Nocturnus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Nocturnus, currently Nocturnus AD, is a Florida death metal band formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1987 by the drummer and vocalist Mike Browning (ex–Morbid Angel).[1]

History

Formation

Nocturnus was formed in 1987 by drummer and vocalist Mike Browning following the breakup of his old band, Incubus. The band was formed by Browning, former Incubus guitarist Gino Marino, and former Agent Steel bassist Richard Bateman. The band eventually began working on material and added a second guitarist, Vincent Crowley. This first lineup recorded one self-titled demo in 1987. Crowley quit (going on to form Acheron) and was replaced by then-unknown 18-year-old guitar prodigy Mike Davis, who was also Marino's cousin. Bateman quit shortly afterward to join Nasty Savage.

Nocturnus added new bassist Jeff Estes and a keyboard player, Louis Panzer, in 1988. Panzer's addition made the band unique in the death metal scene and provided the band with an atmosphere that enhanced their increasingly science fiction–themed lyrical content and image.[1] This lineup put out the Science of Horror demo. In 1989, Marino quit and was replaced by Davis's long-time friend and neighbor Sean McNenney. As both Davis and McNenney were highly technical players, their very fast and often dueling guitar solos became another focal point of the band.[1]

The Key

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". In 1989, thanks in large part to Mike Davis's friendship with Morbid Angel guitarist Trey Azagthoth, the band signed to Earache Records. The band recorded their debut album, The Key, with Tom Morris and released the album in 1990.[1] The album, filled with a unique occult-meets-sci-fi concept (a blend of Browning and Davis's influences, respectively), virtuoso guitar pyrotechnics and space-age-ish keyboards, managed to become a death metal hit, spawning tracks such as "Standing In Blood" and "BC/AD (Before Christ/After Death)". The album also featured backing vocals by Massacre vocalist Kam Lee. 70,000 copies have been worldwide.

During the recording of The Key, Jeff Estes developed an alcohol addiction that negatively affected his bass-playing skills, and Mike Davis ended up playing much of the bass on the album. Estes was fired shortly after and was replaced by Jim O'Sullivan. With O'Sullivan on board, the band toured for The Key in 1991 in support of Bolt Thrower before embarking on the Grindcrusher tour with Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, and Godflesh. O'Sullivan was fired immediately following the tours.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Thresholds

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". In 1992, the band decided to get a full-time vocalist to allow Browning to concentrate solely on drumming and because Earache promised the band a music video if they got a "real" frontman. Former Tortured Soul vocalist Dan Izzo was brought in for lead vocals.[1] The band hired session bassist Chris Anderson to play on their next album, Thresholds.

As Browning had become less involved in the band's songwriting, Thresholds saw the band's lyrics move in a much more sci-fi–oriented direction. Musically, the album was less unrelenting and more diverse than The Key and included an instrumental track ("Nocturne in Bm"), acoustic guitars in "Arctic Crypt", and exotic percussion in "Tribal Voudon". The album sold fewer copies than The Key had. Despite this, it was generally favorably received by critics and fans for its ambitious and unique progressive direction. "Alter Reality" was released as a single with a music video, and "Arctic Crypt" and "Subterranean Infiltrator" also became fan favorites. The band got a new permanent bassist, Emo Mowery (formerly of Malediction), and had a European tour for Thresholds, during which the band was unsatisfied that Earache's lack of promotion led them to make little money off the tour.

After the band returned home to the United States, musical differences between Mike Browning and the rest of the band became increasingly apparent. This culminated in Sean McNenney and Louis Panzer, behind Browning's back, ensuring rights to the band name "Nocturnus"; they also signed Mike Davis to this name, but not Izzo or Mowery. Browning was fired from the band shortly after, and animosity still remains between the McNenney–Panzer and Browning camps. Browning was replaced by James Marcinek.

The new Nocturnus lineup began recording new songs for a third album, which included the songs "Mummified", "The Invertebrate Plague", "The Great Spot", and "Orbital Decay", all of which were written by Davis, McNenney, and Panzer. However, around this time the band began to lose label support from Earache, and their contract was dropped. The new lineup put out a two-song self-titled EP in 1993, which featured a recycled early song "Possess The Priest" and the new "Mummified". Panzer, McNenney, and Marcinek departed the band after this, and the band effectively split. During this time, most of the band members effectively fell off the musical grid, except for Mike Davis's work on a project with Trey Azagthoth that was never released.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Ethereal Tomb

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". In the late 1990s, Sean McNenney and Louis Panzer began playing together again, writing ambient metal riffs. Eventually deciding that these new ideas could work as new Nocturnus material, Mike Davis and Emo Mowery were readded to the fold, along with new drummer Rick Bizarro. In 1999 Nocturnus released their comeback album Ethereal Tomb, now on Season of Mist. The album had a more refined and ambient sound than the band's previous work. In 2002, the band split up again.

Post–second breakup, reformation, and Paradox

Since the dissolution of Nocturnus, the most active former member has been Emo Mowery, who has played in bands such as Leash Law in Florida. At a certain point, Louis Panzer reformed an old band called Cry Blue, which Mike Browning described as "Sting type music", though he was known to be involved in the software industry and living in North Carolina. Currently, he is the executive director of North Carolina 8-1-1.[2] Browning has been involved in a wide variety of projects, currently After Death, which bears a style similar to a less technical Nocturnus. The other members of the band have been inactive in music as far as is known, and former guitarist Mike Davis has gained a particular mystiqueTemplate:Sndfalse rumors of his death circulated in 2008, and he is often falsely credited with playing guitar in Rob Halford's solo band, misattributed to be Halford's bassist of the same name.

The band has made two post-breakup releases, The Nocturnus Demos, a collection of the band's pre-Earache recordings, and Farewell To Planet Earth, a DVD of live shows from various periods.

In late 2008, Browning toured with his own band, After Death, under the Nocturnus name for two exclusive UK datesTemplate:Sndone at BUSK in Birmingham and the other in London plus some European gigs.[3]

In May 2013, Earache Records began a Kickstarter campaign to gather pledges for Thresholds to be re-released for the first time since its official release date in 1992 using the original DAT master tape, successfully reaching its goal in July.[4] Also in 2013, After Death performed under the Nocturnus name once more for a Mexican tour. On 24 September 2013, it was announced that Nocturnus would play Maryland Deathfest 2014, and perform their album The Key in its entirety. Shortly after, the band reformed as Nocturnus A.D., containing every member from After Death.

On May 24, 2019, Nocturnus AD released their fourth studio album, Paradox, through Profound Lore Records.[5]

Style

Nocturnus' sound has been described as "daring and progressive." The band was known for its science-fiction–themed lyrics and use of keyboards, both of which were virtually unheard of in extreme metal at the time. The band's lyrics were said to "[offer] a refreshing alternative to death metal’s prevailing preoccupations with Satan and gore during those early years." The band's 1990 debut album is considered by some to be the first progressive death metal album.[6][7][8] The band said, "There's only so fast you can play and there's only so heavy you can be without it all sounding the same, or without it all just being a blur, so you know, maybe we've opened up a whole new branch of direction [...] with the music. [...] As long as it keeps expanding and bands keep experimenting and doing different things, it's not going to die out."[9]

Members

Current

Former

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize =width:900 height:auto barincrement:22 PlotArea =left:120 bottom:90 top:5 right:5 Alignbars =justify DateFormat =mm/dd/yyyy Period =from:01/01/1987 till:05/01/2026 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1987 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1987 TimeAxis =orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend =orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4

Colors= 

id:vocals   value:red        legend:Vocals
id:guitar   value:green      legend:Guitars
id:bass     value:blue       legend:Bass
id:keys     value:purple     legend:Keyboards
id:drums    value:orange     legend:Drums
id:studio   value:black      legend:Studio_Album
id:other    value:gray(0.5)  legend:Demo/Single
id:bars     value:gray(0.95)

LineData= 

at:06/01/1987 color:other layer:back
at:06/01/1988 color:other layer:back
at:08/01/1990 color:black layer:back
at:12/08/1992 color:black layer:back
at:05/01/1993 color:other layer:back
at:02/10/2000 color:black layer:back
at:05/24/2019 color:black layer:back
at:05/17/2024 color:black layer:back

BackgroundColors= bars:bars

BarData= 

bar:Dan     text:"Dan Izzo"
bar:Gino    text:"Gino Marino"
bar:Vinny   text:"Vincent Crowley"
bar:Mike    text:"Mike Davis"
bar:Sean    text:"Sean McNenney"
bar:Demian  text:"Demian Heftel"
bar:Belial  text:"Belial Koblak"
bar:Dick    text:"Richard Bateman"
bar:Jeff    text:"Jeff Estes"
bar:Jim     text:"Jim O' Sullivan"
bar:Chris   text:"Chris Anderson"
bar:Emo     text:"Emo Mowery"
bar:Daniel  text:"Daniel Tucker"
bar:Kyle    text:"Kyle Sokol"
bar:Mike2   text:"Mike Browning"
bar:James   text:"James Marcinek"
bar:Rick    text:"Rick Bizarro"
bar:Chris2  text:"Chris Bieniek"
bar:Louis   text:"Louis Panzer"
bar:Noc     text:"Nocturnal"
bar:Jason   text:"Jason Kiss"
bar:Josh    text:"Josh Holdren"

PlotData = 

width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4)
bar:Dan    from:07/01/1992 till:10/01/1993  color:vocals
bar:Vinny  from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988  color:guitar
bar:Mike   from:01/01/1988 till:10/01/1993  color:guitar
bar:Mike   from:01/01/1999 till:10/01/2002  color:guitar
bar:Gino   from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1989  color:guitar
bar:Sean   from:01/01/1989 till:10/01/1993  color:guitar
bar:Sean   from:01/01/1999 till:10/01/2002  color:guitar
bar:Demian   from:01/01/2013 till:end  color:guitar
bar:Belial   from:01/01/2013 till:end  color:guitar
bar:Louis  from:01/01/1988 till:10/01/1993  color:keys
bar:Louis  from:01/01/1999 till:10/01/2002  color:keys
bar:Noc  from:01/01/2013 till:01/01/2017  color:keys
bar:Jason  from:01/01/2017 till:04/04/2017  color:keys
bar:Josh  from:04/04/2017 till:end  color:keys
bar:Dick   from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988  color:bass
bar:Jeff   from:01/01/1988 till:06/01/1991  color:bass
bar:Jim    from:06/01/1991 till:01/01/1992  color:bass
bar:Chris  from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/1993  color:bass
bar:Emo    from:01/01/1993 till:10/01/1993  color:bass
bar:Emo    from:01/01/1999 till:10/01/2002  color:bass
bar:Daniel from:01/01/2013 till:12/31/2022  color:bass
bar:Kyle   from:01/01/2023 till:end  color:bass
bar:Emo    from:01/01/1999 till:10/01/2002  color:vocals width:3
bar:Mike2  from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1993  color:drums
bar:Mike2  from:01/01/1987 till:07/01/1992  color:vocals width:3
bar:Mike2  from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988  color:keys width:7
bar:Mike2  from:01/01/2013 till:end  color:drums
bar:Mike2  from:01/01/2013 till:end  color:vocals width:3
bar:James  from:01/01/1993 till:10/01/1993  color:drums
bar:Rick   from:01/01/1999 till:03/01/2002  color:drums
bar:Chris2 from:03/01/2002 till:10/01/2002  color:drums

</timeline>

Discography

Albums

EP

  • 1993 Nocturnus

Demos

  • 1987 Nocturnus (demo)
  • 1988 The Science of Horror (demo)
  • 2004 The Nocturnus Demos (compilation)

DVD

  • 2004 Farewell to Planet Earth (DVD)

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Nocturnus&oldid=1969134"