Album Review: Nepthisis – Spiral Hollow (Dark Iris Music)

Spearheaded by multi-disciplined artist Sheila Eden, Spiral Hollow comes from a place below the surface where the sleepless and sinister dwell. Heavily inspired by Egyptian mythology and the twin goddesses Nephthys and Isis – from which the outfit garners their name – Spiral Hollow is transformed by the darkest of dreams and the most primal desires.

Sheila Eden comments:

During the pandemic, I took a deep, dark dive and unleashed my true honest, chosen sound and identity in an album under the dark goddess name & brand NEPTHISIS. The music is dark and heart-wrenching, and pairs with cinematic visuals and storytelling. This is my dream, and it’s coming to fruition. It feels exciting and vulnerable, daring and aligned.

Nepthisis will unleash their darkness-fuelled, chaos-driven album ‘Spiral Hollow’ on January 21, 2022.

Cinematic alt-rock with dark melancholy, Nepthisis’ Spiral Hollow crafts exceptionally gloomy beauty. Led by the dominating feature that is the vocals, it’s what gives opener Remnants of You such a haunting feel.

Down Below goes for a different feeling, one with industrial groove while still having a sinister tone. Talking of sinister though, Go Inside is a challenging combination of both earlier tracks. One oozing dark atmosphere but with an off-kilter industrial beat and some eclectic vocal stylings.

So far, so very strange. There’s no arguing with the varied nature of this record and the feeling of being wrong-footed continues into Locked Up on This Hill. A mellower set of vocals and scaled back instrumentation makes the inevitable shady switch all the more powerful. A uniquely palatable listen.

No Stopping Now combines soft piano playing, exposed vocals and just a touch of cold atmosphere. Sovereign Cry does away with the innocence of the previous track by combining powerful effects with a much more demanding style of vocals. An epic stretching of the chords. Though if its epic you really want then My Darkness will deliver. A wander into the mouth of madness. Where ominous atmosphere clashes with strong vocals leaving an overall dejected feeling.

A pick me up is needed and Lies Beneath is a track that has a bit more pep in its step. While also being one of the oddest sounding tracks on the whole album. Finally, it’s one last blast of dark melancholy with Hazel Pebbles to close Spiral Hollow out.

A unique listen. The alt-rock vibes aren’t as prominent as many other elements but the overall combination of industrial effects, atmosphere and of course, those incredible vocals make for a memorable listen.

Nepthisis – Spiral Hollow Full Track Listing:

1. Remnants of You
2. Down Below
3. Go Inside
4. Locked Up on This Hill
5. No Stopping Now
6. Sovereign Cry
7. My Darkness
8. Lies Beneath
9. Hazel Pebbles

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook