Unicursal

It's no secret that Nocturnus AD is basically just former Nocturnus leader and scene veteran Mike Browning continuing where he left off after being ousted from the band some time after Thresholds was released, and he was welcomed back with open arms a few years back with his killer debut, Parodox. His latest effort, Unicursal, is basically another album that could have easily come after Threshold if he stayed, only this is more refined, challenging, and adventurous than last time, with even more intricate song structures and spacey sound effects to create a mood of sailing through dark space to find distant galaxies and bring them the knowledge of fucking death metal. The songs are generally lengthy, with most being between 5 and 9 minutes, and the complexity of it all can make it a bit much to take in at once, but given time, the hidden depth of the compositions will unfurl like the black tapestry before you and reveal that Mike has not lost his touch over the years, capable of taking you back in time for an hour or so to when he first pioneered sci-fi themes in death metal. I can't say this is quite as good as The Key, but it's damn close, and that's as strong an endorsement as I could give. Mission accomplished, Mike.