The keyboards on the intro track make a wonderful opening to the album. Bringing a spacey, orchestral atmosphere, the synth arrangements are lofty, lending a bizarre feeling over the serpentine guitar riffs and bass guitar, which adds to the sonic palette of the next song ‘The Ascension Throne of Osiris’. Nocturnus AD continues the legacy of the classic Nocturnus albums ‘The Key’ and ‘Thresholds’ which were originally formed through the genuine vision of Mike Browning in the early 90s. However, there is no fancy bombast, jus  a heavy emphasis on proggy death metal riffs.

Instrumentally, the sophomore isn’t so different from the band’s debut album: the guitar pitch and signature vocals of Mike Browning are framed by visceral technical riffs. The drums vary between up-tempo and fast-paced blasting sections that showcase its composition like on ‘CephaloGod’ which offers a cinematic momentum that is efficiently achieved. The symphonic pieces are sleek with a twist of technical riffing and a mixture of thrash metal lending trickery experience.

The sophomore is unexpectedly cinematic and it’s hard to disregard the innovative work especially on ‘Mesolithic’ where the drums perform a tribal intro, the guitars match up with the symphonic orchestra and the bass guitar follows the lead. The raspy vocals highlight the distinctive feature. There is also an appealing aspect to the driven thrash metal riffs with songs that are on a constant progression.

‘Unicursal’ is bizarrely eccentric and technical to the core, Nocturnus AD makes a bold reference to classic, technical death metal. The whole effort has that frantic aggression: the drums carry this album as the hooks are emphasized on ‘Organism 46B’. The pummeling drums are played professionally while the effective keyboards somehow come close to the style of symphonic black metal as the technical swagger and blast beats wreak havoc midway through the song reflecting its cosmic-ridden fantasies.

The synth intro in the song ‘Mission Malkuth’ exudes fantastic space symphonies of a shimmering galaxy. You can expect to be dazzled with frantic guitar riffs, fast pounding blast beats and a catchy rhythm, overflowing with energy. The blazing guitars add another layer to the intensity of the drums as there are plenty of fast moments and clinical drum beats executed with precision. The album has a polished production, the instruments sound clear and the mix is perfect.

The synth is almost omnipresent, adding textures to the wailing guitar solos and building a grand atmosphere in the opening of ‘Yesod, The Dark Side of the Moon’. The chuggy riffs and technical drumming make this song one of my favorites. Despite the excellent musicianship and performances, Nocturnus AD veers off from the death metal on the sophomore release.

Mike Browning wields its power through fast-paced drums and blast beats played along with the technical drum patterns in the sections where the keyboards are heavily used. ‘Hod, The Stellar Light’ and ‘Netzach, the Fire of Victory’ are focused on creating a monstrous vibe with the gliding synth bringing some of the best moments, binding cosmic symphonic loops by atmospheric guitars, proggy synth passages and booming bass lines.

Lyrically, ‘Unicursal’ expands on the fantasy themes of Dr. Magus, continuing the mythos that came before with the legendary album ‘The Key’ almost three decades ago. The new album is a natural continuation into the cosmic grim worlds of alien space.

While the latter track delivers a beautiful intro, one can easily be carried away by the ambient keyboard setting that bursts with heavy guitar riffs and sporadic blast beats. There are some influences from thrash metal bands like Voivod and Vektor where the energy of the robust drumming delivers a heavy-paced tempo and the riffing follows in a dynamic scale.

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