Released By : Self Released
Genre : Progressive Thrash Metal, Alternative
Links : http://www.myspace.com/caligulabelgium
Tracklist:
01. Everyone Sucks But Us
02. Bitte Gedulden Sie Sich Einen Augenblick !
03. Rackham the Red
04. Thrashing Puppies
05. Per Qualche Euros in Plu
06. Hard Rock and Roll
07. Threatened by Your Slip
08. The Great Supervillain
Following on from last week’s onslaught of oddness, today I have yet another odd little band to do a review for, this time in the form of Belgian metallers CALIGULA. Why they decided on such a common name as CALIGULA is a mystery to me, but maybe that’s just a part of the joke here as this band are certainly on the funnier side of things. The raw base of their sound lies somewhere between thrash metal and gothic metal, but also included are elements of progressive metal, doom metal, baroque and alternative rock giving the entire disc a very avant-garde feel to it. If the band were too serious about trying to get away with this style I don’t think the album would have worked very well, but the fact that the whole thing seems to be a little bit tongue in cheek really helps to set the right vibe and prevent this one from being a disaster. For an example of the kind of humor you can expect to hear throughout the album just check out the self-written bio on the band’s MySpace page or read some of their lyrics or even take a closer look at the simply ridiculous album artwork.
Though they have a strong leaning toward everything funny and whacky, don’t think that means the music suffers though as CALIGULA actually have a pretty unique sound going on here and everything seems to be done pretty well for a self-funded effort. I’d say imagine if you took Glenn Danzig and put him at the front of Exodus and then asked them to perform cover versions of primus and Mr. Bungle songs you may be half way to imagining what CALIGULA sound like, but just when you think you have them pegged, a different instrument or a new style will rear its head and change things up again, this happens quite often all the way through the album and it will certainly take multiple listens to really digest everything. Usually I would say that thirty two minutes of music isn’t really enough for a full album, but in this instance it is plenty and toward the end you will feel yourself getting pretty mentally strained if you are listening closely and trying to take it all in.
I can’t really say whether I particularly liked this album too much or not, but I can say that so far I’ve listened to it around a dozen times and I’m still hearing new things with each listen and it makes me want to listen to it again and again. A perfect example of something weird that is done well because it isn’t too serious or downtrodden like a lot of experimental and progressive music is…. Check it out if you like weird stuff!
Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 7/10
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