Charcoal Grace
Caligula’s Horse
Background
Caligula’s Horse are an Australian progressive metal band and Charcoal Grace is their sixth LP, released on 26 January 2024.
For fans of Haken, Karnivool, and Leprous.
In a nutshell
Without resorting to the Djentisms (for the most part), this is prog rock/metal that is high on emotion and thematic exploration than unsubtle musical prowess. There are a few things to love here (such as “The Stormchase” and parts 1 and 3 of the titular epic), but overall it feels quite muted as it doesn’t really deliver the cathartic release it’s exploring. This makes it a little underwhelming and frustrating at times.
In a crowded field of modern prog rock/metal, there isn’t a lot here that stands out, but it’s definitely hitting some right notes that would please their fans and some newcomers.
Track by track
The World Breathes with Me
Clocking in at just under 10 minutes, this is an atmospheric opener that doesn’t take too long to kick into gear with some Dream Theater-y fills and solos. A sweeping, soaring opener, but fails to really hit its stride despite its running time.
Golem
This feels more immediate and aggressive from the get-go with the occasional harsher vocals; it has a slightly funky undertone too. It really opens up when the chorus kicks in. Its ending is slightly abrupt as it doesn’t really release the energy it built up despite the come-down of the final stretch.
Charcoal Grace I: Prey
A slightly discordant tune, but it works really well; vocalist Jim Gray channels his Maynard James Keenan to great effect while the band oscillates between syncopated riffs and soaring melodies with ease. First great song of the album.
Charcoal Grace II: A World Without
Seamlessly transitioned from Part I, this is a more tender piece. The intro melody is sublime, but things don’t follow in the same vein as the song progresses. The change in time signatures are less subtle here, but that’s perhaps due to the more ballad-y nature of the song. A bit of a let down after the first part.
Charcoal Grace III: Vigil
Another seamless transition (makes you wonder why these tracks were separated out). A hypnotic and slightly claustrophobic song, with a very quiet yet determined air. Another highlight.
Charcoal Grace IV: Give Me Hell
Things map up again after the quiet reprieve of Part III, the tonal shifts again work wonders here. A great end to this epic.
Sails
Another tender piece bookended by two melancholic guitar solos; it’s a bit like a Dream Theater ballad in that you wonder what it’s doing here.
The Stormchaser
When the chorus kicks in, it saves it from turning into another tedious mid-tempo; the band does a fantastic job of introducing new and surprising bits throughout the runtime. It is a song that opens up more and more and washes over you in a cathartic wave. Probably the best song on the album.
Mute
Another lengthy epic to end the album, Jim Gray this time channels Leprous’s Einar Solberg in his opening delivery, which comes as a surprise as it eschews the vulnerability of what came before. But the song soon comes back to similar themes. Like its title, it’s slightly muted at times but also a more than worthy fiinale with the occasional djentisms thrown in there. They really wanted to end things on a sonic high.
