Harken to the Haunting Harmonies of Harrow's Peak in The Night Keep's 'Vindemia'

Since the release of the inaugural incantation that is A Tale of Shadows in September of 2013, award-winning production company The Night Keep has hexed haunt and horror fans alike with immersive, arcane-infused audio dramas bound by passionately crafted, sinister scores that are second to none. Vindemia, the latest album from the connoisseurs of the crypt, was released last October and joins Shade of Night, Ex Tenebris, Heretica, and In Musicka as an instant masterpiece of the macabre. I encourage you to stoke the fire, pour yourself a fine vintage, close your eyes, and sip at your leisure as your soul drifts to the sea-side port town of Harrow’s Peak. Do enjoy your stay.

“In 1893, Jacob Harrow and the people of Harrows Peak disappeared. Now, in 1906, you are inheritor to the Harrow Estate and Winery. What secrets lie in wait within the empty halls of Harrow Estate? What foul secrets did Jacob Harrow keep within the confines of his home? Welcome to the House of Harrows. . .”

After the chilling yet alluring instrumental ‘Arrival (Overture)’ paints the landscape surrounding your inheritance with phantasmal precision, the curtains of the theater of the mind are drawn as our collective journey to the crumbling manor of Lord Jacob Rutheford Harrow is heralded by the voice talents of William Sears as attorney Bertram Danridge. Mr. Danridge makes known the legends surrounding the manor, but not before quickly dismissing the tales as mere superstition. The ride is accented by the tracks ‘Viticulture’ and ‘Inheritance’, both providing further fuel for your imagination, adding damnable details to the cursed land. As the carriage approaches, thunder rolls on the horizon. You’d best make it in before the rain.

Unfortunately for you, dear listener, Mr. Danridge has a train to catch on the morrow and must leave you alone in the unhallowed halls of Jacob Harrow, but not before he assures you all of the stories surrounding the place are just that- stories. That should soothe your sorrows. In addition, you have inherited 200 hundred acres of wine country. Certainly, there are plenty of casks left in the cellar to keep your belly warm for the evening. You’ll find that the House of Harrow concocts a most eerie vintage, the type only produced by a solitary home. As you settle into the parlor for the remainder of the night, you discover an old phonograph in which to play the wax cylinder gifted to you by the fleeing attorney. What words of wisdom does Jacob Harrow (Mark Bogner) have for his heir? As you pour another glass, the phonograph begins to crackle to life. . .

“ ...these missionaries are quite odd, and I am
unfamiliar with their particular denomination. Naturally, the
townsfolk want nothing to do with them, but such is the case when
people of different faiths begin to interact. They
prayed over my home, and my wine; consecrated the earth,
anointed the walls with a strange-smelling oil... I
will readily admit I hoped for the missionaries to leave quickly, I
must say that I find them fascinating, and the more I listen to their
leader - their Shepherd as they call him - the more I find myself
yearning to hear more of their philosophy. he
teaches from a book, an ancient tome with an intricate cover,
engraved in strange symbols, and whose pages are of a leathery
substance, with inks and filgrees of eldritch intricacy, the likes of
which I have never beheld. The Shepherd informs
me that his book tells of ancient gods, older magicks, and religions
than what mankind has been taught over the course of time. I cannot bear to read the book for more than a
couple minutes without growing sick; vomiting.
The Shepherd assures me the feelings of nausea will eventually
pass; that it is the Old Way cleansing my brain of the modernisms
and false wavelengths that have dulled our minds...

”

What horrors lie further within the haunted halls of the House of Horrow? What of the old book, the Sheppard, and the wine? What of the townsfolk? Why now? All of the questions plaguing your mind are answered in Vindemia. As this is an audio drama where you play the titular role, I want to refrain from any spoilers to the spectacular story weaved by The Night Keep. The remainder of the narrative is stitched together masterfully by sprinkles of instrumental stimulation. If you are brave enough to sample the vintage and enter House Horrow, the full release is available on Bandcamp.

Read more within the Museum of Macabre Media on Monsters, Madness and Magic here: Crawl Before the Crypts of the Undead as Serpentis Commands Withered Flesh To Arise