Caligula's Horse
In Contact

Isn’t it funny how often progressive albums are predictable and how many of them that are very similar to one another, isn’t that strange for something supposed to be progressive? These guys sounds very similar to the band Haken, and some other bands in the progressive rock/metal genre. The good thing about the progressive music though it is that it is inherently a bit complicated, which means that even though albums are quite similar they still have quite a few differences making the albums being at least somewhat different in general. Caligula’s Horse have released four albums before this one, the first and third with a long title and the second and fourth with one-word-titles, a tradition the break with In Contact. I should also point out that the cover is probably the best thing about this album; it looks fascinating and quite atypical.

In Contact is (obviously) a progressive rock/metal album in a rather generic style of that genre, there are traces of the great classic bands we heard long ago and as I said it sounds similar to several more modern bands as well. The production is excellent and the vocalist is really good, they build their songs with soaring atmospheres and a touch of heaviness. It is not very complicated and while they have the obligatory super long track they keep it short for the most part, which I think, is quite positive. The album is of course quite varied and I would say that it presses the regular buttons for an album in this genre. I don’t think that the band thinks outside the box much, or anything, and in all honesty it is not very progressive for something called progressive in the genre description. Albums like this always benefits from a sense of novelty, the sensation that you are listening to something you have never heard before – that is not something I get with this album.

I think that this is an album that is lacking the novel feel that a great new album should have but there is still no denying that it is a very good album in most regards. I particularly like the atmosphere, the soaring feel the band conveys through their music when you listen to the songs – the songs that are quite good all the way through. And I think this is a rather safe bet, it is impossible to dislike which is probably always a good thing. It should appeal to fans of the progressive genre as it moves along the same path as so many other bands of the genre does and as I stated before; I cannot claim that it anything but a good album even though it doesn’t quite grab me even though I have listened to it many times in order to get to know it. But if you are a fan of the progressive rock/metal genre I think that it will be a rather safe bet.

In the end I like this album, it is good but I think they should have dared to think more outside the box, to maybe have some songs with a little bit more energy and emotion. It feels a bit safe, and a bit unexciting in a way and though I like listening to the album I still leave it with the sense that it should have been better and braver.

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