EPHEMERAL is an Italian band formed in 2018 as FLOATING MINDS, changing to their current moniker in 2021. Firmly rooted in Progressive Rock genre, they play a creative blend of music meant to excite the listener with technical skills and abstract compositions. Guiding Ghost, their debut album, was independently released on May 27, 2022.

The album opens with "Deep Blue," a funky little piece begins with the bass, then adds additional instruments in every few measures. The rhythm is Rock-based, though the funk influence is all over this one. The shift at the halfway point is really well-timed. Showing their Progressive Rock, they make the transition using one instrument, the piano, to affect the change. They come out the other end of the fill with a different tone to the song, going more futuristic, shifting more tone than tempo.

"Lock Em Out" is more bluesy with a Classic Rock vibe. The vocals are a bit jazzy with nice clean tones. Arianna's voice is very melodic and displays a ton of emotion. The bass plays a really big part in this track, together with the drums. The interludes between the verses use them to bridge the different sections of the song. There is a keyboard solo and then the guitar takes the lead for a bit, only to give it back to the keys. There is a tempo drop with a major Prog Rock segment that feels like it is straight out of the 70s.

Next, we start "Inky Eyes" off with an 80s New Wave/Pop Rock keyboard motif. An eerie vocal tone works to bring the track forward, gathering the bass and drums together with the keys. It takes time for the guitars to show up, and when they do, it's an acoustic piece with an almost Spanish flair. Video games tones transition the song to the second phase, going to an Alt Rock/Indie Rock feel.

Heading back towards funk, "Freddy," opens with that vibe, but shifts away to an almost classic rock feel with the guitar while keeping a funky bass rhythm. There are no real tempo shifts, but the instruments are using dissonant phrases that give a more Progressive Rock feel to the track due to their different patterns. One of the latter sections, just after the midpoint, has a very DREAM THEATER feel to it, though it does shift away from that fairly quickly. The influence is there, though.

The last three songs form a suite in three parts. "Into The Ether" is the instrumental introduction that gives us the theme. It is calm, soothing, using strings to their fullest effect. The orchestration layered in under the piano is really nice. This is one of my favorite songs on the record just because it really put me at ease.

"Guiding Ghost Pt I" is the 10 minute massive Prog Rock piece. There are shifts and turns and ups and downs that take us on a bit of a roller coaster ride. Time signature and tempo changes make this track one of the most impressive due to the compositional and performance skills it took to write and record. The song is all over the map, yet never lost. It is always right where it means to be, on the path that is destined.

"Guiding Ghost Pt II" wraps the disc, closing the suite and ending the journey at the same time. This track ends up being Funk/Pop/Retro/Classic Rock all meshed together. This is everything EPHEMERAL aspires to be. There is a little bit of all the things they love written into one arrangement. There is no heaviness to this record, they never go Metal and they don't need to. They are firmly rooted in a major love of all things Rock. In the words of the immortal Ronnie James Dio, "Long Live Rock n Roll."