Midnight Syndicate’s Plankett’s Grove takes the dark symphonic pioneers in an inspired new direction, trading the Victorian cobblestones and Parisian cabaret rooms of their previous work for the damp earth, ancient secrets, and pagan dread of folk horror. Spanning 18 tracks across nearly an hour, Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have crafted another masterclass in their trademark “soundtracks to imaginary films”—this time taking listeners into the living, unsettling community surrounding the rural town of Illswich.
Atmosphere and Sound Design
What separates Midnight Syndicate from standard haunt music has always been their meticulous world-building. Rather than setting the narrative in an abandoned ghost town, Goszka and Douglas deliberately made Illswich populated, functioning, and quietly complicit in the horrors lurking around its perimeter.
The album’s sound design serves as a vivid narrative anchor. From the opening strides of “Welcome to Illswich,” wet footsteps crunch through rainy gravel, setting an immediate sense of arrival and unease. In “The Woods Are Watching,” the interplay of snapping twigs, rustling leaves, distant bird squawks, and vocalizing amphibians creates genuine environmental tension before the strings even crest.
Standout Tracks and Musical Evolution
While their signature blend of gothic orchestral weight, haunting piano lines, and spectral choral pads is present, Plankett’s Grove incorporates distinct folk and organic textures that broaden their palette:
- “Hidden Grotto” stands as one of the record’s finest achievements. It opens deceptively with serene woodwinds and trickling mountain water, only to shift into deep, sub-harmonic vibrations, snarling creatures, and mournful sighs, flipping tranquil pastoral nature into sheer subterranean menace.
- “Bleak Provenance” relies on a solitary, rhythmic piano figure that slowly gathers cinematic orchestral mass, showcasing the duo’s knack for classical gothic sorrow.
- “Gypsy Encampment” and “Seeress” bring mystic world-folk instrumentation into play. Chimes, resonant percussion, and recessed incantations conjure campfire smoke and arcane prophecy without breaking the record’s cohesive mood.
- “Sylvan Respite” and “Call of the Moon” provide balance—the former delivering a melancholic, reflective pause, while the latter drives the narrative forward with urgent orchestral momentum.
- “Shanty in the Pines” leans fully into folk horror unsettlingness, matching off-kilter percussion and metallic clatter against orchestral scrapes and whispered anxieties.
The Verdict
Nearly 30 years into their career, Midnight Syndicate shows zero creative fatigue. Plankett’s Grove succeeds because it understands that genuine horror isn’t just bombastic jump scares; it is slow-simmering dread, folklore, and the chill that comes when stepping off a marked path into deep timber. Whether used as background scoring for tabletop roleplaying, an auditory backdrop for seasonal writing, or simply an immersive headphone listen on an October evening, Plankett’s Grove stands among the duo’s most cohesive and evocative releases.
To read my other HALLOWEEN BOOM BOX entries, click HERE. To add this amazing album to your music collection, click on the CD cover below.