Australian progressive metal outfit Caligula’s Horse release their new single “The World Breathes With Me” from their upcoming album Charcoal Grace, due out on January 26th, 2024. “The World Breathes With Me” is the second single and the 10-minute opening track from the new albumand takes the listener through the emotions and vibe of the new album.
The band shares about “The World Breathes With Me”: “’The World Breathes With Me’ is a powerful musical journey that sets the stage for Charcoal Grace as a whole. It pulls right back to a bird’s eye view of what we saw and experienced during the years of the pandemic. While we did lose our faith in humanity, we ultimately reconnected in the understanding that we are all forever connected to one another through breath and to the world through each other.”
Listen to “The World Breathes With Me” here:
Stream The World Breathes With Me on your favorite DSP’s here: https://ffm.to/twbwm
In November, the band released its first single Golem, which served as the first glimpse of the thematical depth of Charcoal Grace.
The band says about Golem: “Golem is about how we all struggled with the weight of expectation through the pandemic. We felt that weight acutely as musicians, being trapped with no notion of when, or even if, we would return to the life we knew, all while feeling the pressure to create our next work rising. While that’s our specific experience, the themes of Golem are something we can all relate to. It’s a heavy song with an emphasis on riffs and driving rhythms.”
Charcoal Grace is the 6th studio album of the band, and it combines raw rock power with immense emotional depth. Charcoal Grace is borne of the static hopelessness that the pandemic forced upon the band and, indeed, much of the world, these past few years. It is an album reckoning with the experiences and outcomes of this time geared, ultimately, towards catharsis – moving towards a more hopeful future.
The title Charcoal Grace is described by the band as “the grim allure and strange beauty in stillness, silence, and loss”. This can be heard through the album’s 10-minute opening track “The World Breathes With Me,” a mission statement for the album’s main themes. Musically, it’s a work of contrasts, moving from the lightest ebb to the heaviest flow. Meanwhile, the second track and first single from the album, “Golem,” examines struggling with the weight of expectation through the pandemic. It’s a heavy song with an emphasis on riffs and driving rhythms.
At the center of the album is the 4-part title track suite, a 24-minute opus that pushes deeper into the album’s foundational themes: connection, alienation, and the ways humanity acts under duress. Musically, it covers every facet of the band’s vocabulary, from heavy and dense orchestral-accompanied intensity embodying the song’s darkest lyrical ideas, through to soft acoustic-driven moments and introspection.
Tracklist:
Side A
The World Breathes With Me (10:00)
Golem (05:20)
Side B
Charcoal Grace I: Prey (07:48)
Charcoal Grace II: A World Without (06:48)
Charcoal Grace III: Vigil (03:22)
Charcoal Grace IV: Give Me Hell (06:13)
Side C
Sails (04:31)
The Stormchaser (05:57)
Mute (12:00)
Charcoal Grace is available as Ltd. CD Digipak, CD Jewelcase (US only), Gatefold 2LP in various colours & Digital Album.
Pre-Order Charcoal Grace here:
The band recently announced their Charcoal Grace North America Tour 2024 with special guests Earthside. Tickets available at caligulashorse.com.
US:
01/31 Union Stage – Washington,DC 02/01 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA 02/02 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall 02/03 New York, NY – The Gramercy Theatre 02/04 Montreal, QC – Le Studio TD 02/06 The Axis Club – Toronto, ON 02/07 Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall – Pittsburgh, PA 02/08 Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL 02/10 Exit – Nashville, TN 02/12 The Underground – Charlotte, NC 02/13 The Masquerade (Hell) – Atlanta, GA 02/15 Come Take it Live – Austin, TX 02/16 Granada Theatre – Dallas, TX 02/18 Nile Half House – Phoenix, AZ 02/19 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA 02/20 The Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA 02/21 Cornerstone – Berkley, CA 02/23 El Corazon – Seattle, WA 02/24 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR 02/25 Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver, BC
John Mitchell (Arena, Frost, Lonely Robot, It Bites, Kino…) will be delighting audiences with acoustic shows just before Christmas.
John will be performing acoustic versions of songs from his multiple bands and projects (It Bites, Frost*, Lonely Robot, Kino…) as well as a selection of his favourite covers, sharing personal anecdotes and stories throughout the evening. He will be joined by Jez Fielder (Indigo Down) on guitar and backing vocals. This will certainly be a very special show and a great opportunity to experience a privileged evening not to be missed!
Legendary Italian prog ensemble Acqua Fragile, fifty years after the first album by the same name in 1973, comes out with a brand new work, an album with totally original songs, entitled “Moving Fragments”. Confirming the salient characteristics of A F style – vocal harmonies, odd tempo signatures, romanticism, aggression, theatricality, and research – some new features and significant developments embellish this new album. The three original members of the band Piero Canavera (drums, percussion and vocals), Franz Dondi (bass), Bernardo Lanzetti (lead vocals, guitar and Glovox), are joined in by Stefano Pantaleoni (keyboards), Claudio Tuma (guitars) and the vocalist Rossella Volta, all previously together on stage in live adventures, over the past two years. Nine songs of which five in English, one instrumental and three in Italian. Developing the mode experimented in Aqua Fragile’s previous work, “A New Chant”, released In 2017, there are numerous guest musicians including one British and one American. In three songs, Bernardo Lanzetti’s creative motor is fueled by the contribution of keyboardist and composer Stefano Pantaleoni. The production is entrusted to Dario Mazzoli, already a partner of Lanzetti in various adventures in the recording studio, including his latest solo album “Horizontal Rain” (2021).
In detail, here’s the CD track list. Naturally for the vinyl, with sides A and B, the order is different:
1. “Her Shadowʼs Torture” (S. Pantaleoni/B.lanzetti). Guest Gigi Cavalli Cocchi on drums but also produced the cover and the band’s brand new logo 2. “White Horse On Dope” (B. Lanzetti). Guest guitarist Stef Burns 3. “Moving Fragments” (B.Lanzetti) 4. “Malo Bravo” (B.Lanzetti). Guests Brian Belloni/guitars and Sergio Ponti (drums) 5. “I A – Intelligenza Artificiale” (S.Pantaleoni/B.Lanzetti). Guest Davide Piombino (7 string guitar) 6. “Black Drone” (B.Lanzetti). Guests, Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (drums) and David Jackson (sax and flute) 7. “DD Danz” (S.Pantaleoni). Instrumental 8. “Il Suono Della Voce” (B.Lanzetti) 9. “Limerence Ethereal” (B.Lanzetti). Guest Sergio Ponti (drums)
All guest musicians have militancy or knowledge of the Progressive Rock genre. The presence of Stef Burns who, in a concert with his Rock Trio, did positively strike Bernardo, is quite interesting. Of course, famous for his collaboration with Italian Big Star Vasco Rossi, Stef mentioned a previous period of research very close to Prog.
“White Horse On Dope”, the song featuring Mr. Burns on electric guitar, could be described as “Hard Rock in odd time” on which vocal harmony, in pure Acqua Fragile style, produces an eerie effect. “Black Drone” makes use of the total contribution of the horns of David Jackson, legendary player with Van Der Graaf Generator and frequent visitor to Italy. Once taken in all parts of the arrangement submitted by Bernardo, David went so far as to perform EVERYTHING!
Among the songs in Italian it is worth mentioning “IA Intelligenza Artificiale”, where the vocalist Rossella has two short solo parts, as the song was written three years ago, before the topic became so every day.
The 5th studio album by OVRFWRD There Are No Ordinary Moments is a 10-song journey through the sonic world that is OVRFWRD firing on all cylinders! Recorded August 10th –15th 2023 at Flowers Studios in Minneapolis MN – Richard, Mark, Kyle and Chris captured moments that are certainly not ordinary.
These 10 songs are the culmination of 2 years’ worth of writing, playing, living and exploring musical moments. “Whenever we record, we try to go places we haven’t gone before musically.” Says Mark Ilaug “With all the time we took to create these songs, we tried to keep them fresh- I think we captured some amazing moments.”
The Japanese-Brazilian trans progressive rock artist Yasu releases new single “My Spaceship Lost Control” on all streaming platforms. The track is a rock opera about an astronaut who finds his ship adrift in space, with death imminent. It’s a song full of metaphors about depression and mental health. The single has strong inspirations from bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree and David Bowie.
With its unique fusion of sonic elements and cultures, Yasu promises a captivating musical experience that will take progressive rock fans on an exciting and unforgettable journey. The track is a celebration of creativity and diversity, reflecting their Japanese and Brazilian cultural heritage.
Their talent for combining complex sonic textures with engaging lyrics transports listeners into a richly detailed sonic world where the past and present intertwine in magical ways.
Combining progressive rock, new wave and pop music, Yasu has strong inspirations from prog artists on the more pop side, such as Supertramp, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Alan Parsons Project and Steven Wilson.
The video shows an astronaut adrift in space, with excerpts from videos by singer David Bowie. The music has strong inspirations in bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree and David Bowie.
The Mandalaband’s debut album and second release “The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies” will be released on remastered vinyl and CD box set on November 30, 2023!
Mandalaband (Expanded Edition) Mandalaband began life in the early 1970’s, gaining cult status as one of the most forward-thinking prog outfits of the time. The brainchild of David Rohl, who formed a lineup featuring future Sad Café members Vic Emerson (keyboards), Ashley Mulford (guitars), John Stimpson (bass guitar and backing vocals), Tony Cresswell (drums) and vocalist Dave Durant.
Mandalaband received critical acclaim with legendary BBC radio presenter John Peel playing the entire album on his show before promptly re-broadcasting the whole thing immediately after. Unfortunately, at the time, this didn’t translate to sales and Mandalaband fell into obscurity. However, with the advent of the internet, their legend grew, exciting a new generation of prog fans.
We are now pleased to make these recordings available again and offer a chance to dig into some of the most interesting progressive music of the ‘70s. As well as presenting the original album remastered, David gained access to the original 24-track analogue master tapes, having them restored and digitized at Abbey Road Studios before reinforcing the sound and instrumentation before remixing the entire album. Nearly fifty years on, a veil of sonic mist has been lifted from theseunique recordings.
Format: 2LP 180g gatefold edition featuring the original album and David Rohl. 2024 remix of entire album, both remastered at AIR Mastering, with rare bonus track. Includes newly written liner notes.
The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies (Expanded Edition) The second Mandalaband album – “The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies” – took two full years to create. Recorded at Strawberry Studios with the help of Barclay James Harvest plus a plethora of musician friends and colleagues with whom David had worked with over the years including Eric Stewart (10cc), Maddy Prior (Steeleye Span), Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme & Kevin Godley (10cc) and Paul Young (Sad Café / Mike and the Mechanics). The narrative is based on a Tolkienesque fantasy of a magical gemstone, set in prehistory, the music and lyrics tell the tale through different vocalists playing the roles of the leading characters in the story. The Mandalaband founder carefully created this classic symphonic rock album on a budget of just £8,000. As well as presenting the original album remastered, David gained access to the original 24-track analogue master tapes, having them restored and digitized at Abbey Road Studios before reinforcing the sound and instrumentation before remixing the entire album. Listening to David’s newly remixed version is a stunning sonic journey, with elements of prog, electronica, soft rock and instrumental soundscapes, the influence of these recordings on prog-music that followed is clear. Format: 2LP 180g gatefold edition featuring the original album and David Rohl 2024 remix of the entire album, newly remastered at AIR Mastering. Comes with the original 6-panel booklet telling the full “The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies” story with beautiful illustration and newly written liner notes. 4CD Edition:Both albums will be released as a 4CD edition housed in a clamshell box, featuring 2024 David Rohl remixes of the band’s first two albums, along with the original versions, with rarities from the archives, all newly remastered at AIR Mastering. Comes with a 24-page booklet with liner notes previously unseen photographs.
TRACKLISTING: Disc 1: Mandalaband – 2024 Remaster 1. Om Mani Padme Hum (In four movements) 2. Determination 3. Song For a King 4. Roof of the World 5. Looking In
Disc 2: The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies – 2024 Remaster 1. The Eye Of Wendor 2a. Florian’s Song 2b. Ride To The City 3. Almar’s Tower 4. Like The Wind 5a. The Tempest 5b. Dawn Of A New Day 6. Departure from Carthilias 7. Elsethea 8. Witch of Waldow Wood 9. Siledandre 10. Aenord’s Lament 10a. Funeral of the King 10b. Coronation of Damien
Disc 3: Mandalaband – 2024 David Rohl Version 1. Om Mani Padme Hum (In four movements) 2. Determination 3. Song For a King 4. Roof of the World 5. Looking In 6. Om Mani Padme Hum (Camel Studios Demo) 7. Looking In (CBS Studios Chrysalis Live Audition) 8. Roof of the World (Indigo Sound Demo) Disc 4: The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies – 2024 David Rohl Version 1. The Eye Of Wendor 2a. Florian’s Song 2b. Ride To The City 3. Almar’s Tower 4. Like The Wind 5a. The Tempest 5b. Dawn Of A New Day 6. Departure from Carthilias 7. Elsethea 8. Witch of Waldow Wood 9. Siledandre 10. Aenord’s Lament 10a. Funeral of the King 10b. Coronation of Damien 11. Dawn Of A New Day (Single Mix) 12. The Eye Of Wendor (Indigo Sound Demo) 13. Witch Of Waldow Wood (Indigo Sound Demo) 14. Silesandre (Indigo Sound Demo) 15. The Tempest / Dawn Of A New Day (Australian Single Version) 16. Florian’s Song / Ride To The City (Australian Single Version)
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