 out of 15 found this review helpful

Eh, I didn't think much of this cd. I've heard scarier or better gothic atmosphere music from video games. It seems to plod on and on and every track sounds like the previous one or something you've heard a hundred times before.


In My Own Humble Opinion......   October 23, 2002
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Including "Vampyre", I now have Midnight Syndicate's 4 most recent CD's. For some strange reason, during the first few tracks I can't help but think of John Williams movie scores. The Dark Effect finally hits around the 5th selection and I am enticed into the NightWorld of of the Vampyre at last. So Good to be "Home" again! This is a grand collection of "inspirational" music. I think "Born of the Night" and "Realm of Shadows" are slightly better, but when they're all at least as good as "Vampyre", one really has nothing to complain about. Light the candles, climb into your coffin and ENJOY!


This is to Goth as Spinal Tap is to Metal   September 9, 2003
 7 out of 18 found this review helpful

Except it isn't funny.

If you like two guys on synthesizers who work up ho-hum musical variations worthy of a B- rate movie, this will be your cup of tea. If you are looking for something, anything with musical value you will ignore this except as poor-level background music, the kind you might put on at a kiddy-style "Haunted House".

Please, if you are looking for true Goth, do not pass go, do not collect $200 until you have heard some Bauhaus, some Sisters of Mercy, some Christian Death, and hopefully some Faith & the Muse. If you are looking for mood music, at least look into classical tracks my Mussorgskii, Berlioz, Saint-Saens, and the like.

That or play this.

Let's put it this way: Poe would be disappointed with you.


This is getting boring.   September 19, 2003
 7 out of 12 found this review helpful

I had picked up the first couple CD's by this band and really liked them. I have to say that I am starting to get bored with them. I am sure that they are accomplished musicians but there is so little they have to work with. There are times when this disc sounds very sterile and synthetic. One can't help but feel the production is a little cheap. For some reason (and I don't know why) this one doesn't hold up to the others. Actually, I started to tire of Midnight Syndicate with their last release so I don't even know why I bothered at all. In all reality, the music is good but it doesn't hold up to repeat listenings (as is true with most instrumental recordings of this nature). I suppose one could pull this out during Halloween for a party or when passing out candy to the kiddies but that's about it. I see that they have a new disc on the way. I can only hope it's better than this or that they try something new. This is getting boring.