Nox Arcana "Winter's Majesty"

Winter's Majesty is the seventeenth album by Nox Arcana, concluding their winter-themed trilogy, which also includes Winter's Knight (2005) and Winter's Eve (2009).

The music on this album features original and traditional holiday songs, including an instrumental version of "We Three Kings" and a new rendition of "Scarborough Fair" which is presented as a ghost-story with original lyrics and musical arrangements by Joseph Vargo.

Track listing:

All music composed and performed by Joseph Vargo

1. "Aquilon’s Wish" – 3:52
2. "Tranquility" – 2:49
3. "White Woodlands" – 3:13
4. "Secret Sanctuary" – 3:03
5. "Summon the Wind" – 1:43
6. "Snow in the Shire" – 3:06
7. "Crystal Kingdom" – 3:45
8. "Solstice Spirits" – 3:07
9. "Shelter from the Cold" – 3:51
10. "Angels in the Snow" – 2:47
11. "Scarborough Fair" – 5:47
12. "Ivory Steeds" – 2:33
13. "Winter Haven" – 3:00
14. "Forest Lullaby" – 2:34
15. "Days of Olde" – 2:54
16. "Saturnalia" – 3:28
17. "The Coming of the King" – 3:53
18. "Winter’s Majesty" – 3:49
19. "We Three Kings" – 3:17
20. "Polaris" – 2:26
21. "Final Peace" – 3:48

The song "Final Peace" ends at 2:15. An untitled hidden track begins at 2:40.

Nox Arcana "Winter's Eve"

Winter's Eve is the thirteenth studio album and second Christmas-themed album by Nox Arcana. It was released in 2009 on Monolith Graphics. Apart from traditional music for the Christmas season, the theme of this album evokes a medieval or pagan Yuletide celebration typical of the winter solstice.

Track listing:

All music composed and performed by Joseph Vargo. "Greensleeves" (traditional) arranged by Joseph Vargo.

1. "The Messenger" — 1:18
2. "Frozen Memories" — 2:45
3. "Magic and Moonlight" — 3:25
4. "The Rose of Winter" — 2:24
5. "Enchanted Realm" — 2:35
6. "The Ides of December" — 4:21
7. "Gifts of the Magi" — 3:01
8. "Season of Wonder" — 2:44
9. "Solstice Dance" — 2:30
10. "The White Queen" — 2:53
11. "Winter's Eve" — 4:19
12. "Starlight Serenade" — 3:31
13. "Greensleeves" — 4:09
14. "The Longest Night" — 4:02
15. "Pax Terra" — 3:01
16. "Winds of Change" — 3:39
17. "Fading Embers" — 2:07
18. "Crystal Chimes" — 2:08
19. "Serenity" — 2:41
20. "Winter Rhapsody" — 3:28
21. "Time Slips Away" — 5:35

The song "Time Slips Away ends at 4:00. An untitled hidden track starts at 4:25.

Nox Arcana "Blackthorn Asylum"

Blackthorn Asylum is the eleventh album by dark ambient duo Nox Arcana. The musical theme is described as being "set in an abandoned sanitarium for the criminally insane where the doctors conducted horrible experiments on the inmates." Nox Arcana once again pays homage to H.P. Lovecraft as they did with their second album Necronomicon, stating "We set Blackthorn Asylum in the 1930s and revisit the dark domain of H.P. Lovecraft. The plot builds upon Lovecraft’s short story "From Beyond" and adds some creepy new twists." And, as with almost every other album this band has released, this album conceals a puzzle, along with a storyline that expounds upon Lovecraft's story.

Track listing: 

1. "Legacy of Darkness" — 2:09
2. "Blackthorn Asylum" — 3:12
3. "Sanitarium Gates" — 3:06
4. "Abandoned" — 2:54
5. "Threshold of Madness" — 3:41
6. "Tapestry of Decay" — 3:06
7. "Hidden Horrors" — 2:32
8. "When Darkness Falls" — 3:24
9. "Shock Treatment" — :55
10. "Fractured Memories" — 2:27
11. "Phantasmagoria" — 3:27
12. "Creeper" — 2:12
13. "Sanity Slipping" — 3:03
14. "Dementia 13" — 3:23
15. "Solitary Confinement" — 3:24
16. "Frenzy" — 2:45
17. "The Condemned" — 3:04
18. "Spiders in the Attic" — 4:24
19. "From Beyond" — :47
20. "Essence of Evil" — 2:55
21. "Fade to Black" — 3:45

Nox Arcana "Phantoms Of The High Seas"

Phantoms of the High Seas is the tenth album by dark ambient duo Nox Arcana. The theme of the album is pirate lore and stories of ghost ships. Instrumentation includes deep bass horns, pounding drums, string instruments, and narration by Joseph Vargo telling the tale of a doomed pirate vessel called The Tempest. The instrumentals are accompanied by sound effects that include a howling wind and the snap of sails, the sound of creaking as of a wooden boat left derelict at sea, an eerie yet alluring chorus like that of a siren calling sailors to their doom, male voices of the ship's crew as they call out to the beat of a dirge while rowing, and thunderous sounds of cannon fire.

In the spirit of Nox Arcana's ongoing quest to incorporate puzzles into their cd packaging, the album artwork contains a treasure map and several ciphers.

From the liner notes: "Hearken ye pirates and black-hearted sea dogs... Nox Arcana beckons ye to set sail upon the haunted seas where ghost ships prowl the misty dead of night and ancient treasure lies buried far below the endless waves. This epic soundscape explores the mysteries of the deep with dynamic orchestrations, ghostly melodies, pirate anthems and gothic choirs. Set a course for high adventure!"

The release date for this album coincides with Columbus Day.

Tracks: 

Music composed and performed by Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski. Lyrics by Joseph Vargo.

1. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" — 2:26
2. "The High Seas" — 2:56
3. "Edge of the World" — 4:21
4. "Pirates" — 5:10
5. "The Gallows Jig" — 1:50
6. "Crossfire" — 3:00
7. "Oblivion" — 3:00
8. "Racing the Wind" — 4:15
9. "Siren’s Call" — 2:33
10. "Trove Island" — 3:23
11. "Against the Storm" — 3:21
12. "Lords of the Deep" — 2:27
13. "Maelstrom" — 1:22
14. "Out of the Mist" — 3:02
15. "Still Waters" — 2:22
16. "Black Sails" — 3:01
17. "Fate of the Tempest" — 4:11
18. "The Fog Rolls In" — 1:32
19. "Widow’s Harbor" — 2:56
20. "Ghost Ship" — 2:47
21. "Skull and Crossbones" — 3:11 (+hidden track)

Notes

Vocals on "Fate of the Tempest" were performed by Ty Cook.

Nox Arcana "Grimm Tales"

Grimm Tales is the ninth studio album by gothic musical duo Nox Arcana. Like several of their other albums, this music is also inspired by classic literature. In this case, the folktales of the Brothers Grimm. Instrumentation includes piano, violin, cello, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, and various wind and percussive instruments, which serve to establish the intended theme. In keeping with the dark fairy tale theme, ominous narrations from a "Witch Queen" and the deep, resonant voice of her male counterpart are featured on several tracks, as well as the raspy voice of an aging Crone as she invokes a magical spell.

Artist and composer Joseph Vargo also wrote an original fable for this cd. Expressed in poetic verse, it tells of a wicked Witch Queen who has cast a spell upon the land of Faerie, condemning its inhabitants to a never-ending darkness, and two children who fall asleep one night to awaken in the dark realm. The wayward children set out upon a quest to find a magical "Crystal Key" which is rumored to open a gateway between the "Realm of Fable" and their home.

The release date for this album coincides with Walpurgis Night.

Universal Studios' "Halloween Horror Nights" in Orlando, Florida based their 2008 haunted attraction design, "Scary Tales: Once Upon A Nightmare", on the realm of fable explored in Nox Arcana's Grimm Tales album.

Tracks: 

Music composed and performed by Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski.

1. "Fable" — 2:03
2. "Twilight" — 2:56
3. "Once Upon a Nightmare" — 3:58 
4. "Shadow Forest" — 3:49
5. "Eyes in the Dark" — 2:58
6. "The Hollow" — 1:11
7. "Sylvan Spirits" — 2:45
8. "Wicked Heart" — 2:50
9. "Conjuration" — 1:49
10. "Night Wraiths" — 2:30
11. "Deep in the Woods" — 2:21
12. "The Forgotten Path" — 5:05
13. "Fairy Tale" — 2:09
14. "Crone’s Caverns" — 2:42
15. "Rise to Destiny" — 3:16
16. "Labyrinth of Dreams" — 2:53
17. "Castle of Nightmares" — 4:01
18. "Hall of the Witch Queen" — 3:21
19. "Ave Sinistra" — 4:27
20. "Black Spires" — 2:52
21. "Darkly Everafter" — 3:28

A hidden track features a short dialogue between an evil queen and her magic mirror.