CALIGULA’S HORSE
Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, Caligula’s Horse is a progressive alternative rock powerhouse. Their unique tapestry of progressive metal laced with raw rock power is at once fluid, monumental, and striking, offering a wide audience a broad palate of unforgettable moments and timeless music.
Now established as one of Australia’s finest live acts and at the forefront of its progressive rock scene, with four well-loved albums under their belt, and a passionate and ever-growing worldwide fanbase, Caligula’s Horse are broadening their horizons to the rest of the globe. 2019 will see the band reach the USA for the very first time for the prestigious ProgPower USA Festival, after headlining its European counterpart in 2018 to rave reviews. In the meantime, writing has begun for the fifth album for Caligula’s Horse, which will become yet another enormous leap forward in their colourful signature style.
Formed in 2011 by Sam Vallen and Jim Grey, Caligula’s Horse unleashed their vivid debut Moments from Ephemeral City in the same year. An evocative and powerful unveiling of the dynamic and cohesive songwriting partnership, “Moments” was a commanding charge into modern progressive music: energetic, eclectic, and poignant. Going from strength to strength, The Tide, The Thief & River’s End was released in 2013, and was received with international acclaim. A dark, eloquently woven concept album, the narrative explores isolation, exodus, and the power of the human spirit. The release of “Rivers End” piloted the group to perform with such luminaries of the international progressive heavy landscape as Opeth, Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Protest The Hero, The Ocean, Twelve Foot Ninja, and Ne Obliviscaris.
In 2015, after signing with the prestigious German record label Inside Out Music, and joining the roster of AMF Publishing in the UK, Caligula’s Horse released their vibrant and emotional third album Bloom. Bloom reached the heights of #16 on the Australian Albums ARIA Chart, and #2 and #7 on the Australian iTunes Metal and Rock Charts respectively. Metal Injection (USA) proclaimed they “evoke a striking amount of greatness”, while PROG Magazine (UK) stated “they are sounding ever more like they just need an arena to fill”. Bloom saw the group embark on an extensive first tour of Europe alongside Shining (Norway), win the 2016 Queensland Music Heavy Award for their track ‘Marigold’, and complete five Australian tours; including national dates with Opeth, TesseracT, and sleepmakewaves, as well as headlining Melbourne’s iconic Progfest Festival.
In June 2017, Caligula’s Horse advanced to Europe for a second time; including support slots with Opeth, Anathema and Pain Of Salvation, UK headline shows and festival appearances at Midsummer Prog
Festival (Netherlands) and Be Prog! My Friend Festival (Spain). 2017 also saw the release of the band’s most addictive and emotion work to date, In Contact, an album of deeply personal stories told over four chapters. In Contact is an incredible and ambitious work that has left audiences breathless across the globe. In Contact debuted at #50 on the ARIA Chart, bringing Caligula’s Horse into the ARIA Top 50 for the first time. Caligula’s Horse have toured solidly on the back of the success of In Contact, most notably their All Aussie Invasion headline tour of Europe in 2018 with Australia’s Circles and ibuiltthesky.