Transylvania is yet another stone in the musical tower of Nox
Arcana. So, just take a step forward and cross the border of dream and
reality. The Victorian midnight tales and adventures full of blood, dark
romanticism perfectly wrapped in gothic aura await!
Metal-Sound.net
Nox Arcana's Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski are at it again,
taking on the long dark history of vampiric lore with their release
Transylvania. The chilling soundscapes are mesmerizing,
creating wonderfully wicked movies in the mind for those who
dare listen with their eyes closed. It is no small undertaking
trying to create the atmosphere of darkest Carpathia through
music, but Nox Arcana executes it perfectly, allowing you to
envision every blood-soaked detail.
"Transylvanian Overture,"
a narrated piece performed by Joseph Vargo, starts us off, perfectly
capturing the eerie mood of the album. "The Voyage"
and "The Black Coach" lead us right into the heart
of darkness, the tension forever building as we await the inevitable
arrival at "Castle Dracula." For the duration of your
passage through the land of darkness gothic choirs sing wraithlike
in your ears, while an orchestra of the damned plays ceaselessly.
It is so easy to become lost here, time seeming to stand still
as each of the tracks lead us deeper into the realm of one of
the most beloved and feared creatures of literature. We are taken
everywhere in the castle, from the belfry to the crypt, all the
while the sounds of bats and wolves accompanying our every step.
One piece that adds to the ambience
of this release is the CD booklet, which includes some of Joseph
Vargo's amazing artwork alongside the lyrics for some of the
narrated portions of the album. These haunting images make it
that much easier to immerse yourself in Nox Arcana's Transylvania.
If this is your first trip
into the nether realms created by Nox Arcana, I can assure you
it will not be your last. Vargo and Piotrowski have a way of
creating evocative environments that linger in your psyche. I
can honestly say they are without equal, and they have fast become
one of my favorite bands.
So what are you waiting for? Take
a one-way trip to Transylvania, a world that will live
on in your nightmares.
Josh Haney, Hacker's
Source
Beware ye who dare to venture where angels fear to tread... And thus, my journey begins to the dark mountains that lie beyond
this barren land, long forgotten by human God. The desolate castle
that stands atop the hill, only a sign of the eternal suffering
that has swept this land through centuries past, invites me to
be a part of this ferocious tragedy, called Transylvania...
His hand, I see it, it guides me through this darkness, as I
cry out "be gone light!"
Nox Arcana invites you to embark
on a darkly erotic musical journey to a barren land, where the
children of the night never seize to quench their savage hunger
for human life. From the beginning 'til the very end, the dark
orchestrations and haunting melodies and rhythms will transport
you straight into the land of the undead, only to bear witness
to the massacre that takes place every unholy night. "Venture
forth...if you dare!"
This is an EXCELLENT and STUNNING
piece of musical ingenuity that pays homage to the dark mastermind
called Bram Stoker. It successfully manages to satisfy even the
most demanding of listeners. An album that stands as a landmark
in the gothic-horror instrumental genre.
Metal Invader
5 stars
***** Transylvania is darkly atmospheric with its shadowy grace...
The production work is brilliant. Overall, the whole album is
awesome, the musicianship excellent—melodic
beauty mixed with chilling doom-laden darkness.
ChainDLK
As a lone traveler trekking across the eerie landscape of the
Carpathian Mountains, one might wonder as to the sounds that
might accompany this ethereal panorama. Nox Arcana's latest installation
of horror/Gothic themed concept albums, Transylvania is
the sound of legendary Romania. In this celebration of the creatures
of the night, creators Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski take
you to Nosferatu's inner sanctum. The listener is led from rickety
black velvet shrouded coaches to gypsy caravans, werewolf infested
woodland, to mistresses of darkness, to "sentinels of stone"
to the Lord of Darkness' Castle itself. Every track has a distinct
theme and one can guess what track it is without following along
on the CD insert. Nox Arcana's visualizations are manifested
into a cornucopia of Gothic Greatness. Why they haven't produced
a full-length feature film yet is beyond me.
Alexandra Nakelski, Fangoria
"Nox Arcana are known to take their subject matter seriously
and apply a level of professionalism that is unmatched since
Bram Stoker created his neverending tale over a century ago...
Nox Arcana's take on the subject in Transylvania stays
truthful and infuses the atmosphere with the perfect backing
to any Victorian gothic horror. Nox Arcana's treatment is deep,
meaningful, frightening yet beautiful."
Legends
Magazine
Nox Arcana musically explores the ultimate gothic atmosphere
in Transylvania, the forth concept album that Joseph Vargo
and William Piotrowski have produced in less than three years.
Vargo re-examines one of his favourite subjects, a gothic myth
which he has approached from different angles in the past, Count
Dracula and his dark disciples. The descent into the Transylvanian
myths, the enchanting 'land beyond the forest,' begins with the
narration of the first poetical lyrics.
The concept, as with the
previous Nox Arcana projects (with the exception perhaps of Winter's
Knight, with more vocals included) is developed cinematographically,
which brings the album closer to the musical category of movie
soundtracks, with influences from classic horror film and cinema
fantastique composers, such as Wojcieck Kilar (Dracula), Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen), John Carpenter, or even Vangelis
The many fully-developed musical works evoke a dark and dangerous
atmosphere, mystereous at times, with gypsy melodies of violin
and female chants, and at times epic, with crescendoes of a large
symphony orchestra, and further reinforced by the heavy Gregorian
chants: Vargo's own voice filtered through several layers, resulting
in an impressive quality sound.
Especially recommended for the
lovers of horror movie soundtracks, dark fairytales, as well
as to the vampire breed and fans of Stoker's legend.
Jonathan Bright, Strange Magazine (Greece)
*Links to interview with Vargo, (PDF)
As a magician/escape artist, I look to music as a form
of inspiration and creativity, and Nox Arcana contributes magically
on all levels. Their music pierces the veil of darkness and has
actually helped me to create magic effects based on many of their
alluring themes. Rarely can one sit back and actually visualize
music, but in this instance Nox Arcana echoes from the crypt.
KarL Achilles, professional magician
The problem with this latest from Nox Arcana, is that they are
setting the bar higher and higher with each release. Each one
just gets better than the last one. It makes me wonder how long
they can keep doing this??? I guess we'll just have to keep waiting!
As much as we enjoyed being lead
into the dark crypts of Lovecraft's world with Necronomicon, with Transylvania, they take us on a wonderfully dark
journey through the land of the Carpathian Mountains, filled
with bats, howling winds and wolves. Their musical storytelling,
with the spoken words, the chanting, and the wonderful organ
music, is something that all horror and gothic fans will enjoy.
Nox Arcana continues to deliver
great music for those Halloween nights, or any dark and gloomy
evenings, when you want to add a little bit more atmosphere to
your night. Or even to bring some of that darkness to you in
the blinding daylight hours as well.
Kitley's
Krypt