Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Nocturnus - The Key (1990)

1990 was another special early year for death metal when 3 bands expanded the boundaries of death metal to include more technical experimentation, sometimes reaching a progressive level, thus creating the subgenre technical death metal! Nocturnus is one of those bands.

I'm never really a super-fan of old-school death metal, given the Satanism and violent gore that occurs in the lyrics. Nocturnus added a bit of those lyrical themes mixed with a sci-fi concept, and even more surprising to the death metal community is the addition of keyboard atmosphere unusual at that time. They've also added more technicality to the sound as a bridge between Morbid Angel and what Death would have next. Nocturnus made a progressive twist in death metal, and d*mn it, there'll be more!

Starting the album perfectly is "Lake of Fire", with a nice beautiful keyboard intro that reminds of the intro of Edge of Sanity's debut, before unleashing furious tech-death chaos. The background keys in "Standing In Blood" are a nice touch there too. "Visions From Beyond The Grave" is another violent assault from the guitar, bass, and drums.

One shining highlight is "Neolithic", particularly the keyboard passage 3 minutes in that sounds almost like the X-Files theme. Seriously, that might've really inspired the theme of that sci-fi mystery show that came out 3 years after this album! More of that bass and drum assault appears in "Undead Journey". Next track "B.C./A.D. (Before Christ, After Death)" once again starts with a nice keyboard into before breaking the peace with massive thrashy deathly riffing. Let me say right here that "Andromeda Strain" is pure proto-melodeath B.C. (Before Carcass). The intro has one of the greatest evil yet melodic riffs in death metal.

"Droid Sector" has excellent riffs and sick soloing. Blasting through yet again is "Destroying The Manger" which highlights the controversial concept of a cyborg tasked with traveling back in time to kill Jesus Christ and create his own evil empire, like some blasphemous Terminator sh*t. "Empire of the Sands" is the perfect closing track, with f***ing beautiful keyboard atmosphere before the dark fury of awesome death metal riff wrath.

The Key is an amazing KEY to the tech-death sound these legends would help create. If it's out of print, it's probably because of that sci-fi-meets-anti-Christian concept that would not go over well with the public nowadays, and that's why it's a few points short of perfection. Still it's an easy album to look up for listening, and the music is worth it!

Favorites: "Lake of Fire", "Neolithic", "B.C./A.D. (Before Christ, After Death)", "Andromeda Strain", "Empire of the Sands"