Nocturnus "The Key"

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 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, with Kam Lee of Massacre providing backing vocals.

Browning has claimed that he has not seen any royalties from either this album or its follow up since he was kicked out of the band, blaming both former band members and Earache Records.

Track listing

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

Produced by Nocturnus.

All music by Nocturnus.

Jeff Estes's bass tracks may have been 100% recorded by Mike Davis: based on a Mike Browning interview Jeff showed up to the recording already drunk and hardly able to track the songs, stating also that Mike recorded most of the bass tracks, however it is unknown what tracks Jeff recorded, if any.

Music video:

- Lake of Fire

Released on splatter vinyl, limited to 2000 copies.

Recording information:

Tracks 1-4 & 6-10:

- Recorded at Morrisound Studio, Tampa, Florida.

- Co-produced by Nocturnus.

Track 5:

- Recording information undisclosed.

Produced by Tom Morris and Nocturnus

Engineered by Tom Morris; recorded at Morrisond Studio, Florida

Cover art by Dan Seagrave

Logo by R.P. Roberts

All music 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