Nox Arcana, an American musical duo founded in 2003 by Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski, is known for its neoclassical dark wave and dark ambient music. The group's name translates to "mysteries of the night." Initially a duo, Nox Arcana released their debut album Darklore Manor on December 15, 2003. In 2008, Piotrowski left to pursue a career in film score composing but continued as the studio engineer. Vargo then took on sole compositional duties. Nox Arcana achieved significant chart success with their third album Winter's Knight (2005), which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart in 2006 and again in 2007. The group's music has been used to provide atmosphere for films, public events, role-playing games, and Halloween attractions at theme parks. Nox Arcana continued to release music at a steady pace in the following decades, garnering critical acclaim thanks to releases like Theater of Illusion (2010), Winter's Majesty (2012), Gothic (2015), Season of the Witch (2017), Excelsior (2020), and Pandora's Box (2025).