UMUR "The Nocturnus Demos" is a compilation album released through Karmageddon Media in January 2004 by American, Florida based death metal act Nocturnus. The compilation contains the material from Nocturnus two demo tapes from 1987 and 1988 respectively. Both the "Nocturnus (1987)" and the "The Science of Horror (1988)" demos had only been available on cassette tape until the release of this compilation.

As a curiosity the tracks from the second demo appear first on the compilation while the tracks from the first demo are placed last on the tracklist. If we´re evaluating quality that´s a wise choice as the quality is generally much better on the "The Science of Horror (1988)" demo. I usually prefer a chronological track order though and I do find it a minor weakness when evaluating this compilation. The music on the first four tracks (from the second demo) are old school US death metal with progressive elements while the tracks from the first demo are raw and primitive old school US death metal.

"The Nocturnus Demos" is what I´d characterize as a fan release and even fans of the band may not want to use their life savings here. As a historical document of the early US death metal scene this is an interesting compilation, but it´s so and so with the listening pleasure. A 1.5 - 2 star (35%) rating is warranted.

nihq Now here’s a treat for those who enjoyed The Key but hated certain aspects of the production. I think you know what I’m talking about – the synthesizer sounds were occasionally chosen in a bizarre fashion, and the thin Morrisound style of guitar recording left something to hope for as well. To use a mildly accurate analogy: if the first full-length was something like Beneath the Remains soundwise, then these two demos are the pummelling chaotic mess of Bestial Devastation and Schizophrenia – the latter featuring properly mixed horror choir sounds instead of loud “space harpsichords” à la The Key. There’s a fitting amount of Evil Reverb™ in the soundscape, and to my great enjoyment, the demo guitar sports a fuller sound that could be defined as something between Severed Survival, Hell Awaits, and the aforementioned Schizophrenia. Although things get muddy during the most frenetic passages (Browning never owned a drum kit that is suitable for recording), I find this collection a richer and more rewarding listening experience than the dry-humped debut album.

The only real drawback of this compilation would be that some of the good material that was later included on The Key is missing, such as my favourite “Lake of Fire”. On the other hand, also absent is the terrible instrument masturbation from the latter half of the album. Those songs that do appear here are well-performed, except for occasional kick drum lagging, and all the important elements of decent death metal are in place with no up-and-down-the-scale nonsense.

One marked difference with the album is that the tempo is often slower, but I would not consider that a flaw at all – there is so much to dissect in the riffs and structures that mere hyperspeed never becomes the main factor to drive these songs forward. In the case of “Standing in Blood”, the slowness actually turns into a benefit for the demo version: the slayeresque break right after the initial kick drum attack doesn’t have that much power on the album, yet here it packs a proper punch. A lesson in songwriting for modern death metal bands, perhaps? I’m afraid it will fall on deaf ears, but let’s not be too pessimistic.

As usual with demo compilations, the booklet features old photos, demo covers, lyrics, and a short biography along with a whole bunch of old reviews and gig posters. The packaging in general is nice, except for the ugly light blue colour they have chosen for the front cover. This CD is probably worth your money if you’re into death metal.

(originally written for Metal Archives)