I have only had this for about a week now, and I have played it constantly. This is the brand new 2024 release from the home of some of the best Prog metal on the planet, in the land down under. I know we are only one month in to the new year but this has to be a strong contender for album of the year.
This is album number six (I think?) and I’m digging the heavier groove. Part of the conditions when you join the Prog ranks and get your Prog licence is you have to have a track that covers a whole side and they do this here in the title track Charcoal Grace, and it’s split into four parts. More of that later. On to the opening tune The World Breathes With Med, I’m blown away with everything about this. It’s got soaring vocal harmonies, equally soaring guitars, and some serious heavy grooves, man what a tune. The opening choppy riff and groove to Golem is just wonderful, an absolute beast of a tune.
Now back to the title track, I think uplifting has to be the word of choice here as the whole piece gives me a sense of joy. Of course, the track builds and drops and builds again as you’d expect from a track clocking in at just over 24 minutes, taking the listener on a wonderful aural experience, but that’s what I expect from a band as good as this. Now if Inside Out believed in releasing singles then Sail would be my choice. It’s such a beautiful song with a superb vocal melody and the solo is sublime.
Stormchaser follows and I would say this is what I love most about the band. One minute they have the most beautiful delicate passages and melodies then they mix the same melody with some real low end boom and killer instrumentation. The end seems to arrive so quickly with Mute but it’s a 12 minute ending. It has such a dramatic intro and opening. Again, we get the delicate vocal and playing that gives way to maximum heaviness with double kicks and killer staccato riffing.
Great ending for a great album!
10/10 from The Grooveman.
