Something of a one-woman show, NEPTHISIS are the brainchild of Sheila Eden, a New York native who has worked extensively throughout the US film industry as an actress, make-up artist, composer and musician. With such direct experience of writing for television and film it is no surprise that this, the first release under the NEPTHISIS moniker, is a rather cinematic affair that comes across at multiple points as though it were composed as incidental or soundtrack music to a horror movie. Further in the vein of music for the screen, the material is conceived primarily to be a studio project, as such live performances will be rare although there will be a concert to mark the release of the LP.

Lyrically the album is inspired heavily by Ancient Egyptian mythology, indeed the name itself is a portmanteau of Egyptian deities Nephthys and Isis. Broadly speaking, the music takes in elements of Goth, Industrial and Experimental Rock (Eden claims DEFTONES and NINE INCH NAILS as strong influences), but also features Avant-Garde, Ambient and Trip Hop influences that would not be out of place on a MASSIVE ATTACK or APHEX TWIN record.

First track "Remnants of You" is a slowly building piece based initially around a basic but effective guitar part that transitions into an equally simple piano melody that conspires with eerie spoken word samples before coming to life by taking on a more traditional structure. Backed with sparse electronic beats and keyboard driven bass, Eden's vocals are pristine and evoke a ghostly atmosphere throughout.

More discordant is the grimy beat driven "Down Below" where distorted vocals seem to teleport in from some unearthly place, delivered in an unsettling half spoken, half sung manner. It sets up nicely for the equally dissonant and experimental vocals of "Go Inside" which has a distinctly BJORK at her most fanciful vibe.

"Locked Up On This Hill" is the closest the album has to offer to a traditional Rock song, and feels like the spiritual centre of the album. Between its jangling descending guitar chord sequence and haunting vocals it comes off like a meeting of minds between RADIOHEAD and PORTISHEAD as Rock collides with Trip Hop. And lyrics like "Running faster, further still I′m locked up on this hill" conjure a slightly crazed KATE BUSH. There is a distinctly British feel to a lot of this work, who have always embraced and pioneered experimental electronic music more fully than their cousins across the pond.

"No Stopping Now" a very simple piano ballad with dubby beats, breaks up the album before we are launched back into the experimental and bizarre on "Sovereign City" with deliberately grating beats and an aching vocal delivery that brings to mind the work Meg Lee Chin did with the experimental collective PIGFACE. High on this heady cocktail of insanity the album now spends seven plus minutes bringing us back down to earth with the moody, lumbering and introspective "My Darkness".

Into the home stretch Eden brings the album to a close with the delicate but complex beats of the Hip-Hop inspired "Lies Beneath" followed by a final oddity Something of a one-woman show, NEPTHISIS are the brainchild of Sheila Eden, a New York native who has worked extensively throughout the US film industry as an actress, make-up artist, composer and musician. With such direct experience of writing for television and film it is no surprise that this, the first release under the NEPTHISIS moniker, is a rather cinematic affair that comes across at multiple points as though it were composed as incidental or soundtrack music to a horror movie. Further in the vein of music for the screen, the material is conceived primarily to be a studio project, as such live performances will be rare although there will be a concert to mark the release of the LP.

There's not a great deal in the way of live instrument recording here, as the album is largely composed of synthesized sounds and samples, but what live instrumentation is present is excellently recorded by producer and collaborator Damian Voelkel. The same goes for the production on the vocals which are undoubtedly the highlight of the work; Voelkel has captured the dark and light of Eden's engaging voice perfectly.

For the most part the music isn't composed in the traditional manner of song writing and sometimes not in recognizable song structures at all, so for me it is not going to be too memorable. There's no hooks or catchy guitar riffs, it is music to lose yourself in with a glass of wine, not to hum while you are doing the washing up. If soothing soundscapes juxtaposed with jarring beats and darkly obscured melody is your thing, then this may be for you. If you are looking for the next toe tapper to mitigate the boredom of your drive to work tomorrow, you'll probably want to look elsewhere.