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Darklore Manor |
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Nox Arcana
invites you to enter Darklore Manor, the once stately Victorian mansion
with a mysterious and troubling past.
Your journey begins with “Legend”, an ominous piece that sets the tone for
your excursion into Darklore Manor – an unearthly voice warns those who
would enter, “none but the dead dare trespass here.”
The tension begins to mount in the foreboding arrangement “Trespassers”.
As the mansion doors slam shut, the dire nature of your situation becomes
apparent; there is no turning back.
In the distance, the faint strains of a pipe organ begin to swell, filling
this “Sanctuary of Shadows” with sound, reaching a crescendo when joined
by a sinister chorus of Gregorian chants. It is then you realize… this
unholy shrine to darkness is alive.
As you walk through the halls, you encounter the young girl of the house,
“Belladonna”. The haunting melody within this song is striking, in that
its simplicity effectively creates a feeling of sorrow.
This spirits gather for the “Séance” and deliver their cautionary message.
While the ghostly voices warn you to “Leave this place” and “Turn back,”
the maniacal laugh at the end gives the impression that it may already be
too late.
You begin to feel a real sense of impending danger. The pulse pounding
orchestration in the tension laced “Beyond Midnight” lead you to the
startling conclusion; the evil has been set free, again.
Your journey through Darklore Manor comes to an unexpected ending with
“Resurrected,” a moody piece that builds to an abrupt conclusion through
frenetic orchestration and diabolical chanting.
Darklore Manor is the first creation of Nox Arcana, the resulting work of
Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski. While William is a relatively new to
the genre, Joseph’s experience dates back to his work with Midnight
Syndicate.
Individually, each of the 21 songs are strong enough to stand on their
own, but collectively they conspire to a higher purpose; each dark
composition is a chapter in the story, a piece in the puzzle, skillfully
crafted to guide your journey through the hallowed halls of Darklore
Manor.
It is interesting to note that Darklore Manor’s appeal is likely to cross
genres – the dark and brooding orchestrations are just as likely to appeal
to the gothic crowd and gamers alike.
By combining a well thought concept with solid orchestration, Darklore
Manor succeeds where others in this genre have failed. Instead of a
collection of disjointed compositions assembled under the thin guise of a
concept, the result is a coherent story told through music.
For more information on Nox Arcana, visit:
www.NoxArcana.com
Written by Scot Howard
(Posted 05-07-2004)