Winter's Knight

Infobox Album
Name = Winter's Knight
Type = Studio album
Artist = Nox Arcana


Released = July 10, 2005
Recorded =
Genre = Gothic Christmas
Length =
Label = [http://www.monolithgraphics.com Monolith Graphics]
Producer =
Reviews = "All the enchantment and beauty of traditional classical Christmas music from the dark side. Very evocative of holiness as well as spine chillingly mysterious." — " [http://morbidoutlook.com/music/inrotation/2005_12_inrotation.html Morbid Outlook]
Last album = Necronomicon (2004)
This album = Winter's Knight (2005)
Next album = Transylvania (2005)

"Winter's Knight" is an album released by Nox Arcana on Monolith Graphics in 2005. The music is predominantly instrumental with a darker medieval flair, and is one of the Top 10 Gothic Christmas or Solstice albums. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=325&cfgn=Albums&cfn=Top+Holiday+Albums&ci=3087239&cdi=9443800&cid=10%2F27%2F2007 Billboard Music Charts] ] The music is accented with Gregorian chanting, pipe organs, violins, and acoustic guitar. Some of the tracks contain vocals, such as the minstrel's rendition of "Past Time With Good Company." Other songs feature narration describing a tale of a ghostly knight who wanders the ruins of a haunted cathedral at wintertime. The story is set in the mythical Ebonshire forest. The booklet is decorated to look like an Illuminated manuscript and features the artwork of Joseph Vargo.

"Winter's Knight" hit #8 on the Billboard Music Chart for Top Holiday Albums of 2006.

Nox Arcana, already popular in the gothic genre, wanted to carry the gothic mood into the Christmas season, along the lines of Dickens' classic ghost story, "A Christmas Carol." [ [http://www.halloweendatabase.com/index.php?v_action=noxarcana Interview with Joseph Vargo at the Halloween Database] ]

Track listing

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

# "Vigil" — 1:41
# "Ghosts of Christmas Past" — 3:40
# "Ebonshire" — 2:53
# "Solitude" — 2:51
# "Crystal Forest" — 3:17
# "First Snow" — 4:36
# "Evening Star" — 3:21
# "Reflections of Long Ago" — 2:25
# "December Winds" — 2:49
# "Phantom Toccata" — 1:12
# "Hallowed Ruins" — 2:28
# "Gregorian Hymn" — 1:16
# "Spirit of the Season" — 3:13
# "Coventry Carol" — 3:23"New recordings of 5 traditional carols as indicated in cd liner notes."]
# "Lullaby" — 2:06
# "Winter’s Knight" — 3:53
# "Past Time With Good Company" — 3:33
# "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" — 3:02
# "Veni, Veni, Emannuel" — 3:01
# "Redemption" — 3:44
# "Carol of the Bells" — 3:15

External links

* [http://www.noxarcana.com Nox Arcana official website]
* [http://www.noxarcana.com/vr.html?/ebonshire.html The Tale of Winter's Knight]
*
* [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=611746&aid=767228 Billboard Discography]

References