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 their literary interests, these masters of the macabre pay tribute to many of their 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. 2011 heralds the arrival of Nox Arcana's latest album, The Dark Tower is a sinister symphony based on Joseph Vargo's series of books, 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.

In addition to their popular Halloween concept CDs, the medieval sword and sorcery epic, Blood of the Dragon stormed in at #4 on Amazon's New Age chart, and Phantoms of the High Seas is a ghostly adventure steeped in pirate lore that explores mysteries of the deep. Their gothic-Christmas release Winter's Knight peaked at #8 on the Billboard Music Chart for Best Holiday Album of 2006. Winter's Eve continues to celebrate the magic and wonder of the winter season, and although Joseph Vargo had always been the major songwriter of Nox Arcana, this was the first album that he wrote and performed entirely by himself.

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.

Joseph Vargo, composer, founder and producer of Nox Arcana, has produced 18 albums to date: 13 Nox Arcana albums and 5 albums with other recording artists, including Michelle Belanger and Jeff Hartz of Buzz-Works. Vargo has also contributed music and narrations for various bands including Legion of the Damned and Acid Witch.

Joseph Vargo is an internationally acclaimed gothic fantasy artist and writer. He achieved international acclaim in 1993 with the release of a series of artistic works entitled "Born of the Night," a title which has become synonymous with his gothic empire. In 1998 and 1999, Joseph Vargo produced, financed, directed and performed on the gothic-themed albums, Born of the Night and Realm of Shadows, drastically changing the sound and style of Midnight Syndicate to target the Halloween industry.

In addition to music, Vargo has created various artistic and literary projects including Tales From The Dark Tower and The Gothic Tarot. His artbook, Born of the Night: The Gothic Fantasy Artwork of Joseph Vargo, features a collection of over 100 paintings and illustrations from about 1988 to 2005. His artwork has been featured in Spectrum's international collection The Best in Contemporary Fantasy Art, in Dark's Art Parlor Dark Visions collection, and in numerous other horror publications including 32 covers and countless illustrations for Dark Realms Magazine, Vampir, and the UK’s Bite Me. His artwork has been featured in productions by broadcast and film companies such as NBC, Universal, A&E, 20th Century Fox and The Discovery Channel.

Be sure to visit JosephVargo.com to see hundreds of paintings and illustrations, and to read more of his extensive biography including complete publishing credits and in-depth interviews.

William Piotrowski, composer and engineer for Nox Arcana, began his professional music career at the early age of 15 when he created the musical score for an independent production entitled "Ghosts of Ohio," a video documentary about the original "Ghost Whisperer," which became a popular TV series on CBS. William plays guitar and keyboards, and is well versed in digital recording technology. William's expertise as a studio engineer enables him to bring Nox Arcana's artistic visions to life. In 2009, William left the band to pursue other interests but continues to act as the studio engineer for Nox Arcana.

Guest Vocalists and Musicians
Over the years, various Nox Arcana projects have enabled Joseph to work with many of his talented friends in the studio.

Jeff Endemann
A multi-talented singer and musician, Jeff has worked with Nox Arcana on several albums. He performed as a guest vocalist on "Coventry Carol" (Winter's Knight), "Treasure of the Four Crowns" (Blood of the Dragon), and "Winter's Eve" (Winter's Eve). Jeff also played lead guitar on the rock version of "Spellbound" on Carnival of Lost Souls.

Michelle Belanger
Occult author and spiritualist Michelle Bellanger is perhaps best known for her numerous books and television appearances, but she is also a gifted singer with an amazing four-octive range. She has worked with Nox Arcana on two studio projects, performing as a guest vocalist on "Past Time with Good Company" (Winter's Knight), as well as collaborating with Joseph and William on her solo album, Blood of Angels.

Jeff "Buzz" Hartz
Founder of Buzz-Works, Jeff Hartz collaborated with Joseph Vargo on two side project CDs, Zombie Influx and House of Nightmares.

Christine Filipak
Artist Christine Filipak is often wrangled into the studio to perform voices and background vocals for various Nox Arcana tracks. Her most prominent performances range from the ghostly child's voice in Darklore Manor's "Nursery Rhyme" and "Music Box," to the Witch Queen on Grimm Tales, to the angelic narrator of "The Messenger" on Winter's Eve.

Jim Hamar
Lead singer of the heavy metal bands Breaker and Nightcrawler, and former bandmate of Joseph Vargo from his earlier rock projects, Jim Hamar lends his dynamic voice to the rock version of "Spellbound" on Carnival of Lost Souls.

Ty Cook
Lead singer of various heavy metal bands including Maiden Voyage and Mind Riot, Ty Cook lends his soulful voice to the pirate ballad "Fate of the Tempest" on Phantoms of the High Seas.