Caligula's Horse's 'Charcoal Grace' - Album Review

I have been a big progressive metal fan since I started listening to Queensrÿche and Dream Theater in the late 2000s. I have often stated that the former's 1988 release Operation: Mindcrime is my favourite album of all time, and the latter's Black Clouds & Silver Linings from 2009 really opened my eyes to what prog metal could be when it came out. Since then I have amassed quite a prog metal collection, but I tend to favour acts from the more 'traditional' end of the spectrum - if such a thing exists. As with all progressive music, prog metal is a broad church. Lots of bands have taken the genre in different directions, from the dry, mechanical riffing of Tool, through the mathematic experimentations of Between the Buried and Me, to the neo-classical and more old-school sound of Symphony X - the best examples of the genre stand alone. One side of the prog metal multi-faced object which I have not really explored all that much, though, is the prog metal sound which tends to straddle the line between prog metal and atmospheric prog rock - often with plenty of big soundscapes, more emotive vocals, and a penchant for more technical riffing. The sort of music which I am referring to is the sort which is generally created by bands like Riverside, Leprous, and even Porcupine Tree - and I have often struggled with the odd mix of sounds these bands conjure up. A band which I often threw into that group, perhaps wrongly, was the Australian act Caligula's Horse. Their artwork and various reviews which I had read suggested that they were similar to those aforementioned bands, so I did not give them much thought. At some point I did pick up a copy of 2020's Rise Radiant, presumably as it was cheap and I was feeling somewhat adventurous, but I did not actually listen to it until very recently. Something finally made me give it a go and I was really surprised by what I heard. Having read some reviews of the album since hearing it, though, I do get the impression that Rise Radiant may be something of an outlier in the band's catalogue compared to what came before. It seems to be their 'melodic' album, and saw Caligula's Horse rein in some of their more progressive tropes to instead craft an album based around big hooks and choruses. Quite a few of the songs grabbed me during my first listen, so I knew that I had previously made some wrong assumptions about the band. Rather than stick with Rise Radiant, though, I felt that I should keep things current - so I picked up the recently released Charcoal Grace, the band's sixth album, which I have been digesting over the past couple of weeks. Aside from that initial listen to Rise Radiant, Charcoal Grace has been my proper introduction to the band. It is an album that certainly sees them feeling more progressive and inventive than they were on their previous album - albeit with some of the hooks and melodic flourishes of that album retained. There is still plenty to latch onto here, then, and I still consider the album to be very melodic - and it is much more traditionally prog metal than I expected, despite shades of bands like Porcupine Tree being present occasionally.

It is the band's first album recorded as a four-piece given guitarist Adrian Goleby's departure in 2021. It is also a more collaborative effort than usual, too, with bassist Dale Prinsse and drummer Josh Griffin co-writing quite a few of the songs with founding members frontman Jim Grey and guitarist Sam Vallen - the band's usual songwriting duo. Unsurprisingly, there are some lengthy pieces here - and the album kicks off with the 10 minute The World Breathes with Me. Vallen's chiming guitar melodies slowly open the piece up in an Anathema-esque manner before sombre piano and the occasional drum fill from Griffin widen the song's initial scope. The first minute or so is based around this melancholic sound, but once Vallen's first of many big riffs kicks in the song gets going proper - and a soaring guitar lead soon roots the track in a more traditional prog metal territory despite the slightly dryer guitar tones opted for. This opening instrumental section really grabbed me from the off and it remains a favourite passage on the album. Vallen's opening solo sets the tone nicely, but Grey soon joins the fray - his delicate and effects-heavy vocals complimenting a crunching, riffy verse, which is filled out nicely by some heavy drumming. Grey reminds me a little of Haken's Ross Jennings a little at times, but he perhaps feels a little more theatrical - with hints of former The Enid frontman Joe Payne also present. Grey's emotive delivery suits the band's mix of riffing and atmospherics nicely, though, and the verses here are well grounded by his mournful singing - whilst he pushes himself somewhat more during some sections which see the sound open up a little. I think that it is fair to say that Caligula's Horse are very vocal-focused for a prog metal act. There are instrumental breaks, but Grey's delivery is just as much a part of the soundscape as everything else - and it is therefore a bit of a surprise, although a welcome one, when Vallen returns to his soaring guitar leads of the intro to deliver a fairly lengthy and melodic guitar solo. It should also be noted that many of the songs here feature additional musicians playing flute, trumpet, and stringed instruments. The real violin and cello used adds an organic depth which compliments the synths also utilised - and the band have a sound which sounds both more old-school and current at the same time. Golem, which follows, is somewhat shorter - and it feels much heavier and riffer than the opening number. The techy riff which kicks the track off is very much straight out of the modern prog metal songbook, and a somewhat simplified version of it sits below the verses which move along at a fair click - despite a more simplified drum beat. Grey even indulges in the occasional growl here and there here, too. This is not something which he does often, but the occasional moment of heaviness works well here - and the song is also blessed by a pretty soaring chorus that recalls the more accessible sound of the previous album somewhat. There is much less of a focus on soundscapes this time, too, and Vallen's guitars are essentially ever-present - giving the song a much more metallic vibe. There are shades of a djent sound in some of the riffs, but overall the song is just a great riff-led rocker and one that is made for the stage - especially with Vallen's tricky solo thrown in.

The next 24 minutes are taken up by the album's title track - a proper prog epic which is split up into four separate tracks. Most of these pieces are pretty lengthy in and of themselves, and Prey is up first - with another busy guitar intro filled with fast-paced lead work over a slower and weightier groove. Despite this heavier intro, once Grey starts to sing the pace slows quite considerably. Prinsse's bass takes on quite a prominent role, adding a fat counter to Grey's emotive vocals, whilst delicate guitar melodies and a simple drum pattern fill out the background. Given the length of the overall title track suite, though, it is clear that the band are in no hurry to rush things. Prey is something of a slow burner, with strident guitar leads occasionally cutting through the mix - and the overall riffing building in stature from that more humble beginning. The piece certainly gets heavier, then, but it feels deeper emotionally than the previous song - with ever-present synths and strings countering the dry guitar tones. This first part of the suite, too, includes perhaps the album's best chorus - with Grey showcasing his love of a more theatrical hook against a sweeping backing which sees the riffing reined in somewhat. The big guitars soon crash, though, and the song transitions slowly to A World Without - which opens with some bassy melodies and Pink Floyd-esque guitar chimes. The opening to this part of the suite slowly grows, too, with the guitar melodies becoming more pronounced - but, again, once Grey starts to sing the arrangement drops out, leaving something very simple to back him. The groove behind these early vocal moments sound almost off-the-cuff and jazzy, but this vibe does not remain for long - as soon the melodies from the aforementioned chorus are somewhat repurposed to create another pretty powerful vocal-led section with more of a chiming guitar backing. This part of the suite is much less riffy than anything else heard on the album up to this point. The band sound more expansive sound-wise here and there is not much metal at all to be heard, although there are some weightier chords dropped in towards the end - but Grey's soaring and and higher-pitched vocal delivery counters them. It is fitting, too, that A World Without essentially closes out on a big guitar solo - before moving onto the shorter Vigil. Acoustic guitars dominate here, with Vallen's organic playing and subtle piano backing all that supports Grey as he sings what seems to be the suite's central lyrical themes. The track does become somewhat more atmospheric as it moves along, but it never really explodes. Grey does sing in a more full-bodied manner in the latter stages, but this penultimate part of the suite gives the listener some respite before the final chapter Give Me Hell - which opens with Prinsse's pulsing bass before the drums crash back in and Vallen lets rip with another big solo. As the concluding piece in the suit, Give Me Hell unsurprisingly sounds bigger than what came before. Vallen's guitars feel heavier, despite a lead-based approach retained, whilst Grey sometimes sings in a somewhat deeper way to contribute to this overall darkness. He still soars elsewhere, though, and another inversion of that aforementioned chorus sees similar big hooks pour out of the speakers in an extremely emotional manner - and this final part of the title track really feels like one where the ideas utilised previously all come home to roost, mixing heavy and atmospheric perfectly. Vallen's solo is perhaps the busiest and most technical of the lot, too, which essentially closes out the whole cycle in a high-octane and dramatic manner.

Following that diverse 24 minutes of music, it is perhaps fitting that the much simpler Sails provides something of a palette cleanser. The gentle ballad is much less bombastic than anything heard on the album up to this point, with the exception of Vigil, but it is still steeped in the band's love of a dense, atmospheric sound. The song has a bit more of a floating feel, though, with moments which occasionally recall Marillion's sound of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but generally the song feels like more of a showcase for Grey's delicate vocal style. None of the instrumentalists, even Vallen, really let rip here - although there are guitar leads aplenty sitting underneath the vocal lines to provide some additional context. There is a guitar solo, though, but it feels restrained compared to Vallen's usual approach. It has somewhat been mixed into the background, so it adds more to the song's overall atmospheric feel rather than stand alone as a piece of guitar-led music. This approach works well, and the track feels like a nice break between the expansive previous suite and the two songs which remain. The Stormchaser is a more immediate piece which somewhat harks back to the Rise Radiant sound. There are less twists and turns here, with more of a vocal-driven approach making use of Grey's love of a big hook. The frantic, yet atmospheric, chorus is one that sticks in the brain from the off. It is perhaps not as anthemic as some of those featured on the last album, but it feels a bit more in-your-face than many of the choruses here are, despite the plethora of hooks present on this album. Despite the simpler arrangement, though, there are still some twists and turns here - with a couple of more left-field atmospheric sections sitting alongside the riffing and tight drum grooves which dominate - and Vallen's guitar solo feels more laid back and absent minded than usual, which leads into an intense, vocal-led closing section nicely. The album then comes to a close with the 12 minute long Mute, another excellent example of the band's core sound. It actually opens with Grey singing a cappella, though, which is different from the norm - but Griffin's drums soon crash in and another riffy intro adds some weight. Like many of the songs here, though, there is plenty of variety. There is light and shade aplenty, with the early vocal-led sections feeling very quiet - with some of Grey's trademark higher-pitched vocals and some delicate flute melodies. Heavier sections often kick in, too, and later verses feel much more mechanical, with Griffin's fast bass drum work creating tricky grooves alongside Vallen's guitar - over which Grey delivers more delicate melodies for contrast. This heaviness is welcome and once it kicks in properly the next section of the song is largely much chunkier. Vallen's riffing is given a lot more time to shine here, but there is still plenty of atmospheric depth thanks to the strings and plenty of chiming piano melodies. There are breaks in this heaviness, of course, such as when the band drop away to leave the synths and flute to hold the fort briefly, but generally this is a track which goes for a more epic sound - and Vallen's guitar solo around three quarters of the way through showcases this in a big way thanks to his cinematic note choices, before some of the album's most chaotic riffs briefly takeover for a final burst of heaviness. It is left to an emotional, but rather hard-driving, section to bring the album to a close, with the band's core sound shining as the song fades out. It is clear to me that Caligula's Horse is a band that I have slept on for far too long, and I have been really enjoying getting into this album in recent weeks. I cannot compare it to most of the back catalogue, but there is an awful lot to enjoy here - and the mix of a more atmospheric sound with tougher riffing is one that I often like. It seems that I have quite a bit of catching up to do, and I am looking forward to delving into the band's older albums in due course.

The album was released on 26th January 2024 via InsideOut Music. Below is the band's promotional video for Golem.