The title track could easily be a hit single as it is one hell of a tune. The soaring vocal pairing works and really impresses. The fact that the chorus is so over-whelming catchy helps matters as well. Think of this as the band's "Pull me Under", or maybe its their "I want to know what Love Is".
This release is worth it just for this song alone. It is pure AOR goodness that rises above the uber-clever prog metal of the rest of the album and works on so many levels. It has all the elements for a great power ballad with none of the drawbacks that sinks so bands' efforts at having a go. To say the song soars is just an understatement.
So a bunch of music swots get together to crack out a prog heavy rock album of great quality. It is always nice to start the year by discovering such a musical delight.
Nucleus Torn: Golden Age
If you ever wanted to know what the link between someone like Kate Bush and female-led folk metal is then you might want to check this band out. This is folk prog not unlike some of the Opeth's recent output but with a very interesting female vocalist. Quite a bit of this music can be quite jarring at times especially on the title track. While this is not metal it certainly has a certain heaviness to it that might attract the more open minded heavy rocker. Some of the tracks are both jarring and beautiful at the same time. Sometimes the band is described as avant garde which might be because they have a habit of throwing every type of acoustic instrument into the mix they can possible find.
Granted this release is probably not for everyone who reads this column, as it is a bit out there. However if you enjoyed the latest Opeth as much as I did then you might just want to give this a shot. As with many such releases it takes quite a few listens to truly sink in but once it does it is a rather rewarding release. Probably not your daily listen but one for the right mood for sure.
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