BLOOM

Released on Inside Out, one of the world leading contemporary prog rock and metal labels, Bloom is the third album of Australian prog-metallers Caligula's Horse and is the record that made the Aussies known to the prog world ? gaining them interviews in the UK Prog magazine and wide coverage on various prog and metal webzines. It is an album that shows all the potential of the band and I remember liking it quite a bit when I bought it back in 2015. But listening to it now, 5 years and 2 albums after its initial release, I cannot help but feel that Bloom is the sound of a band still trying to find its footing and its own identity.

Bloom is by no means a bad or unsatisfactory record. It simply does not reach the compositional heights that Caligula's Horse will touch on their subsequent, monstrous album, In Contact, nor does it have the brazen immediacy and catchiness of the band's most recent release, Rise Radiant. In a way, Bloom can be described as an early precursor of both these records. One can detect traces of the compositional adventurousness that will find full expression on In Contact. But one can also sense the band's ambition to reach wider audiences by flirting with poppier and more accessible melodies, a route Caligula's Horse will fully embrace with Rise Radiant. The result is an album that is caught halfway between the adventurous and the glossy, alternating moments of creative greatness with episodes that are more mundane and do not completely convince.

Compositionally, the album has a neat structure. It is bookended by two gentle, partly-acoustic pieces that remind me of Opeth at their calmest (especially on the title-track "Bloom"). Albeit somewhat forgettable, these songs work well as opening and closing tracks of the album. The remaining 6 songs come in three varieties. We have two poppier pieces, "Firelight" and "Turntail" (both chosen as singles), that try and captivate the audience with catchy choruses and memorable melodies. These are among the weakest tracks of the album in my opinion, and not because of their poppy undertones: I am usually a big fan of bands that bring pop influences into their prog, such as Leprous or Ulver. However, Caligula's Horse sound like they are trying too hard to write songs that are instantly likeable, relying too much on big, overly emotional choruses that outshine the instrumental performances and come across as overstated. I cannot help but feel that these two songs are the musical equivalent of "empty calories food": tasty on first bite, but hardly nourishing or filling.

Caligula's Horse fare far better on tracks like "Marigold" and "Rust", that are rockier, more aggressive and, in a word, more substantial. The band's djenty metallic riffs come to the fore on these two tracks, reminding me of Leprous. Structurally, the songs could have been cut down a bit to avoid repetition (especially "Marigold"). They nevertheless shine as the most accessible, headbangable pieces of the album. These songs would probably make an even stronger impression if they were supported by a better production. I feel that the guitar sound (here as on the rest of the album) is too dry and thin, lacking depth and bass tones. The drum sound is also quite horrible. This somewhat reduces the impact that these songs could have on the listener.

With the remaining songs, "Dragonfly" and "Daughter", Caligula's Horse attempt to write two so-called "prog epics" ? tracks that are compositionally more expansive and that twist and turn between different moods and themes to take the listener on a bold musical journey. However, the trick is to make sure one does not lose the listener along the way, but instead gently leads him by hand through the many peaks and valleys of the journey. Caligula's Horse will master the art of writing such prog epics on their next album In Contact, but here they only partially succeed. On "Dragonfly" there are too many twists and too few reference points, making it a rather exhausting and disorienting journey. Things get better on the other epic, "Daughter", thanks to the use of more memorable melodies and better transitions between the multiple parts of the song. On both tracks, I can sense the influence of Opeth and Porcupine Tree, especially in the mellower passages, as well as more alt-rock influences that remind me at times of a band like The Dear Hunter.

Overall, Bloom is an interesting but underdeveloped album, that today I appreciate more as an early omen of Caligula's Horse's future greatness than for its 8 songs. Although I did like it when it was first released, I do not see this as an album that I will go back to many times in the future. With hindsight, it is clear that Caligula's Horse were just getting started with Bloom, and they will release much stronger music in their subsequent albums. If you are new to the band, I suggest to skip this and start directly with In Contact, instead.

(Originally written for The Metal Archives)