The Key (Nocturnus album)

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The Key
Studio album by Nocturnus
Released	October 1, 1990
Recorded	June 1990
Studio	Morrisound Studio, Florida
Genre	Technical death metal
Length	46:56
Label	Combat/Earache
Producer	Tom Morris, Nocturnus
Nocturnus chronology
The Key (1990) Thresholds (1992)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

The Key is the debut studio album by American technical death metal band Nocturnus. It was released on Earache Records on October 1, 1990.

A concept album, The Key is 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 travels back in time to the year 0 B.C. to assassinate Jesus Christ which 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.

Due to the increased complexity and experimentation, some have considered the release to be the first progressive death metal album.^[2]

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.