NOCTURNUS AD

"Unicursal" is the second full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Nocturnus AD. The album was released through Profound Lore Records in May 2024. It´s the successor to "Paradox" from May 2019, so it´s been five years betweeen the two album releases. There haven´t been any lineup changes, so the lineup who recorded "Paradox" is intact on "Unicursal".

Although the current incarnation of the band formed in 2013, drummer/lead vocalist Mike Browning has a long history in US death metal, being the original drummer and vocalist in Morbid Angel. After leaving Morbid Angel Browning formed Nocturnus and performed on their two classic albums "The Key" (1990) and "Thresholds" (1992) before being fired from the band he co-founded. He shortly formed Nocturnus AD in 1990 but changed the band name to After Death. In the period 2000-2013 After Death released quite a few demos (all material from the demos can be found on the 2007 compilation album "Retronomicon"), but in 2013 Browning opted to change the name back to Nocturnus AD. He always felt that Nocturnus was his creation and he wanted to carry on the legacy of the band, but since he had lost the rights to the name, he added the AD to avoid legal action from his previous bandmates who still owned the name. When playing live Nocturnus AD also play Nocturnus songs, so in effect (since Nocturnus haven´t been active since 2002), this is the closest you get to the real deal.

"Unicursal" is a concept album continuing the sci-fi story of Dr. Magus which was initiated on "The Key" and continued on "Paradox" (a sci-fi story mixing anti-christian themes, with futuristic sci-fi themes, and fantasy mystical themes). Stylistically the material on "Unicursal" naturally continue the sci-fi themed old school death metal featuring prominent use of keyboards, which the band also played on "Paradox". Browning is a raw shouting/semi-growling type vocals, and while his vocals aren´t the most powerful death metal vocals I´ve encountered and his staccato delivery can get a bit one-dimensional and tedious, he has a personal style which is more than you can say about a lot of other death metal vocalists.

While the core of the compositions is more or less thrash oriented old school death metal the dominant use of keyboards and the blistering lead guitar work are some of the features which set Nocturnus AD apart from other death metal acts with the same base elements. The music on "Unicursal" isn´t terribly different from what Nocturnus put out in the early 90s, but I guess that´s the whole point. The novelty of having a permanent keyboard player in a death metal band wore off a long time ago, but that doesn´t mean the addition of keyboards to Nocturnus AD´s death metal music isn´t effective and atmosphere enhancing, because it certainly is. To my ears the keyboards have at times maybe become a bit too dominant and provide the music with an epic symphonic feeling, that´s a bit generic if you compare them to how the keyboards where used on the original Nocturnus albums, where they either provided an eerie effect or even worked as a lead instrument.

"Unicursal" is a well produced release, sounding clear and powerful, and featuring a lot of details. Producer Jarrett Pritchard has done a great job here. So upon conclusion "Unicursal" is another good quality death metal release from Nocturnus AS, cementing their return to the scene and showing the world that they still have lots to give. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

NOCTURNUS has always been the odd band out in the old school death metal world. Founded in the prolific Tampa scene era where early pioneers Deicide, Obituary and Death were breaking free from the thrash metal cocoon, this band led by Mike Browning formed after his stint with the early years of another Tampa legend, Morbid Angel. Right from the getgo Browning had a different vision for his new baby which meant jumping off the bandwagon of bloody and gory awe and heading to space for more sci-fi inspired themes. Along with this thematic shift so too did the musical direction. In 1988 the band added the unheard of instrument of keyboards to its death metal orotundity and by 1990 had created a unique specimen in the death metal universe with "The Key" which crafted a thematic journey of a cyborg traveling back in time to assassinate Jesus Christ terminator style! The album is a classic and a personal favorite as well.

The band squeaked out a second album, "Thresholds" before friction broke the band up however despite Browning founding NOCTURNUS, he hadn't trademarked the brand name so his sneaky colleagues did so behind his back, kicked him out and continued on. They released one more album titled "Ethereal Tomb" in 2000 before the backlash forced them into retirement. The whole NOCTURNUS project had pretty much been assassinated just like poor JC in "The Key." It's fair to say that nobody ever expected a return to the early days when old school death metal was rampaging across the Floridian peninsula like Hurricane Andrew on a very bad day. Come 2013 and Earache Records decided to re-release "Thresholds" for the first time and when all was said and done Browning's following band After Death began to play under the name NOCTURNUS on a Mexican tour as well as for Deathfest 2014 where they played "The Key" in its entirety. To avoid legal actions the band name was quickly changed to NOCTURNUS AD and that's where this album comes in.

PARADOX pretty much picks up where "The Key" left off and makes good on all those squandered opportunities of what should have been only at the same timeline as the original. With all the evolutions in death metal over the past 30 years, it's amazing that Browning could put together a worthy successor to the classic that has only gained more avid followers as time elapses. The band went as far as to record the album in full retro regalia down to the production. This truly sounds like it was recorded as the followup to the 1990 classic and even the theme is a continuation of the cyborg terminator run amok in a post-apocalyptic era. Even the AD part of the new moniker signifies a sequel to cover art's instant wink and nod to the past glories. However despite insinuating "The Key Part 2," this is really the band After Death under a new banner of allegiance. This band consists not only of Mike Browning on vocals and drum abuse duties but finds the twin guitar attack from Belial Koblak from bands like Acheron, Dethroned and Godless along with Demian Heftel from Brutality, Astaroth and Contorted. The bass duties are carried out by ex-Obituary member Daniel Tucker with keyboardist Josh Holdren adding all those spooky synth sounds and trippy intros.

Attempting a retro rehash of a classic like "The Key" is risky business for sure but given the unfair nature of being kicked out of your own band, it seems fans may be a tad sympathetic and willing to give this a chance at least it was the case for me. What i wasn't expecting though is how well done and down right fun this album is. True that it shamelessly transports back to the 90s and recreates a near blueprint of "The Key" in every possible way but let's keep a couple things in mind here. This IS an album about time travel and all so why the [%*!#] not, however none of this would amount to a rat's mangy ass if the album wasn't really, really good and that it is. In a world where technical death metal has become as complex as some of the most demanding classical scores throughout history, it is refreshing to hear an album that simply cranks out the old school charm without crafting works so nebulous that it requires a few listens just to sink in.

PARADOX as good as it is does not match up to the original "The Key" but is much better than i ever could have hoped. With a tight cast of musical maestros who are more than competent on their respective instruments, the powerful bombast of the twin guitars, bass, drums and subtlety of the swirling synth lines conspire to create one of the most satisfying comeback albums of recent years. All the ingredients for a find retro death metal album are here in great abundance. The composiitons are all crafted to perfection and the riffs are memorable and best of all the variations are clever and laid out in such a way so that the album never becomes monotonous. While newer death metal albums are tending to go into more psychedelic arenas, NOCTURNUS AD returns to the brutal bombast of the no nonsense era with the extra keyboard elements adding all those cosmic touches that make this a spectacular release with pummeling energetic deliveries and a compelling example of picking up the pieces decades after everything fell apart. Will this band strike again? Hard to say if the band will leave this time and another name change is in order but in the meantime we got at least one album out of the NOCTURNUS AD brand name.

"Paradox" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Nocturnus A.D.. The album was released through Profound Lore Records in May 2019. The original Nocturnus was founded in 1987 by lead vocalist/drummer Mike Browning after leaving Morbid Angel. Browning recorded two albums with Nocturnus in the early 90s, before he was fired from the band which led to an acrimonious battle over the Nocturnus name. A battle which Browning lost preventing him from releasing anything using the Nocturnus name. In 1999 Browning and two of the other original members of Nocturnus founded Nocturnus A.D., but soon changed the name to After Death, to avoid confusion with the then still active Nocturnus. In the years between 2000-2013 After Death released some demos, but didn't get around to releasing any new studio material. In the meantime Nocturnus called it quits, and Browning decided to change the name of his band back to Nocturnus A.D.. With a lineup of new musicians (who joined the band in 2013 or later, one of them being former Xecutioner/Obituary bassist Daniel Tucker), Browning and the rest of the band were finally able to record and release "Paradox".

As far as I can see the album features new original material, and none of the demo material from the After Death days (if interested you can find that material compiled on the 2007 "Retronomicon" compilation album released under the After Death monicker). Instead Nocturnus A.D. have opted to release an album which sounds like it's the lost album, which should have been released after Nocturnus debut album "The Key (1990)", reintroducing sci- fi elements and themes, which had otherwise been reduced in favor of more occult tinged lyrical themes, during the After Death days. On "Paradox" the sci-fi themes and the occult/anti-Christian themes are combined, just as the case was on "The Key (1990)".

It's actually amazing how similar in sound and style "Paradox" is to "The Key (1990)" (the biggest difference is the presence of occasional blast beats on "Paradox") and it was pretty surely a conscious decision by the band to write material that fans of their debut album could instantly relate to. So the listener is treated to well played old school death metal, with nods toward technical/progressive death metal, featuring atmospheric and futuristic sounding keyboards, loads of fast shredding guitar solos, solid drumming (a bit "stiff" at times, but suiting the music well), and Browning's raw barking growling vocals in front. I'm persionally not a huge fan of his voice and vocal style (hoarse throaty growling, staccato phrasing), but I enjoy that the vocals are intelligible. "Paradox" is a concept album, which continues the sci-fi/occult themed story which was initiated on "The Key (1990)", so there's further conceptual continuity there.

"Paradox" features a raw, detailed, and powerful sound production, which suits the material perfectly. So upon conclusion Nocturnus A.D. have created a high quality death metal release, and while the different name should prevent me from calling this a true comeback album, I'll risk the wrath of the gods and call it just that. This sounds more like Nocturnus than the "real" Nocturnus ever did after Browning was kicked out. Welcome back. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)