EPHEMERAL

Ephemeral is a captivating recent presence on the modern prog rock horizon. Formed in Rome in 2021 from a band called Floating Minds, the new project Ephemeral consists of Arianna De Lucrezia, Gabriele Catania, Francesco Ciancio, and Matteo Morini. Their debut full-length album came out in 2022 for Elevate Records, an enthusiastic, energetic sound that is Guiding Ghost. When you first look at their CD cover, you might mistakenly think this is a downbeat, murky horror-type vibe, but in contrasting fashion, Guiding Ghost is actually quite the buoyant crossover sound. The album explores the concept of some kind of supernatural guiding spirit around us.

From the beginning moments of "Deep Blue," you know this is gonna be a real treat---no waiting for some delayed payoff. The first four tracks are all impressive, often ebullient prog rock with impressive chops, catchy-as-hell pop sensibilities at times, and a great sense for layering and dynamics. Grooving, bubbly bass lines paired with highly melodic electric guitar and nimble, superb drumming. I like how their heaviness comes from the playing itself rather than effects overload. While there is some distortion used, it is not relied on to create constant heaviness like a metal album might. Instead, they find heaviness through their prowess on the fretboard (guitar and bass are both killer). De Lucrezia has a unique voice that is difficult to describe, maybe a bit like Gwen Stefani, though the music here is so different from No Doubt that it's an odd comparison. Occasionally, she will double-track to harmonize with herself, and I always love that technique. The album is almost textbook crossover with both super catchy choruses and pop-prog presentations ("Lock 'em Out") but also sophisticated, original developments ("Inky Eyes"). That clean guitar solo on "Inky Eyes" is fantastic. These songs can rock hard, can relax, and can surprise. They can also groove!---check out "Freddy."

As cool as the first half is, the highlight probably comes with the second half, the "side-long" related tracks of "Into the Ether" (a short keyboard interlude) followed by "Guiding Ghost, Parts 1 and 2." The keyboard palette is one of the notable things about the album, mixing both imaginative modern soundscape with traditional-sounding symphonic grandeur. From the wonderful, mellow "Ether" opening, the title suite opens up into a full-on, grand, epic-style composition with nods to progressive rock past and present: ELO (minus strings), Echolyn, Moongarden all came to mind for me at various points in the album. Some serious and intense jamming develops in "Part 1" and eventually leads to this awesome clearing where the band falls away to showcase the standalone voice of De Lucrezia, quite a dramatic and beautiful moment, before a bit of piano rejoins. Just lovely, thoughtful development through this long track. It's ambitious and fun songwriting throughout---not one throwaway on this disc. Rather, you can hear how invested they all are in this material.

Beyond the album, I spent some time listening to their live and live-studio videos on YouTube, and these four are all amazing musicians able to just crush live covers of classic and modern prog rock giants with ease. Their passion for prog rock generally and for their own material is infectious to say the least. But beyond their musical talent playing, it really is the collection of interesting songs that draws me to Guiding Ghost more than anything. It's an album of great variety, twists, and turns, and I enjoyed returning to it each time. I also have to give a quick nod to the production and mix; everyone is heard clearly and well. I'm bummed out it took me three years to find this! I believe they are already working on their second album, but this was really a thoroughly engaging debut. Available on CD or digitally.

The opener "Deep Blue" sets the tone well, starting with a strong rock-funk beat that leads to a more emotional finale, with a great guitar riff. "Lock'Em Out" is the most accessible track with a catchy chorus under some great arrangements and solos. "Ink Eyes" leds us closer to Genesis or Big Big Train territory being a short epic song with a lot of variations and moods, a very symphonic track. "Freddy" is short instrumental with some fantastic bass lines by Arianna and instrumentation from the rest of the band. "Into the Ether" is a little piano piece that serves as intro to the epic "Guiding Ghost", a two part epic that closes this fantastic albums with a nice variety of moods, great vocals and a very strong finale in old fashon of a classic symphonic prog epic.

Aside from great arrangements and instrumentation, the mixing is also very clear and tight, giving space to every instrument and letting the dynamics shine in the tracks.

9/10.