Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace - Track by Track Pt 2 - “Charcoal Grace I - IV”

[@hadokenchild]

I could listen to Doctor Chops talk about studio work and concepts for hours.

[@1stGenHomestead]

Funnily enough before I heard this album I’ve been working through a lot of things in my personal life and I begin writing, but this album came out, and it instantly connected with me on such a deep level that it’s become my favorite album of all time hearing these guys, explain the themes and the motif and The psychology behind it really made me understand why because these are all things that I connect with all things that I’ve gone through and I’m experiencing currently and it really resonates with my personal journey. I love this band and I love these guys.

[@spencer_lk]

This is possibly my favorite metal album of all time

[@danielmontupil4146]

Agree

[@dahbrezel]

you guys are absolutely amazing...what a time to be a live to be able to enjoy masterful music like this.

[@anetteridleyrodriguez]

The release of the album is something coincidental to me since my father and I are no longer speaking to each other. Because he refused to heal, he refused to let go.... I cried like a baby when I was listening. I cried after this video as well. The power of music 🤘

[@ShaneClough]

I am actually glad to hear that the lyrical content of this suite was not from direct lived experiences from Jim, cause good lord it's dark. I know Jim talks about this as being a cautionary tale, or something to perhaps avoid (emotionally not allowing yourself to forgive someone or move on from terrible things that have happened) but to me there is something super cathartic about it all. I like the idea that you shouldn't have to forgive someone that has done horrible things just because they are dying or have gone. The lines at the start of part IV about the person/father who is terrified of fading away, of dying alone. I don't know, there is some satisfaction there in the whole "you reap what you sow" kind thing thing. Obviously this isn't the case for all things, but there are some acts which truly are unforgiveable. I know holding on to things that cause hurt is never a good thing, but when it feels like you don't have a choice in that, at least getting some respite in knowing that whoever has done such horrible things doesn't get away with it is comforting in a way. I know it may not be the intention of the suite, but it is very cathartic for me. This whole album is so special.

[@perplexedon9834]

A few weeks ago when I fully wrapped my head around what Charcoal Grace was saying, I actually went back through Jim's twitter just to double check his dad hadn't died during covid. Also relieved that it's a cautionary narrative, but it is one many many people lived

[@Zion-18]

This record is truly special. "Give Me Hell" is my favorite--the ending made my hair stand on end the first three or four times I heard it.

[@VioletAOP416]

I’m surprised to hear this isn’t a personal story because listening to it felt so viscerally similar to what I went through during Covid that I was almost sure one of y’all must’ve experienced something similar. Not that it makes it mean anything less to me, your talent as songwriters shows that you can accurately portray a story that resonates specifically with listeners despite it not being personal.

It's absolutely astounding to me how, no matter what story these guys tell, somehow the lyrics and the songs can feel so so personal to me, every single time. I love to hear their goal and interpretation and the story the song tells but when hearing the suite for the first time...man, like they wrote it about me. And I don't even have a parent who alienated from me during the pandemic! x) But somehow these songs always find their way into the heart of my hearts. Gah. Amazing.

[@AlvaroCarrilloWS]

Ok, can we get the background music as an album too? something? I love it, i just love it.

[@ChewyMorales13]

Pt4 is by far my favorite song off the album all the pther songs were amazing but pt4 immediately clicked something inside of me

[@dragonvaix]

I love you guys. Thank you for all the amazing material. Saw you all in Charlotte and it changed everything.

[@RodolfoBrito_bigNfanboy]

This music is a masterpiece. It makes me angry because I relate a lot with the son character, but the abuser was my mom. I’m still struggling to understand the meaning of “charcoal grace”. Is this an expression that someone who’s not a native English speaker can’t understand? It would be nice to have some video trying to breakdown the lyrics in a way where we can understand it more clearly.

[@HeavyJohno]

I effing love you guys and love these videos.

[@BLITZ0100]

Amazing stuff! Really loved seeing the behind the scenes stuff as well at the end there to get a peak into what the studio work of Caligula's Horse looks like. Much love from Sweden, keep doing what you're doing!

[@dansourile5444]

Can't wait for part 4 about Mute... what an incredible closer! Has to be one of the songs they've ever written!

[@stryker_6568]

Uploads as I'm listening to the 4 piece epic! Love those deep dives. Love and support from Syria ❤🇸🇾

[@CelticGuy7]

Is the Father and Son from Charcoal Grace the same one from Graves?

[@inthedream9127]

Damn, that’s a great question

[@anetteridleyrodriguez]

That would be cool!!!!!!

[@ArcherWillows]

jim said in the reddit AMA that he liked the theory, but it’s not accurate.

[@CelticGuy7]

@@ArcherWillows ah ok, good head canon material at least

[@DonCarnage42]

Love these videos and the insights ❤

[@Johnherold121]

Yoo Sam mate what's that tele at 6:31?

[@warwanwusic]

is that vai nukem

[@samvallenmusic]

It's Dale's. I'm going to actually steal it off him one day. Don't tell him that.

[@Axel_the_Damme_of_the_van]

Caligulas peak...

[@ryan2000he]

Just to preface, I'm not a religious person. Quite the contrary, I'm very very atheistic, but I couldn't help but almost feel heavy Christian or religious themes in "Charcoal Grace". I'm talking about the lyrics of not one, not two but almost THE ENTIRE ALBUM. I don't really know if Caligula's Horse are Christian, maybe someone could enlighten me, that'll make more sense I guess. Also, I've watched the mini-documentary series for the album, and they mostly talked about the songwriting and music writing process rather than the lyrics themselves (they did say the themes were heavier to some of the other stuff they're used to writing but nothing regarding religion): The World Breathes With Me and Mute: I put these two tracks together as in my opinion they share the same story or rather Mute is a continuation of TWBWM. The way I interpret it is that a silent sentient godly being, "created mountains and shook the earth". Also the phrase "god forgive us" (which obviously alone means nothing, but in the context of the song makes more sense. Golem: Well just the name itself is of religious (specifically Jewish) origin. A Golem in Judaism is a mindless being created from clay usually as a slave. The song itself might not talk about a Golem as the being but rather a metaphor but a person reborn or a person ready to be "molded" into something. Charcoal Grace I-IV: I feel like this section of the album tells 4 different stories from different point of views, but this is where I realized the religious themes I talked about. In "I" it almost feels like an angel that fell down to earth, either on a mission or banished from heaven, and he's looking for redemption or something of the sort. Obviously lyrics such as "No room in your small heaven, tell God I wish him well" etc.. In "II" the only think I could think about once my mind was set on the religious themes was God and Jesus. God left Jesus with Mary and abandoned them. It tells how God feels and later how Jesus feels in the song. God doesn't know how to feel and contradicts himself "So pray that there's a heaven, no I meant to say I missed you". This is more obscure but that's what I'm getting from it. In "III" I didn't really see anything tbh, but I might've missed something you guys could let me know. In "IV" I think it tells the story of a holy person. Maybe a Priest of some sort. They're very angry at something, almost wishing to be punished. Many words such as "Preach, Hell, house of the holy" etc, almost invoke a very religious feeling. Sails and The Stormchaser: This feels like a journey into heaven, where in "Sails" the main character is deciding to go on the journey itself and by "The Stormchaser" (which I believe is a metaphor for God), he's arrived there but it's not what he had hoped "Come for the king, stay for the view", evokes that kind of thought. I don't think I ever wrote a post on this sub but this idea that "Charcoal Grace" has a lot of religious themes and undertones is something I feel like I needed to share since my friends don't really listen to the same music I do. PS: A few notes I think are important to make 1: English is not my first language, so if you see any grammatical errors, I apologize. 2: When I write a lot, especially essays and such, I have a tendency to ramble and sometimes lose track of my original thought, if that happens, please let me know in the comments.

[@perplexedon9834]

You're definitely picking up on the themes. The album as a whole is about how people reacted to the pandemic, and heavily critiques conservative Christian pastors, politicians, and churchgoers who betrayed many of their states valued the moment it required personal sacrifice for the community, prolonging the pandemic and costing lives. It's most obvious in Charcoal Grace and The Stormchaser. Mute is very different from the rest, and focuses singularly in on how Jim himself felt during the pandemic, where he felt heartbroken that they couldn't perform Rise Radiant live, and during lockdown (to his shock) found himself with an incredible writers block and lack of motivation. For the most part the rest of the album features Jim taking on the voices of a larger group of people who struggled, rather than relaying it so personally. I'm about 99% Jim is an atheist, and theme of that have been in in his work since all the way back on Ephemeral City. There's definitely an interesting dual read of Charcoal Grace I-IV where the narrator is Christian all through and is furious the way people (especially their abusive dad) who share their faith are abusing it, but I think the most natural reading is of a queer adult who has long deconstructed their faith and come out no longer Christian.