''Thresholds'' is the second full-length studio album from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

death metal band

Nocturnus Nocturnus, currently Nocturnus AD, is an American death metal band formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1987 by the drummer/vocalist Mike Browning (formerly of Morbid Angel). They were known for their science-fiction themed lyrics and use of keyboards, ...

. It was released in 1992 by

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by rel ...

. ''Thresholds'' continued the experimental sound created on the first album and the line-up was expanded to a six-piece with the addition of vocalist Dan Izzo, allowing Mike Browning to concentrate solely on drums. Lyrical topics range from Earth's climate and global warming ("Climate Controller"), primitive religions ("Tribal Vodoun"), underwater species ("Aquatica") and extraterrestrial life ("Gridzone"). The production of ''Thresholds'' is considerably more polished than that of ''The Key''. The music is also more complex and mature, with there being numerous breakdowns and tempo changes in every song. The band's musicianship has also advanced with each member exhibiting a new level of preciseness and technicality, with complex riffing and melodic solos. Dan Izzo's vocals are much deeper and clearer than Browning's and have been compared to the vocals of Max Cavalera of

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...

. "Alter Reality" was released as a single and featured a music video that received substantial airplay on MTV's '' Headbangers Ball''. "Arctic Crypt" and "Climate Controller" also became notable fan favorites. This was the last Nocturnus release to feature founding member Mike Browning, who was forcibly ejected shortly after its release. The remaining band members subsequently trademarked the Nocturnus name, preventing Browning from performing under the band's name or any of their music.

Track listing

Credits

* Dan Izzo -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

* Mike Davis -

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

, rhythm guitar * Sean McNenney -

, rhythm guitar * Chris Anderson -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Louis Panzer - keyboards * Mike Browning - drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

* Recorded in December, 1991 at

Morrisound Recording Morrisound Recording (also Morrisound Studios) is an audio recording facility in Tampa, Florida, United States, owned and operated by brothers Jim and Tom Morris. Since its opening in 1981, Morrisound has been responsible for the popularization ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, USA * Produced by Tom Morris and Nocturnus

References

External links

Earache Records album entryDiscogs album entryEncyclopaedia Metallum album entryNocturnus fan site
{{Authority control 1992 albums Nocturnus albums Earache Records albums Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording