RISE RADIANT

Aussie prog metal forerunners Caligula's Horse harvest a collection of rampant sounds on their 2020 studio release titled 'Rise Radiant', the follow-up to the excellent 'In Contact' from 2017. Ever since its establishment, the band has been recognized as an act crafting a very fine mixture of progressive metal instrumentation with melodic and uplifting writing, resulting in some uncommon but extremely pleasant compositions. And 'Rise Radiant' is no exception - this is an album that preserves the technicality of the C-Horse sounds but aims to expand its scope with the introduction of a few crossover moments that blend a rather poppy sensibility with a tamer, toned down sound and writing. For what concerns the vocal work, which is one of the core aspects of the band's sound, the listener might not find the usual astounding, bold vocals but a rather controlled, thoughtful and intelligent use of Jim Grey's voice, which is quite commendable.

And in the light of these thoughts, we might see how the true "radiance" lies within the beautiful contrasting tones of the entire LP - the presence of both lighter and darker shades is a really pleasant surprise as it was also much needed for Caligula's Horse's catalogue. Some powerhouse tracks like the ballsy opener 'The Tempest' or the prog-anthem 'Slow Violence', an electrifying single that offers a tremendous blend of powerful riffs and unrivaled rage, or the fast-paced 'Valkyrie', all offer a counterpoint to the nurturing and calm nature of tracks like 'Salt' and 'Autumn', the only problem of which might be that they could have eventually transmitted the same feel with a slightly shorter length. But opposed to this we have a powerful album closer - 'The Ascent', which probably sums up excellently both the thematic and the sonic ventures of 'Rise Radiant', which nevertheless remains a very strong entry into the discography of Caligula's Horse.

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Posted Friday, January 10, 2025 | Review this album | Report (Review #3142451)

With their fifth album, Rise Radiant, Caligula's Horse follow the recent trend of a few other prog metal bands of mixing their trademark heavy sound (in this case, a djenty form of prog metal) with more mainstream pop/rock sensibilities. Leprous, with their 2019 album Pitfalls, is an obvious example ... (read more)

Report this review (#2442315) | Posted by lukretio | Saturday, August 29, 2020 | Review Permanlink

The Australian metal boom of the past decade or so has produced some absurdly talented bands and some truly classic albums. Caligula's Horse is definitely counted amongst one of those absurdly talented bands and has a few of those classic albums under their belt. Their latest record, however, is ... (read more)

Report this review (#2408787) | Posted by ssmarcus | Monday, June 1, 2020 | Review Permanlink

I had a lot of anticipation and very high expectations coming in to Caligula's Horse's latest album, RISE RADIANT. Over four albums - and particularly the previous three - the band had established themselves as arguably Australia's leading voice in progressive rock/metal. Understandably, coming ... (read more)

Report this review (#2405188) | Posted by ElliotYork | Saturday, May 23, 2020 | Review Permanlink

Caligula's Horse' Rise Radiant is The progressive metal album. The elements of djent, heavy and odd chord structures, and vocals of high quality. The album art is absolutely stunning, the oil texture of the painting with a dear in the middle. The dear looking into a mountain landscape, sof ... (read more)

Report this review (#2402690) | Posted by Zoltanxvamos | Sunday, May 17, 2020 | Review Permanlink

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