Shadow of the Raven

Edgar Allan Poe himself would have loved this musical tribute to his works, a tribute that is every bit as timeless as his writings! Highly Recommended!

Whenever I listen to this CD, I picture a madman, sitting down at a black grand piano, a candelabra burning dully just above his sheet music, and I’m somehow vaulted back to the Victorian age.

A superb unleashing by the minstrels of the macabre, dedicated to master of the macabre.

Timeless, romantically gorgeous, undeniably majestic, wonderfully chilling!!!

I can't recommend this enough.

One of my favorite releases from Nox Arcana.

Shadow of the Raven continues in Nox Arcana's vein of greatness... they delve so deeply into what it truly must have been like to be Poe, it makes you wonder if Vargo and Piotrowski aren't actually vampires that at one time shared an evening with the man, cavorting on the rundown streets of Baltimore.

First of all...EIGHT albums in four years??! Bravo!
     I think one of the reasons I love Nox Arcana so much is that their versatility for homage to the dark side is as vast as my own. A true fan of the dark side places reverence in many places...from Darth Vader to George Romero.. from Frank Frazetta to Edgar Allan Poe. Nox Arcana is intelligent horror. They see the beauty of the dark side that I have seen for so many years. Are most fans dorks like me that when they listen to Nox Arcana's CD's they look up at all the posters on their walls and fantasize what it might be like to actually attend a dark carnival, reside in a haunted manor, be a member of the Sith, or join an army of the walking dead, or to be seduced by a mesmerizing vampyre? Sci-fi/horror/fantasy fans are the most loyal, hold the highest standards and maintain the highest reverence for those who have come before them.
     Shadow of the Raven salutes the king of true Gothic horror, Edgar Allan Poe. In all honesty, I did sip on Amontillado to prepare myself for this CD, I wasn't wearing motley, although I wish I had. I love how this band can go from thundering swords and sorcery as in Blood of the Dragon to the delicate harpsichords such as those featured on track 6 "Haunted Memories" of this album. I like to call it the dichotomy of darkness. A prominent track to me was track 8 "Legacy of Sorrow;" the relentless melody allows you to indeed waltz with sorrow personified. The hypnotic allure of "Masque of Red Death," the beautiful string composition of "The Raven," all pay homage to a dark side and seem more melancholy than evil... a sadness in Poe's work captured in these songs.
     I DO know the difference between sherry and Amontillado and like a fine cask, Vargo and Piotrowski get better with age. I believe their versatility and willingness to explore all realms of horror and the dark side is what will keep Nox Arcana enduring for some time to come.

Once upon a midnight dreary, Nox Arcana set out to create a musical tribute to the literary master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. The resulting concept album, Shadow of the Raven is a lush, gothic masterpiece of beauty and darkness. The 21 instrumental tracks cover all of Poe's most famous tales and poems, including "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Cask of Amontillado," and of course, "The Raven." The cd creates a musical tapestry of Victorian elegance and Gothic nightmares, interweaving haunting piano ballads like "Lenore" with eerie harpsichord melodies and dark dirges such as "A Dream within a Dream" and "The Pit and the Pendulum." Tracks like "Melancholia," utilize violins, ghostly female vocals and tolling bells to accent a somber piano melody while "Masque of the Red Death" and "Mysteries of the Night" build to dark and dramatic choruses of orchestra and choir. "Annabel Lee" is a haunting music box melody that adds a perfect balance to creepy sound-effect tracks like "The Tell-tale Heart" and "The Black Cat." Shadow of the Raven is a dark treasure that truly captures the essence of Poe's tormented soul.

Mysteries of the Night..... The Raven... Magnificent pieces.... By God, they all are.... Nox Arcana portrays art in the darkest of beauties....

This is an amazing album. I love how it's Edgar Allen Poe. This is just wonderful and beautifully dark. Simply amazing.

I must confess, this is my absolute favorite album of Nox Arcana's thus far. I also own Winter's Eve (a close second), Necronomicon (good, but not as much my cup of tea), and Blackthorn Asylum (right up there with Winter's Eve). This album is incredibly enjoyable and serves as great background music or as something to focus on....has excellent replay value. A must-have!! Don't fool around with trying to scope out a few favorites... get the entire album!

The perfect Edgar Allan Poe tribute! dark and beautiful...i love Annabel Lee...it hypnotized me... gorgeous

All of these are a reference to Poe's poems. It is awsome!

I literally just started listening to Nox Arcana yesterday! I'd never heard of them before and randomly found them. Everything I've listened to so far has been ablsolutely amazing! I got this album yesterday and I've fallen in love! It's incredible! I love their idea of concept albums and I love the topics they've picked! I just have to figure out which album to get next! I want to own them all!

Perfectly dark.

I stumbled across Nox Arcana while looking around itunes, and I was completely blown away! Each of their albums has a theme of its own, and they portray them all so well! I've only read a few of Poe's stories, but I have to say that this captures their essence perfectly. Nox Arcana is clearly passionate about their music, and I became a huge fan in less than an hour! If you are a lover of Poe you simply HAVE to get thistruely unique hybrid of the two. I'm definitely looking forward to future releases

Dark and melodic: the kind of music you THINK you want to sleep to at night, and yet it gives you cold chills.

In a word, Brilliant. The work of Nox Arcana keeps getting better. As a Professional Magician, I not only enjoy this music at my leisure, it serves as inspiration in my work. I am especially moved with Annabel Lee, Lenore and of course The Raven. When this album was released, I did not hesitate to purchase it because I have enjoyed their past works. Carnival of Lost Souls and Darklore…

Wow. I was absolutely stunned after enjoying my daily Nox Arcana with this Album. I have every single one of Nox Arcana's albums except for Necromonicon and Blood of Angels. At first I liked "Darklore Manor," and it's quality is superb. It was my alltime favorite. Untill I heard THIS one! I've read a ton of Edgar Allan Poe's works. I've always enjoyed them, but hearing Nox Arcana's perfect interpretation blows me away every time. It's constantly playing in the background. If this is your first time listening to Nox Arcana, don't worry, it'll grow on you. This album is absolutely perfect for halloween. Nox Arcana has done it once again. IMHO, the best songs are: Lenore Pit and the Pendulum Anabel Lee Madeline's Lament.