Nocturnus is well known for its innovative sound and controversy that shaped the death metal scene in the late 80's early 90's in the USA and the world. Mike Browning, Nocturnus founder, whose also were in bands such as Morbid Angel in the 80's and Acheron in the 90s, managed to get kicked out his own band, history apart, one can say death metal would not be the same without Mike's projects and rewarding work.
Nuclear War Now Productions managed to gather the original reels from Nocturnus first two demos, respectively entitled, Noctunus(1987) and The Science of Horror(1988) and wisely decided to released it all together in one LP format.
It is a great chance for those who hasn't listened to Nocturnus in its early days, sounding raw, heavy and dirt, but already experimenting with keyboards, which would be a key feature in future releases and cause, in my opinion, a very positive stir among the death metal society.
Some of the songs in these demos are actually featured in their full lengths in a more polished format, but it feels nice to listen to the early creation that would later on transform in some kind of monster.
The recording quality of The Science of Horror doesn't sound as rough as one might expect from demos of that particular period, on the contrary, it sounds well produced and feels like the attention to detail was already a priority for the band.
In terms of recording quality, the first demo, Nocturnus, on the other hand, sounds like a typical late 80's death metal demo, rough, raw, crushing and heavy, just to show that the band's core and roots came from the purest of death metal sounds.
On this release the order of the demos are back to front, for no particular apparent reason, it doesn't affect the way the it works though, it is an enjoyable listen, especially if you have a special affinity with the early sounds of Death Metal, and also,  you can have a better idea and understanding where Nocturnus spawned from.
A limited edition, red vinyl LP will be available at a Nocturnus gig in San Francisco next month, but Nuclear War Now will be also releasing a less limited edition later this year, so everyone interested can get their hands on this rare gem.
The artwork it will be an updated version of original artwork by Zbigniew Bielak.
It is a very import but not essential release for the fans of this genre, its not a surprise that such a daring band such as Nocturnus, with a pioneering sound inside the genre, survives the stand of time so well.

Wertung: 7,5/10