CEMETERY GATES starts out a little differently than most of Midnight Syndicate's previous releases

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It has been 3 years since Midnight Syndicate's last CD of all new material (not counting the soundtrack to THE RAGE released earlier this year). One might ask after such a long "hiatus" if the band has still got it. With CEMETERY GATES, the answer is a resounding YES!!!

CEMETERY GATES starts out a little differently than most of Midnight Syndicate's previous releases. Whereas many of them begin with a "prelude" of sorts, a kind of creepy, drone-like intro that builds to a climax, CEMETERY GATES' opening track ("Cathedral Ruins") is quite the opposite and comes out swinging. For me, it conjured up images of a chase through a cemetery, past the catacombs, tombstones... hiding behind a mausoleum. Somebody else might envision something completely different, which is the beauty of a Midnight Syndicate album.

From there, Midnight Syndicate supplies the listener with the usual roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the CD. The title track sounds like a distant relative of "Eclipse" (from REALM OF SHADOWS/OUT OF THE DARKNESS). The bonus tracks offer up something a little different than previous CDs have... songs with actual lyrics. Apparently, these are songs that are actually featured in the movie THE DEAD MATTER. I'm not really a big fan of remixes, but the A.B.T. Remix of "Theme to 'The Dead Matter'" has really grown on me.

After listening to a new CD (by ANY artist), I often put in some of their previous CDs to compare the new material to the old stuff. This time, however, CEMETERY GATES has yet to leave my CD player. After listening to this album for the umpteenth time, I asked myself the following question... after 10 releases, how does Midnight Syndicate keep coming up with such great music? I may never know the answer, but as long as they keep making it, I'll keep listening.