Band:	Ephemeral Sun
Album:	Prototype 19.5
Style:	Instrumental, Progressive metal, Progressive rock
Release date:	2003
A review by:	Jeff

01. Fall Betrays The Earth
02. Winter Has No Mercy
03. Hands Of Fire
04. Approaching Acheron

"Ephemeral Sun" is the new project of the musicians of the excellent gothic/symphonic project "Rain Fell Within". This new "band" is not something that you can listen everyday, first due to the magnificent voice of their female singer Laurie Ann Haus [something between the beauty of the voice of Sharon Den Adel and the perfection of the voice of Liv Kristine] and second due to the very interesting mix of gothic and prog metal which gives something new and something very different that the numerous new bands with female singer that we can listen actually.

"Prototype 19.5" is the first demo of this American combo and the first word that I can say is "short". Not for the time, 22 mins, but for the number of tracks [4 tracks only in this demo]. You can certainly understand that we want more when we listen a demo like this one.
If must talk first about the only problem with that cd, well I could say that the fact that there is only 2 songs with the sing of Laurie, is not very cool, I mean 2 instrumentals on a demo of 4 tracks? Well it's just a little frustrating for me.
On the other hand if I must talk about this 2 instrumentals [Winter Has No Mercy and Approaching Acheron] well I will say that this two songs are good, very interesting musically with a very good musical structure [lot of keyboards and very progressive guitar riff] but I'm very curious to see this aspect of the band in the future, and well I really want to see something progressive like this two tracks plus the voice of Laurie?
The two others tracks of this demo are just excellent, the first track of the cd "Fall Betrays The Earth" is a pure masterpiece of gothic music with only lines of piano and the voice of the singer. The result is just magnificent this is this kind of song that can do shivers on you? "Hands Of Fire" the 3rd track of "Prototype 19.5" is a real great song too, very complex with a lot of beautiful chorus and another time, even if I repeat myself, the beautiful voice of Laurie Ann Haus?
I think that you understand that we are here with a very good production, and for the production well I must say that it is perfect the sound is very, very good, but even if we are with a demo, this guys are pro then well this kind of work is not really a surprise when we know that the musicians of "Ephemeral Sun" was in "Rain Fell Within" before?

"Prototype 19.5" is a really good demo and I recommend it to all the fans of gothic, to all the fans of great female vocalist, to all the fans of Metal. It's possible to download the entire demo on the website of "Ephemeral Sun" then try it and you will see the great quality of the composition of this "Prototype 19.5". This is not perfect and I would like to listen the voice of Laurie in each tracks, but when I see this first demo, I really think that "Ephemeral Sun" could be more than a project in the future. We must keep an eye on them, certainly a great surprise in the gothic scene could come from USA soon?