CALIGULA'S HORSE - Moments From Ephemeral City

Kategorie: CD-Reviews | Genre: Progmetal | Heft: Jahrgang 2012, eclipsed Nr. 139 / 4-2012 | VÖ-Jahr: 2012 | Wertung: 8/10 | Label: Just For Kicks | Autor: AS


The fifth continent is becoming more and more a homeland of innovative progmetallers. After Anubis and Arcane (to name just two) another highflyer follows with Caligula's Horse. The quintet around multi-instrumentalist Sam Vallen and singer Jim Grey has opened up its own niche in the genre with its debut. Somewhere between Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Pain Of Salvation and Haken the band plays dynamic and expressive, catchy and melodic. The opener "The City Has No Empathy" combines melodic originality and art rock with riff power and string virtuosity and loosely inserts a tricky Zappa reminiscence via vibraphone. "Silence" bewitches with fine fingerpicking, soulful harmony singing and discreetly slanted beats. The three-minute "Singularity" shines with an amazing guitar solo. The eventful "Alone In The World" offers sixteenth riffing that couldn't be more masterly: with its frickel parts reminiscent of Dream Theater the probably most complicated track. Except for Haken, riff and metal power nowhere else do classical and romantic elements meet as often as here.

Top Track: Alone In The World

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