COLOSSUS

"Colossus" is an EP release by Australian progressive rock/metal act Caligula's Horse. The EP was independently released in September 2011. Caligula's Horse was formed in early 2011 by guitarist Sam Vallen and lead vocalist Jim Grey and the band released their debut full-length studio album "Moments from Ephemeral City" in April 2011. At that point the band contemplated disbanding, but as fan reactions were so positive they decided to carry on and solidify the lineup who recorded the debut and tour with that lineup. It´s the same quintet lineup who recorded the two tracks featured on "Colossus".

Both the EP title track and "Vanishing Rites (Tread Softly Little One)" are around 5 minutes long making "Colossus" a 10 minutes long listen. The first thing I notice when listening to the title track is that it´s one of the more heavy and aggressive songs from the early catalogue of Caligula's Horse. At the same time it also features beautiful melodic song lines, a soaring chorus, and quite exquisite vocal harmonies and choirs. "Vanishing Rites (Tread Softly Little One)" is not quite as heavy (although it certainly also features some very heavy parts) and features a more playful mood and interesting dynamic changes. Both tracks are high quality compositions and production wise a step up from the sound on "Moments from Ephemeral City".

The original EP is probably a hard to find release these days, but the two tracks are featured on the InsideOut Music reissue of "Moments from Ephemeral City" as bonus material, and function well there as part of that album. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)