More Info on Nox ArcanaSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Nox Arcana| image =| caption = Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski| image_size = | background = group_or_band| origin = Cleveland , Ohio|OH USA| genre = Neoclassical (Dark Wave)|Neoclassical Ambient music|ambient | years_active = 2003-present| label = http://www.monolithgraphics.com Monolith Graphics| associated_acts = Michelle Belanger , Buzz-Works | website = http://www.noxarcana.com NoxArcana.com| current_members = Joseph Vargo William Piotrowski Nox Arcana is an American Neoclassical (Dark Wave)|neoclassical Ambient music|ambient musical duo, formed in 2003 in music|2003 by Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski . Nox Arcana specializes in concept albums based on gothic fiction and classic horror literature . Such literary references include H. P. Lovecraft , The Brothers Grimm , Ray Bradbury , and Edgar Allan Poe . Citation| url = http://www.flamesrising.com/interview-with-joseph-vargo-artist-musician | title = Interview with Joseph Vargo, Artist & Musician | periodical = Flames Rising | date = 2006-09-18 Some of their albums also make reference to medieval themes and ancient mythology .Citation |date=Winter 2007 |title=Editorial |periodical=Echo Immortalis |pages=31–32 |url= http://www.monolithgraphics.com/interviews/EchoImmortalis.pdf
Their ''Winter's Knight album, released in 2005 in music|2005 , ranked as high as #8 on the Billboard Magazine|Billboard chart for Top Holiday Albums.cite web |url= http://www.billboard.com/search/? keyword=nox+arcana& x=0& y=0#/charts/holiday-albums? chartDate=2007-01-27 |title=Billboard Music Charts |publisher=Billboard Magazine |accessdate=2007-01-27 Their music is used by theme parks such as Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream Tampa Bay|Busch Gardens , Knott's Scary Farm and Halloween_Horror_Nights_(Orlando)#XVIII:_Reflections_of_Fear_.282008.29|Universal Studios during Halloween for scenes and haunted houses based upon Nox Arcana album themes.Citation | last=Koster | first=Rick | date=October 7, 2008 | title=Nox Arcana | newspaper=The Day | publication-place=New London, CT. | url= http://theday.com | accessdate=2008-10-12 Citation | last=Teresenza | first=Serena | url= http://www.monolithgraphics.com/interviews/gateways.html | title=Interview with Joseph Vargo | periodical=Gothic Gateways | date=October 2008 | accessdate=2009-08-26 Nox Arcana's music was featured exclusively on the television show America Haunts for the Travel Channel throughout the Halloween weekend 2009.cite web | title = Nox Arcana news | date = October 2009 | url = http://www.noxarcana.com/news.html | accessdate = 2009-10-29cite web | title = TV Guide Lisitng: "America Haunts" | url = http://www.tvguide.com/search/index.aspx? keyword=America%20haunts | accessdate = 2009-10-29cite web | title = America Haunts production credits, episodes II, III, IV | url = http://www.facebook.com/pages/America-Haunts/151707981701? v=app_2347471856 | accessdate = 2009-10-29
Musical characteristics
Nox Arcana is influenced by New Age music|New Age , Classical music|classical , ambient music , rock music , and Soundtrack album|film soundtracks , citing other composers such as John Carpenter , Danny Elfman , AC/DC , Wojciech Kilar , Enya , Loreena McKennitt , Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven , Jerry Goldsmith , and Hans Zimmer .Citation | last = Haney | first = Josh | title = Interview with Nox Arcana | periodical = Wicked Karnival Magazine | date = October 2006 Citation | last = Pan | first = Marcus | url= http://www.monolithgraphics.com/interviews/Legends156a.pdf | title = Interview with Nox Arcana | periodical = Legends Magazine | date= February 2006, issue 156 Citation | last = Ioannou | first = Rania | url= http://www.monolithgraphics.com/interviews/metafysiko.html | title = Interview with Joseph Vargo | periodical = Metafysiko: Fantasy Gate | location= Greece | date= April 2008
Nox Arcana's music is melodic and moody, focusing on a dominant melody line. Instrumentation varies with each album as appropriate to the theme or time period of the album concept, and typically includes piano, bells, violin, pipe organ, harpsichord, timpani drums and other percussion. Some albums also include cymbals, lutes, acoustic guitars, bagpipes and glockenspiel, depending on the theme of a given album. Enforcing the theme and the narrative is the use of sound effects, such as, for instance, a door creaking or a pendulum swinging on the Edgar Allan Poe|Poe -inspired Shadow of the Raven (album)|Shadow of the Raven .cite web | last = Valentinelli | first = Monica | title = Review of Shadow of the Raven | work = Flames Rising | date = 2009-04-24 | url = http://www.flamesrising.com/shadow-of-the-raven-review/ | accessdate = 2009-04-26 Vocals and narratives are also used sparingly to help relate a story or serve as introduction to a musical piece, for example, the voice of "Jonathan Harker" and whispered female voices of "Dracula's brides" that beckon to the listener, a carnival barker with the indistinct sounds of an audience in the distance, or "Edgar Allan Poe" and a voice calling out from the grave after being prematurely buried, the gravelly voice of a "witch" casting a spell, and a variety of low Gregorian-style chanting and ethereal choirs.Describing musical characteristics: http://www.nggnet.com/Other/ARTREV/darkloremanorNOXARCANA.htm National Gamers Guild for Darklore Manor , http://www.templeofdagon.com/forum/viewtopic.php? t=244 Temple of Dagon for Necronomicon , http://www.christmasreviews.com/wnoxarcana.shtml Christmas Reviews for ''Winter's Knight , http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/index.php? rl=1& id=2490 Chain DLK for Transylvania , http://web.archive.org/web/20091027141701/ http://www.geocities.com/draconisblkthn/NoxArcana.html Draconis Blackthorn for Carnival of Lost Souls, http://www.side-line.com/reviews_comments.php? id=22118_0_17_0_C Side-line for Blood of Angels , http://paizo.com/store/gameAids/audioCDs/noxArcana/v5748btpy7tp2& source=search Paizo Publishing for Blood of the Dragon , http://www.flamesrising.com/shadow-of-the-raven-review Flames Rising for Shadow of the Raven , and http://www.fangoria.com/musick/reviews/302-review-nox-arcana-phantoms-of-the-high-seas.html Fangoria Musick for Phantoms of the High Seas .
Joseph Vargo is a renowned gothic-fantasy artist who has created an extensive portfolio of work ranging from album covers and books to posters, music cds, and other products that are distributed through his publishing company Monolith Graphics. Citation| last=Bennett | first=Tim | date=October 30, 2005 | title=Gothic Empire: Ten Minutes with Joseph Vargo | newspaper=The Plain Dealer | page=L3 | location=Cleveland, OH | accessdate=2009-08-25 http://www.josephvargo.com Joseph Vargo's artist portfolio http://www.monolithgraphics.com Monolith Graphics publisher's website Before forming Nox Arcana in 2003, Joseph Vargo produced two albums for Midnight Syndicate but left the band in 2000 to co-write Tales From The Dark Tower , a book that follows the exploits of a vampire during the First Crusade . Citation| title=Tales From The Dark Tower | last=Vargo | first=Joseph | authorlink= http://www.monolithgraphics.com/tales.html | coauthors= | year=2000 | publisher=Monolith Graphics | location= | isbn=978-0967575605 | page= | pages=280 | url= http://books.google.com/? id=TzkpAQAACAAJ& dq=Tales+from+the+dark+tower | accessdate=2009-08-25 He later published Dark Realms magazine and released a best-selling card deck, The Gothic Tarot. Previews starred item, September 2005. The Gothic Tarot ranks #7 of 10 (above Star Wars and Batman card games) William Piotrowski had previously written the score for a video production entitled "Ghosts of Ohio", Citation| title=Interview with Joseph Vargo | url= http://www.monolithgraphics.com/interviews/GamingReport.pdf | periodical=Gaming Report | date=2004-12-23 Citation | title=Renaissance News | periodical= Renaissance Magazine | date=January 2007 a video documentary about Mary Ann Winkowski, a medium who inspired the CBS television show Ghost Whisperer . http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8423881/ MSNBC article on Ghost Whisperer and http://www.clevelandwomen.com/people/maryann.htm Local story on Mary Ann Winkowski
References
reflist
Interviews
http://www.halloweencenter.net/? p=193 Halloween Center, January 4, 2009
http://www.halloweendatabase.com/index.php? v_action=noxarcana Halloween Database, August 2007
http://www.gnostics.com/noxarcana.html Parallel Perspectives, May 2007
http://musicstreetjournal.com/interviews_display.cfm? id=100086 Music Street Journal, September 2006
http://www.noxarcana.com/interviews/perch.html The Perch, May 2006
