Nox Arcana's debut album, Darklore Manor, was featured as the musical score for the WB's televised special of the 1922 silent film classic, Nosferatu, and has spawned a book of original horror stories, The Legend of Darklore Manor and Other Tales of Terror. Their haunting Gothic soundtracks have also been used in theatrical productions of Bram Stokers' Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. During the Halloween season the music of Nox Arcana can be heard throughout haunted attractions and theme parks around the world, including Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, and Knott’s Berry Farm.
In keeping with Vargo's literary interests, several concept albums pay tribute to many of his favorite authors. The darkly seductive album, Transylvania, ventures into the land of vampires, musically expounding upon Bram Stoker's Dracula. The sinister Necronomicon is brought to life in Nox Arcana's homage to H.P. Lovecraft. And the unsettling Blackthorn Asylum explores the horrors of a forsaken 19th century sanitarium with an original storyline that expands upon Lovecraft's "From Beyond." Carnival of Lost Souls takes listeners inside an old-fashioned traveling circus that harbors living nightmares and sinister secrets, in the tradition of Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes." The morbid and melancholy Shadow of the Raven pays tribute to the great Edgar Allan Poe, and the darkly enchanting Grimm Tales album brings the childhood nightmares of the Brothers Grimm to life. Theater of Illusion conjures a realm of mystery and dark magic, set in an old Vaudeville theater, hidden from the outside world, where master magicians gather to display their talents every Halloween night. The Dark Tower is a sinister symphony based on Joseph Vargo's original book series, Tales From The Dark Tower, and its sequel, Beyond The Dark Tower, which follows an epic saga of the vampire Lord Brom and his quest to solve the ancient mysteries of the accursed keep.
Nox Arcana also delves into the realms of fantasy with the medieval sword and sorcery epic, Blood of the Dragon, which stormed in at #4 on Amazon's New Age chart, and Phantoms of the High Seas, a ghostly adventure steeped in pirate lore that explores mysteries of the deep. The gothic-Christmas release Winter's Knight peaked at #8 on the Billboard Music Chart for Best Holiday Album in 2006. Winter's Eve continued the celebration of the magic and wonder of the winter season. Nox Arcana returned to the wintery realm of Ebonshire forest with Winter's Majesty, marking the third and final installment of winter-holiday albums.
Since the early stages of Blackthorn Asylum, Nox Arcana has been the solo project of Joseph Vargo, who has been the sole composer and musician on all subsequent albums, including Winter's Eve, Theater of Illusion, The Dark Tower, Winter's Majesty, Legion Of Shadows and Ebonshire. Vargo has also composed the music for two Buzz-Works CDs (Zombie Influx and House of Nightmares), as well as the musical scores for the cable series Eerie America and the upcoming computer game The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana.
As with all of Nox Arcana’s albums, the concepts and themes are of personal interest to Joseph Vargo, who also creates the lavish artwork, captivating storylines and hidden puzzles that accompany each CD. The section called The Arcanum offers entertaining information about Nox Arcana's favorite authors and arcane subjects.
Over the past decade, Nox Arcana has released a total of 18 full-length albums, comprising more than 380 compositions, and have never re-released any of their material on other albums. The latest release, Legion of Shadows, marks the band's 10 year anniversary, with 21 all new instrumental tracks dedicated to Nox Arcana's fans and all creatures of the night.
The Dark Tower
Nox Arcana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one is certain how long the dark tower has stood.
It is said to have been built upon unholy ground,
And thus cursed before even the first stone was set.
It is believed to be a place of great evil,
Haunted by dark angels and spirits of the restless dead.
Other tales tell of a warrior knight-once a man,
But now an immortal creature of darkness-
Who stands vigil over the fallen queen's tomb.
Noctem aeternus-the curse of eternal night.
'tis said to befall those who venture there,
Yet the lure of the dark beckons mortals into the abyss,
Where their tragic fates intertwine,
Deep within the shadows of the dark tower.
The lyrics to Nox Arcana's song The Dark Tower are foreboding and ominous, warning that those who enter are to abandon all hope. The dark tower has stood for an unknown length of time, built on cursed and unholy ground. The tower is believed to be a place of great evil, haunted by dark angels and spirits of the restless dead. The tower is said to have been the ancient fortress of Mara, the dark queen, and her infernal legions. It is also said to be guarded by an immortal warrior knight who now stands vigil over the fallen queen's tomb.
The curse of eternal night, Noctem Aeternus, is said to befall those who venture into the dark tower. Despite the danger, mortals are lured into the abyss by the darkness, and their fates intertwine tragically deep within the shadows of the tower. The lyrics paint a picture of a place too dangerous for mortals to venture, with a history shrouded in mystery and darkness. It's a warning to stay away from a place that holds too much evil power.
Line by Line Meaning
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here...
Warning to anyone who enters the dark tower, as it is believed to be cursed and haunted by evil spirits
No one is certain how long the dark tower has stood.
Unknown length of time that the dark tower has been standing, likely for ages
It is said to have been built upon unholy ground,
Believed to have been constructed on cursed land, making the tower cursed before construction even began
And thus cursed before even the first stone was set.
The dark tower was considered cursed before any construction began on the land
It is believed to be a place of great evil,
The perception of the dark tower is that it is a location of immense evil
Haunted by dark angels and spirits of the restless dead.
Spirits of the dead are believed to haunt the tower along with dark angels
Legends say the tower was once the ancient fortress of the dark queen, mara, and her infernal legions.
Folklore suggests the dark tower was the former stronghold of legendary dark queen named Mara and her armies of darkness
Other tales tell of a warrior knight-once a man,
Additional stories tell of a warrior knight who was once human
But now an immortal creature of darkness-
The warrior knight, in the present, is now an immortal creature of darkness
Who stands vigil over the fallen queen's tomb.
The warrior knight watches over the tomb of the fallen queen Mara
Noctem aeternus-the curse of eternal night.
The curse of eternal darkness that befalls those who venture into the dark tower
'tis said to befall those who venture there,
Rumors suggest that anyone who dares to enter the dark tower will be cursed by eternal darkness
Yet the lure of the dark beckons mortals into the abyss,
Despite the rumors and the cursed nature of the tower, mortals are lured in by the darkness
Where their tragic fates intertwine,
The destinies of those who enter the dark tower are intertwined with terrible tragedy
Deep within the shadows of the dark tower.
The darkness is especially potent deep within the dark tower, where mortals risk everything to venture inside
Contributed by Kaelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
italo marchioni
An eternal spell, for an eternal love...
I
The ghostly sorrow of the wind,
Seems to whisper your name,
And awakens me,
From my eternal sleep.
II
My flesh trembles with the memory of your flesh,
A black shadow surrounds the still of my bed, and my body sweats while I hear your name,
The echo of your voice calls my soul again, as I see my body inert surrounded by the black shadow of your embrace.
III
And so I become your mist,
Following your voice through a forest of wolves,
Ravens announce my arrival to thee,
As I enter the black tower I shall abandon no more.
IV
The gates open wide,
And before my eyes,
At last I see you,
As vivid as the sin my flesh cannot deny.
V
My dark queen,
I lie hopeless to your bidding,
For my body rests in my bed,
But my soul is forever yours to take.
VI
At last I can deny my body to answer to you no more...
A privilege I cannot give to my never resting soul,
Which belongs under your enchanting voice,
An eternal spell, for an eternal love...
Based on the Gothic world created by Joseph Vargo's Books and Nox Arcana music.
Emre METE
No one is certain how long the dark tower has stood
It is said to have been built upon unholy ground
And thus cursed before even the first stone was set
It is believed to be a place of great evil
Haunted by dark angels and spirits of the restless dead
Legends say the tower was once the ancient fortress of the dark queen, mara, and her infernal legions
Other tales tell of a warrior knight-once a man
But now an immortal creature of darkness-
Who stands vigil over the fallen queen's tomb
Noctem aeternus-the curse of eternal night
'tis said to befall those who venture there
Yet the lure of the dark beckons mortals into the abyss
Where their tragic fates intertwine
Deep within the shadows of the dark tower
Adrian von Ziegler
YES!!! Sorry, I can't say much more right now from being stunned, I will write more in an Email. =)
Гоша Котэ
Hello choovack, you music collection very good .
Sad Aesthetics
Adrian von Ziegler oh andrian o_o I didn't know you are a fan of nox arcana 😄 well man I love your work to brother I'm happy we enjoy the same music I love nox arcana style so dark and Gothic idk but there is a magical touch ✌✌✌ love from Algerie//)Salam aliykom
šišmišolovka
I'm so addicted to this song,i learned the whole text while listen to it. <3 Nox Arcana <3
esther God angel
Can you tell me what it says
dtrix10kc
It helps me rewrite an old story from long ago in my past. Ave Nox Arcana ad infinitum.
ULTRATERROR
would be an awsome intro for a very dark darkcore,doomcore track
italo marchioni
An eternal spell, for an eternal love...
I
The ghostly sorrow of the wind,
Seems to whisper your name,
And awakens me,
From my eternal sleep.
II
My flesh trembles with the memory of your flesh,
A black shadow surrounds the still of my bed, and my body sweats while I hear your name,
The echo of your voice calls my soul again, as I see my body inert surrounded by the black shadow of your embrace.
III
And so I become your mist,
Following your voice through a forest of wolves,
Ravens announce my arrival to thee,
As I enter the black tower I shall abandon no more.
IV
The gates open wide,
And before my eyes,
At last I see you,
As vivid as the sin my flesh cannot deny.
V
My dark queen,
I lie hopeless to your bidding,
For my body rests in my bed,
But my soul is forever yours to take.
VI
At last I can deny my body to answer to you no more...
A privilege I cannot give to my never resting soul,
Which belongs under your enchanting voice,
An eternal spell, for an eternal love...
Based on the Gothic world created by Joseph Vargo's Books and Nox Arcana music.
King Of Void
I really love Nox Arcana. My wife hates it and go away when Im listening this wonderful art. Well I wont stop listening so fuck it.
AlexMoby
Creepy as hell. By the way, these artworks are amazing !
Sacrément effrayant. D'ailleurs, ces dessins sont magnifiques !