There are a great many prog bands scattered all over the mighty metalsphere. And then, there’s prog royalty. Not many make it to those august heights with their rarified atmosphere. But Caligula’s Horse surely is one of the selected few. Now, let’s be frank: they appeared once again on RMR just to see if they could meet the swagger and meaty weight of Haken‘s latest feisty cut. Because – you see – Rise Radiant didn’t quite convince over here and just about made it onto acceptable territories. Even if it was – in itself – proof of sturdy prog at its best.
So, what’s it gonna be this time? The same all over again or back to the times when Caligula’s Horse garnered some greatness over here? Let Charcoal Grace show its true colors.
Now, let’s set one thing straight. Charcoal Grace is filled with outstanding musicianship, next-level songwriting, and eerily well-crafted tracks. A mix of Progressive Metal and Alternative Rock that effortlessly switches between harsh and soft, rough chugging and soft crooning. And for the record, know that ‘effortless’ never means easy, these guys worked hard to get there. A fact that took us aback a few times over the 62-minute airtime.
It’s interesting to see that the hard-core prog treatment Rise Radiant inflicted on the audience is pretty much gone. The record starts lustily enough with some Gojira-esque chugging on the first two tracks. The World Breathes with Me and Golem gorge with CH‘s finest and Jim Grey in awesome form. Prog with a bite that is still palatable enough to enjoy, nothing too spicy or over the top. This is well-balanced Progressive Metal with some of CH‘s typical flourishes scattered here and there.
But then, the Charcoal Grace series I-IV arrive, and with them, some darker clouds start to appear. Again, the somewhat nonchalantly excellent musical prowess is ever-present. There’s no note out of place and Jim Grey‘s ministrations are always straight on point and aligned to mood and atmosphere. And yet, the hard-hitting and rockier prog style of former times got somehow replaced with some sort of modern-day facsimile of late Leprous. At times, one would think that Einar Solberg actually usurped the mic and manned the guitar and keyboard stations. There’s just too much whiny Leprous wankery1 all around those four parts. And that severely wore on this reviewer’s patience after a while.
Then again, the feisty number IV – the ‘Give Me Hell’ part – hits like a friggin’ sledgehammer on a prog rampage. This track could have been the shiny beacon for the rest of the record. A stepping stone to some sturdy prog nirvana and away from this often sumpy and touchy-feely alt-rock crooning. Alas, this overly sweetish prog crankiness indeed continues well into Stormchaser and Mute. The former comes with the video below, by the way. A song that never quite syncs with the dark atmosphere and storyline of the clip. Whereas the cinematography simply is outstanding. And that’s yet another sign as to where this record is ultimately headed.
And that gets us to the crux of Charcoal Grey. You get an ebb and flow of outstanding prog geekery that makes you yearn for more. It’s not necessarily the wild chugging and abject djentology that we were looking for. But those magic moments that will give you goosebumps, such as the break from harsh proggy alt-rock into flute nirvana on the aforementioned excellent Mute by about 6:45. Nerdy musicianship that will make those old geezers at our review desk raise their gnarly heads in dazed confusion.
But – on the other hand – the record’s often slacking in other parts. It is as if the moment the band generated some good momentum, suddenly someone pulled the plug. And that makes this record feel transitory and uneven. To the point that the RMR crew often felt the urge to give this wobbly piece the ‘little push’ that the good ol’ Joker yearned for so many years earlier. The outcome is somewhat of a mixed bag with too many Scandinavian candy store goodies and not enough hardy English zest amid all those truly excellent moving parts.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Inside Out Music | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 26 January 2023
- The new Leprous pieces won’t even serve as background music over here.-↩