Fan favorite musical group Midnight Syndicate recently released a new folk horror-inspired album titled Plankett’s Grove. Available to download, stream, and listen for free on YouTube, the 18-track album is a return to Midnight Syndicate’s thematic roots.
One of the reasons why Midnight Syndicate has always stood apart from other, atmospheric bands is that their compositions include a variety of soundscapes to underline a specific theme or mood. Plankett’s Grove is a 53-minute album filled with lush sound effects that evoke different experiences in folk horror. The album opens with a cinematic-inspired track called “Welcome to Illswich”, replete with the haunting sound of muddy footprints in the rain, that sets the tone for the entire album. Other tracks that stood out to me include:
• “Echoes of the Past” – evokes a vintage folk horror feel with theatrical overtones, choral highlights, and cinematic crescendos
• “Bleak Provenance” – draws on a solo pianist that expands and contracts to orchestral heights
• “The Woods Are Watching” – underlines the experience of hiking alone in a dark forest with sounds of creaking wood, strange birds, rustling leaves, and chords that mimic a listener’s (or viewer’s) anxiety
• “Hidden Grotto” – beckons the listener to a ancient stone grotto swallowed by the forest. Frogs croak, birds chirp, and a natural spring gurgles in an odd but welcoming setting, then unsettles the listener with a vibrating bass, unfriendly hounds, and eerie voices. Easily one of my favorite tracks that highlights Midnight Syndicate’s ability to tell a story using sound.
• “Shanty in the Pines” – describes a true, folk horror experience using off-key bells and percussion instruments in sharp contrast to orchestral whispers and unsettling scratches.
Fantastic for anyone seeking a compilation of expertly-produced horror music, each track offers a unique experience described by its title. From a hunt in the forest (“Primal Instinct) to audio homages to Lovecraft and Poe (“Lenore’s Curiosities”) this album touches on several experiences in folk horror while adding something new. Listeners can expect a spooky, atmospheric mix of cinematic orchestral melodies complemented by organic soundscapes filled with croaking frogs, cawing crows, and pouring rain, choral overtones, drums, and flutes.
For more information about Plankett’s Grove and the musical phenomenon, visit MidnightSyndicate.com
A complementary digital copy of Plankett’s Grove was provided by Midnight Syndicate.
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