Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Nox Arcana- Blackthorn Asylum


The hollow edifice of Blackthorn Asylum stands as a sinister monument to the horrors that once lurked within its desolate halls. The bleak confines of the sanitarium held no mercy or hope for those condemned to a sentence within and tall gates of stone allowed no possibility for escape. Over the decades, the torments inflicted upon the inmates resulted in unlocking the demons from their minds, but as a horrific consequence, the tortuous experimentation also unleashed the vile malediction that now infests the abandoned asylum, taken from the back of the tray card for Blackthorn Asylum. This information here gives and idea of what Blackthorn Asylum is based on. Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski also go back to the domain of H.P. Lovecraft the plot builds upon the short story by Lovecraft "From Beyond".

Legacy of Darkness starts of the CD and sets the foundation of what is ahead, there is also the spoken lyrics for Legacy of Darkness in the CD booklet. Blackthorn Asylum the title track for the album it contains the trademark orchestration that Nox Arcana is known for this is a favorite track on the album. Tapestry of Decay is a track that is filled with sorrow but also a sense of doom as well and in my opinion one of the standout tracks. Fast orchestral keys is what are played in the track Frenzy which is very similar to the track Oblivion that is found on the last Nox Arcana album I reviewed Phantoms of the High Seas. Fade to Black is the close out track on the album the song reminded me of something that could possibly be heard as background music in an Hellraiser movie, just around the time when the cenobites enter the specific location of which they where summoned. I also noticed around the four-minute and sixteen second mark the track started back up with a spoken narration.

The cover artwork for Blackthorn Asylum it is one of my favorite Nox Arcana artworks thus far. The artwork reminds me of something you would see in an episode of Tales from the Crypt or the Twilight Zone. Also within the actual package for Blackthorn Asylum there are hidden riddles and puzzles. If you are into neo classical, instrumental or dark ambient I would suggest in buying Blackthorn Asylum because Nox Arcana does the music really well.

Rating 8.4/10

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