Caligula’s Horse – Charcoal Grace
Release Date: 26th January 2024
Label: InsideOut Music
Order/Stream
Bandcamp
Genre: Progressive Metal
FFO: TesseracT, The Contortionist, Haken, Persephone.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Charcoal Grace is the new album by Aussie progressive metal band Caligula’s Horse. Their fifth album overall, and the first since 2021’s Rise Radiant, Charcoal Grace is a record with heavy music and even heavier themes. Conceived in a world completely different from the one they knew pre-COVID, Charcoal Grace shows a band grappling with the new world and their place in it. That is not to say that the whole album revolves around these themes, as the title suite tells the story of a child who is coming to terms with life after trauma. Through emotive music that can go from beautiful melodies to earth-shaking djent in the course of a song and with poignant lyrics that are extremely literate for a metal band, Caligula’s Horse has created a piece of art that is both familiar and, ultimately, human.
The World Breathes and Mute, the first and last songs on the album, display all that Caligula’s Horse does so well. Over the course of their ten and twelve minutes respectively, the band runs the gamut from haunting vocals and gorgeous melodies to aggressive riffing and intense drumming, The World Breathes and Mute are like a greatest hits album in two songs. Golem is a more in-your-face rock song with a catchy hook that I could see being played on metal radio stations, while The Stormchaser is an equally memorable song that feels heavy without ever crossing into the metal realm. Also of note is the aforementioned Charcoal Grace suite, which is made up of songs three through six on the album. Lyrically, the suite is about a child who was abused by a parent. Lead guitarist Sam Vallen says of the suite, “It explores cycles of abuse, our understanding of our humanity and responsibilities, and questions of the need for, and validity of, forgiveness.” The lyrics of the Charcoal Grace suite put me in mind of Fish era Marillion, as the speaker looks for meaning in confusion. Musically, the Charcoal Grace suite follows the emotion of the lyrics. Charcoal Grace II and III are soft, searching songs that contain as much emotion as most whole albums. These two songs are bookended by Charcoal Grace I and IV, which are much more aggressive and metallic, as befits the narrative content.
Caligula’s Horse has made a name for themselves by producing progressive metal albums that impress both with their challenging music and equally challenging lyrics. With Charcoal Grace, they may have set a new standard both for themselves and for other bands that pride themselves on making “thinking-person’s” metal. I know it’s early in the year, but with such a heavy yet beautiful and moving album, I get a feeling that Caligula’s Horse has set themselves up to be found on more than a few best-of lists come December.
(4.5 / 5)
