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Nocturnus: Thresholds

16/08/11 || Habakuk

Lord Addu, master of the earth and sky
Kakodammu
I call to thee, harken and remember
Bring forth the mighty storm
That this world shall taste your fury.
Lord Gibil, keeper of the fire and forge
Baalagnitarra.
I call to thee, harken and remember
Maketh swords appear in the sky
That all shall feel your might.
Commander Luggaldimmerankia, master of order
Banutukku.
I call to thee, harken and remember
Deliver the legions of wind demons unto this world
That they may seek revenge
Zi dingir anna kanpa!
Zi dingir kia kanpa!
I summon thee, creatures of darkness
By the works of darkness…

That’s right, two years after releasing the already out-there The Key, in 1992 Nocturnus came back with another super nerd fest! This time, they even brought an awesome cover artwork. Look at that thing and tell me that ain’t a beauty. Spaceships man. Nothing like ‘em. And the band didn’t just polish the hull of their sonic vehicle, in fact this album seems to me as a more refined, less primal effort, with all the pros and cons to that. Objectively seen, it’s still absolutely ridiculous though. And awesome.

For all those going “what what?” now, let’s lay down the facts first. Nocturnus was a Floridian death metal band back when the state was the Mecca of all things death metal. What made them stand out is that they thought it would be a good idea to incorporate keyboards into their lightly progressive, but otherwise pretty true-to-the-genre style. They probably had more pimples, even less girlfriends and bigger tabletop armies than any other death metal band from their area, too.

Surprisingly enough it worked, although the musical proceedings together with the literally spaced-out themes can be irritating at first listen. The strength with this band however is that they always go back to a bad-ass riff, catchy chorus (Gridzooone!!!) or simple groove to keep everything tied together, and due to a sort of simplistic, thrashy feel sometimes, the whole affair is actually very enjoyable. The melodic beginning to “Arctic Crypt” could easily be taken off a Kreator disc, for example. The basic art of songwriting is not unknown to our Floridian friends here, either. Take “Aquatica”, which starts with blubbering, but builds up well over the course of a few minutes, just to culminate in a chugging coda straight from headbanging heaven.

Another piece of good news about “Thresholds” is that, while I can’t measure it, I get the feeling the keyboards have been toned down a bit again (they’re still fully there though, fear not, dear Casiomatics) and are taking a step back behind the normal, respectively good death metal most of the time. At the same time, the guitars and drums have lost some of their edge compared to the predecessor, which gives “Thresholds” a “rounder” sound and more elaborate, less feral vibe, together with a bass-heavier tone.

Vocally, we get Dan Izzo’s half-barked, half-hissed shouts, which are comprehensible without compromising their great sound – however, the vocal flow probably can’t be called that, as the lyrics seem not to have been re-written a single time to fit the music. Despite some (one has to presume, random) pretty good moments, they often seem tacked on, as if someone couldn’t let go of his Lovecraft meets Science Fiction rantings – harken and remember:

In the year – 2023
Multinational warlords – build an aquatic colony
In the struggle for – total domination

Just read that and try to give it rhythm. It can’t work. However, the world apparently had to hear it. And that’s part of why this album is so special.

There is a great feeling of tension between the pretense of creating something so fucken cool and the reality of still being stuck in ultra-juvenile realms lyrically as well as musically at times. The production could be more refined, some songs could flow a bit better, the vocals are clumsy – but nothing sounds half-assed. This is as honest a statement you’ll ever get from an album, which gives it its very own charm. Yeah, charm. Don’t worry, “charm” is not my excuse to justify a high score for something I just want to push on people. The band sure was talented and “Thresholds” is full of downright strong moments and is no short bus album that needs to hide behind being special. In fact, I believe there is no reason not to give this a listen for fans of old school death.

Don’t like it then? Sue me. I, for one, will get a physical copy of this disc the moment it crosses my path somewhere in a dark, laser-beam ridden future.

Information
Released: 1992
Label: Earache
Website: Nocturnus MySpace
Band
Dan Izzo: vocals
Mike Davis: guitars
Sean McNenney: guitars
Jeff Estes: bass
Louis Panzer: keyboards
Mike Browning: drums

Tracklist
01. Climate controller
02. Tribal vodoun
03. Nocturne in Bm
04. Arctic crypt
05. Aquatica
06. Subterranean infiltrator
07. Alter reality
08. Gridzone

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