The Key (Nocturnus album)
| The Key | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Nocturnus | ||||
| Released | August 1990 | |||
| Recorded |
Morrisound Studio, Florida, USA | |||
| Genre | Progressive Death Metal | |||
| Length | 42:37 | |||
| Label | Combat/Earache | |||
| Producer |
Tom Morris Nocturnus | |||
| Nocturnus chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The Key was the first full-length studio album from Florida progressive death metal band, Nocturnus. It was released on Earache Records in 1990 and was followed by Thresholds two years later.
The album, Nocturnus's debut, is a concept album centered on an Occult (the influence of drummer/vocalist Mike Browning) meets sci-fi (influenced by guitarist Mike Davis) theme. The story of the album follows a cyborg who goes back in time to the year 0 B.C. which eventually leads to the destruction of Christianity (highlighted by the controversial track "Destroying the Manger") and the creation of a modern empire.
In addition to their unusual lyrical content, the band employed the use of keyboards which was virtually unheard of at the time in the broader genre of death metal. The keyboards were generally used for song intros and more atmospheric purposes, however, and most of the album was based upon a more conventional guitar and drums approach.
Kam Lee of Massacre provided backing vocals.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lake of Fire" | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Standing in Blood" | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Visions from beyond the Grave" | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Neolithic" | 4:40 |
| 5. | "Undead Journey" | 4:16 |
| 6. | "B.C./A.D. (Before Christ/After Death)" | 4:48 |
| 7. | "Andromeda Strain" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Droid Sector" | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Destroying the Manger" | 5:59 |
| 10. | "Empire of the Sands" | 6:17 |
Credits
- Mike Browning – drums, vocals
- Mike Davis – guitar
- Sean McNenney – guitar
- Jeff Estes – bass
- Louis Panzer – keyboards
- Kam Lee – backing vocals
- All songs written by Nocturnus
- Lyrics on tracks 1, 2, 3, and 5 by Mike Browning
- Lyrics on tracks 4, 6, 7, and 9 by Mike Browning and Mike Davis
- Lyrics on track 8 by Mike Browning, Mike Davis, and Louis Panzer
- Recorded at Morrisound Studio, Florida, USA
- Produced by Tom Morris and Nocturnus
- Engineered by Tom Morris
- Cover art by Dan Seagrave
- Logo by R.P. Roberts