Photo by Tim Hubbard
Sci-Fi death metal quintet NOCTURNUS AD are pleased to unveil their stunning new video for “Hod, The Stellar Light.” The track comes off the band’s Unicursal full-length set for release this Friday, May 17th on Profound Lore Records.
The anticipated follow-up to 2019’s critically adored Paradox, NOCTURNUS AD’s Unicursal is being released on its predecessor’s fifth anniversary. With Paradox, Nocturnus founder/sci-fi death metal godfather and original Morbid Angel co-founder Mike Browning resurrected Nocturnus lore under its new alteration. Operating under the NOCTURNUS AD moniker allowed Browning the opportunity to continue the mythos that came before with the legendary album The Key – which stands as one of the most influential death metal albums of all time — nearly thirty years after its release. Paradox proved a proper follow-up to The Key, both musically and thematically where the story and themes vocalist/drummer Browning initially laid out continue through the lens of the occult. Paradox’s story follows the journey of Dr. Allen William Magus (aka Dr. Magus), a scientist ravaged by a war plague disease and kept alive by creating a bio suit, the aftermath of the events revealed on The Key.
Unicursal sees Browning, along with guitarists Belial Koblak and Demian Heftel, keyboardist Josh Holdren, and new bassist Kyle Sokol (bass on Unicursal was performed by now-ex bassist Daniel Tucker), continue the journey of Dr. Magus following the events of Paradox. Now armed with his bio suit, on Unicursal, Dr. Magus is sent on a mission to traverse through the Spheres of the Kabbalistic Tree Of Life to conquer each sphere and collect its respective sigil/symbol. Unicursal will see Dr. Magus specifically travel to Malkuth, Yesod, Hod, and Netzach, the Tree’s lower realm, its roots.
NOCTURNUS AD’s captivating video for “Hod, The Stellar Light” was created in Unreal Engine by ToyStoryLab’s Pieter Hardeman and truly transports its listeners on a journey to an alternative dimension.
Comments Browning, “In ‘Hod, The Stellar Light,’ Dr. Magus travels to the sphere of Hod where he learns the secrets of The Universe from The Masters of The Great Universal Mind as he utters The Secret Words of Power and turns inward to become a God himself.”
Watch NOCTURNUS AD’s “Hod, The Stellar Light” video HERE.
Profound Lore Records will release Unicursal on CD, LP, MC, and digital on May 17th. Find preorder options for all formats where the “CephaloGod” video is also playing HERE.
Unicursal is not only one of the most ambitious undertakings Browning has been involved with, but it is a formidable display of progressive occult metal wizardry that manifests NOCTURNUS AD as one of the most singular forces in extreme metal today; there truly is no other entity akin and Unicursal is another monolith that honors and continues the tradition and lore laid down with The Key and continued with Paradox. With blistering guitar manifestations courtesy of Koblak and Heftel, Holdren’s grand and epic synth passages and Browning holding down the rhythm with his calculated battery along with his unique commanding chants, Unicursal is a towering aeonic manifestation, extraordinary Sci-Fi otherworldly death metal forging itself through time and space.
Unicursal was produced, engineered, and mastered by Jarrett Pritchard at New Constellation Audio in Orlando, Florida, and features artwork by Uwe Jarling with design by Chimere Noire.
“Unicursal has the warm fuzziness of a book of unknown provenance found on a shelf in delightful decay…Browning still iterates sidereal fantasies with commendable consistency.”– Decibel Magazine
“After a creepy ambient intro phase in which Cthulhu awakens, the music begins frantically squirming and blaring, bludgeoning and battering, and it spins up into even more crazed frenzies, especially when the soloing goes nuts. The vocals also sound crazed, and as grotesque as the creature that’s the song’s centerpiece.” — No Clean Singing on “CephaloGod”
“With searing guitar performances courtesy of Koblak and Heftel, the grandiose and epic synth passages of Holdren and Browning holding the rhythm with their calculated drums along with their unique command chants, Unicursal is a towering aeonic manifestation, extraordinary death metal from otherworldly science fiction that forges itself through time and space.” — RTMB Music
“…an intriguing effort that is definitely worth your time, if only to experience something different…” — Metal Epidemic
‘Absolutely brilliant! Is this an early contender for album of the year? Yes! There are no two ways about this. NOCTURNUS AD has hit it out of the park, technically the galaxy! Kudos to Profound Lore for honoring the vision of the band.” — Voices From The Darkside
“A grandiose-scaled record that manages to keep its feet to the earth.” — The Razor’s Edge
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