If the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack got together and made passionate love during the midst of climactic battle—then gave birth to a baby on the 1st full moon of the Year of Imotep, atop a ruined tower whilst undead wolves circled hungrily below, sent by their dark master to destroy the babe prophesized to destroy him, and then that baby grew up to kill an Ogre on his 16th birthday, then travel the world for years gathering the weapons of legacy before returning as a man at the head of a vast army to conquer a corrupt kingdom and avenge his father's death—then this CD would be that man (plus dragons).
It's the kind of CD where every other song is punctuated by thundering, booming drums while a choir urgently sings in some foreign language that, roughly translated, means: "I'm coming to cut your head off with my sword now—probably in slow motion too... With this CD in the player you're just a crank of the volume knob away from dark rumbling mood music or thundering battle anthems. It's great fun and it's great fantasy - hand me my D20! Huzzah!
Paizo.com
I perfectly imagine this music as soundtrack of movies
like Conan and the great Lord of the Rings-trilogy.
I personally prefer Nox Arcana's work for being a bit more diversified...
amazing talent!
Side-Line
Magazine
Nox Arcana, does as a duo what some film composers do with
an entire orchestra. They're truly a force to be reckoned with...
Simply enchanting. Upon listening to Blood of the Dragon, I'm reminded of the soundtrack scores of great sword and sorcery
movies like Conan, The 13th Warrior and The Lord of
the Rings.
Prognaut
Reviews
Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski constantly surpass
themselves in creating amazing melodies and arrangements. The
majestic feeling of the music here will surely take you to ancient
lands, the ones imagined by this virtuoso duo.
Music
Extreme
The fantastic atmosphere and music created by this duo will
take you on the journey through the forgotten kingdoms full
of wizards, mages, barbarian warriors and eerie forces that
are dwelling in the shadows of the unknown world.
Metal-Sound.net
With this release, Nox Arcana takes us on a journey to the time
and land of dragons and the mighty warriors who sought to destroy
them. While this CD doesn't have the usual 'horror' theme,
which is what we normally prefer, Blood of the Dragon has enough darkness flowing through it to appease any horror
fan. What amazing me the most is the epic sound of this release.
Not to downplay their previous releases, but this one seems much
more on a grander scale, coming up with many different layers
of sound and music. I could easily see this as a soundtrack for
many a sword & sorcery or barbarian movie. The different
tracks bring to life various journeys and quests for the dragon,
filling the listener with visions of smoky caves, wide open,
barren lands, and even different cultures. While we still love
the horror themed ones, I feel that Blood of the Dragon is their biggest and best sounding album yet. Just listen to
it and you can almost smell the burning smoke from the Dragon
itself.
Kitley's
Krypt
I always like to enjoy the latest CD adventure from Nox Arcana
when I am about to embark on an adventure of my own. This time
I was touring the Cascade Mountains and into Vancouver for my Blood of the Dragon adventure. I also celebrated by watching Dragonslayer again. (And why Nox Arcana hasn't produced
a film of their own yet is beyond me!) However, after listening
to the first few tracks I realized all of their cds ARE films!
They create films in the listeners' mind and spark the imagination,
a quality sadly lacking in many films that are out there nowadays!
Having fortunately grown up loving Conan the Barbarian and the Beastmaster, it was AMAZING to see that the spirit
of swords and sorcery hasn't died. It is alive and thrives in Blood of the Dragon.
After reading the great intro about
the warriors who had the Dragon Blood running in their veins,
I came to notice a formula apparent in each Nox Arcana compilation.
Whether a conscious decision on their part or not, they have
created standards in each of their musical voyages that have
now come to play like a treasure hunt for me when they release
a new album. These elements you can anticipate to enjoy as any
fan of a specific genre would. These standards outline the formula.
For instance, when watching a James Bond film, you would expect
a climactic intro usually separate from the main plot, a great
credit sequence with naked female silhouettes with memorable
music, females specializing in fields of science that aid Bond...and
the list continues....
Some of the "treasures"
to behold in each Nox Arcana CD/insert are: Feasting your eyes
on the lush artwork of Joseph Vargo that give you glimpses into
each distinct fantasy world. They paint you enough picture to
get the feel for the music, but then allow you to leave the rest
to your imagination. Throughout the insert, little blurbs guide
you throughout the journey. Some I have read to be later pleased
that they were indeed lyrics to a surprise vocal piece such as
"Treasure of the Four Crowns" performed beautifully
by Jeff Endemann, whose voice transported me to the great hard
rock ballad singers of the '80s! The music always comes full
circle, complete with crescendo, climax and plot resolution.
The members of Nox Arcana are featured
in a final photo as players of the theme involved with the music.
They are creators and actors in the theater of Nox Arcana.
Lately, I have been finding myself preferring to turn on a Nox
Arcana CD and close my eyes and paint a film in my head rather
than paying the big dollar for a "Hollywood" feature
and being disappointed as usual, by the mainstream's lack of
quality. Being very nostalgic myself, I love anything that resonates
a thrilling adventure with such themes of swords and sorcery
prevalent in the '70s and '80s, and Nox Arcana does just that.
All I am left to wonder is... just what ARE the cryptic riddles
and answers required to face the evil that arises from the Stygian
Depths??!!
Alexandra Nakelski, Fangoria
Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski have conjured an epic soundscape
of sword and sorcery that challenges bold adventurers to traverse a dark
realm of fantasy ruled by wizards and dragons. The concept album covers
the full spectrum of Medieval music while setting the mood for a quest to
find the fabled Treasure of the Four Crowns. The cd begins with a bold choral
refrain that gives way to an opening narration that tells a tale of ancient
lore. The music ranges from moving choir pieces such as "Citadel of
Secrets" and "Chamber of the Immortals" to majestic orchestrations
like "Steeds of Thunder," "Dragon Riders," and "The
Siege," which utilize powerful war horns, drums and barbarian chants.
Guest vocalist Jeff Endemann sings the minstrel ballad "Treasure of
the Four Crowns," telling the musical tale of a fabled quest, and "Highland
Storm" begins with a simple melody on bagpipes and drums before erupting
into a brilliant, fast-paced Celtic fiddle duel. Nox Arcana's gothic fans
are sure to love the haunting "Mist Loch," the ominous "Legions
of Darkness," and the ritualistic Egyptian chants of the exotic "The
Mystic's Keep." The title track builds to a magnificent orchestrated
choir piece reminiscent of Carmina Burana. The cd booklet is filled with
fantastic artwork and a few surprises as well. Blood of the Dragon is a
masterpiece of epic proportions.
Devon King, Dark Realms
The morning sun was blacked by the scorching fire of the ancient flying
demons. I tell you this one thing my friends, Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski
have returned with another offering under the Nox Arcana moniker. The one
thing that amazes me about Vargo and company is that they write like classic
authors. These epic stories seem to be in their blood and flow like sweet
wine from their fingers to their instruments. This new journey is called Blood
of the Dragon and takes use through a land of knights, barbarians, magic,
epic battle and of course dragons. There are parts of this where the celt
in me awakens with inspired battle lust, but alas we live in a society where
warriors are not given proper respect.
Vargo and Piotrowski take many elements from
classical and world music and then add their own special brand of darkness and
flash to the mix. So the story is written, a quest has been set to find the legendary
ancient prize known as the "Treasure of the Four Crowns." Through the
album you are taken from the castle (where the quest is given) to the sorcerer,
the highlands, and the underworld. Truly there is nothing left from the quest,
but maybe a movie that it seems should have gone with it.
I’ve stated many times in the past that Nox
Arcana holds the great treasure of atmospheric perfection. Don’t think
I wouldn’t bring this up either. I believe this is one of the best Dungeons & Dragons style
soundtracks I’ve ever heard. This even trumps the Midnight Syndicate official
soundtrack. I know Vargo produced Midnight Syndicate for a while, but after having
a fall out with them I’m not sure how much he had to do with that particular
album. Either way if you are looking to enhance the overall mood of your sword
and sorcery evening then this is the album for you.
Nox Arcana is one of my favorite modern atmospheric
composition groups. The stories they weave are deep and well detailed. The emotion
and unrelenting plot is unmatched in our society today. If you like music that
takes you on a trip and shows you all the sights along the way then go and check
out Nox Arcana and especially Blood of the Dragon.
Black Angel Productions