I wasn't expecting to have to keep my admiration for Anna Murphy in check, but it looks like that's what I have to do here. Yes, much to my surprise, the Metal goddess of the hurdy gurdy, best known for her work with the monsters of Folk Metal ELUVEITIE is also the vocalist for NUCLEUS TORN. It's great to have a familiar voice to listen to when discovering a new band!

With a fairly dark tone and direction, the Progressive Metal trio has released a three-song album that keeps your senses guessing and your spine tingling. The album opens up with the song "Street Lights Fail" which is quite mood inducing and my impression of it was rather sad in nature.

The next song, "Worms" was rather scintillating and used a nice blend of mellow atmospheres while opening up with a storming electric guitar and upbeat tempo. I enjoyed the off-time progression followed by a style of music comparable to the tone of the SMASHING PUMPKINS album "Adore." The vocals are particularly noteworthy in this track because to me it seemed that each note was "touched" by Anna Murphy's voice and followed the melancholy sound very nicely. The ending to the song was rather abrupt but not surprising considering the progressive nature of it.

The conclusion of the album, "The Promise of Night" starts off with a haunting mix of synthesized sounds, giving the listener a distinct idea that perhaps this is what it sounds like when night falls over the earth. The piano comes in and with a cacophony of minor chords, proceeds to lead the listener to a deeply pensive corner of the mind, perhaps to a realm where angels care not to travel. Once again, the vocalist "touches" each note with her voice and I hear a beautiful Alanis Morisette style accompanying the sporadic rhythm of the cymbals and snare.

There is much to love about this album. Its smooth, dark sound had me fixated on to what I was listening. Its lovely character put me in a relaxed state of mind, and overall, the production was very listenable. To the progressive stalwarts of NUCLEUS TORN, keep up the good work.<