From their record label's website, "Briefly existing as a full band in the early 2000s, producing one demo, "Utopia: A Winternight's Traveller" in 2004, ARS ONIRICA was reborn as the solo project of Alessandro Sforza in 2018. Two superbly crafted albums of melodic doom/death - "I: Cold and II: Lost" have established ARS ONIRICA as a name synonymous with imaginative, enthralling music and now the next chapter in this story of enchantment and revelation is about to begin. Despite, as its title suggests, being an interlude between albums, "2.5 Nighttime" is a sublime work, rich in wonders and overflowing with magic that is destined to become a treasured part of their unfolding discography.

The album has five songs, and "Dusk (An Ode to the Stars)" is first. It opens with clean guitars, and melancholy, somber tones. The vocals are emotive, and you can feel his pain…but there is also hope in the air. "Nighttime Part I" features tones that remind of the sunlight on a warm spring day, and the vocals are smooth like butter. There is a slightly grey cloud that hangs in the air however, just there to remind you that wherever there is light, something is there to counterbalance it. It's just the natural order of things. "Nighttime Part II" shows more darkness out of the gate, but melody hangs on as best it can. In come harsh vocals, and the album takes on a different, angrier tone. The clean vocals provide some balance, but this is a tale of woe.

"Nighttime Part III" storms forward with a hastier and thicker sound. It swells with both rage and anger, signaling that the deep night is here. Again, the cleans provide some balance to the aggression, but the two can't coexist. "Dawn" is the final offering, and the album ends on hopeful tones. The charming melody here is only bested by towering, monumental riffs. What a closer, indeed. Although only an EP, this album was quite memorable. It had a mix of anger, some sadness, and best of all, hope, and the way the artist combined them was done with great timing. Overflowing with magic, indeed.