Caligula’s Horse started in early 2010 as a solo project for Quandray guitarist Sam Vallen to express the heavier and more guitar centric side of his musical personality. The music began to take a more modern form, incorporating influences as diverse as Frost*, Steely Dan, Meshugga, Devin Townsend and Porcupine Tree. At the begining the project was a primarily instrumental blank canvas, things changed by introducing vocalist Jim Grey from progressive metal band Arcane. Jim’s vocal created a musical invention much greater than it’s constituent components; highly melodic music of intense mood and depth, with strong, memorable hooks and intense, technical instrumental performance.
“Moments From Ephemeral City”, consist of 7 elaborated songs was release in April 2011 and it’s available for free-download (Download this entire album [in whatever format you like] for whatever price you think it’s worth, and please feel free to put in $0 if you see fit. All I ask is that you share it with a friend or two if you do!) at the band’s official site.
It’s pretty difficult to describe or put it in a particular box. Caligula’s Horse sounds closest to some of the Devin Townsend’s colorful experiments, perhaps Caligula’s Horse still have some more classical approach and a pregnant progressive rock/metal vein in the center of their explorations, but they color this basics with many different sounds, turns and twists. “Moments From Ephemeral City” it’s a complex, sophisticated, colorful exploration. Jim Grey’s voice reminds me of Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen) and the music sounds like an inspired and successful merging of the late Marillion with Dream Theater. Nice and quiet acoustic moments and explosive, sometimes contorted heavy moments are following in a perfectly natural groove, Sam Vallen soulful guitar plays are extremely expressive and more inspired than many over rated “guitar heroes” are capable to produce now days. And there’s one more thing that I like about this album, technicality didn’t kill the expressiveness, the musicality and the soul of this material.
Not at least… “Finally this album exists right now only in the digital realm. Any money generated from paid downloads will work towards a pressing of physical copies. Anyone paying a reasonable amount in the “pay what you want†section will have already secured his or her own copy when (and if) the album is pressed. Regardless, feel no obligation to pay, I’m just happy to know that you’re listening to it!”
This is an awesome album, the guys deserve any support you can give and this material should be listen by many more as possible, so….
