Wanted To Know Where They Go Next:
Frogg are a band I reviewed back in 2020 when they put out their EP A Reptilian Dystopia which you can check out at this LINK. I did say that their music was “not for the faint-hearted” and that they were a band I wanted to see “where they go next“. The time is now! The chance to find out where they have gone musically and possibly thematically. This is their debut album which features 10 songs of absolutely maniacal playing of a standard that is more terrifying than hell!
However, I am slightly getting ahead of myself. First of all, let’s talk about the players here. The band include Sky Moon Clark (vocalist, guitarist and co-producer), Will Brown (drums and “world instruments”), Brett Fairchild (guitars on tracks 1, 5, 6, 10), then 4 different bassists on various tracks including Nick Thorpe (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10), David White (track 2), Brad Williamson (track 6) and Jack Lynch (track 3) along with Emma Rae (keys and clean vocals). Live it would appear they have a bassist called Ethan Emery who doesn’t appear on the album strangely! The album comes out (or came out) Friday, March 7 and is a self-release but distributed by Distrokid. The band describe themselves as “a modern experimental technical metal band from the New York metropolitan area“.
Album Opener Setting The Scene:
As I said there are 10 songs all defying normality in skill and dexterity. Sometimes it is hard to put into words what I am listening to as it is so crazy and they don’t do much in the way of normal verse/chorus type thing. I am not a musician (although I used to play guitar but not to any great level) so trying to explain what in the name of fuck they are doing is out of my comfort zone. Despite not fully understanding things I found myself once again being drawn into their world and really enjoying what I hear. This stuff is not for everyone obviously but those who like technical heavy music this is a must-buy.
I also learned some things due to the song titles alone! I had to Google for instance the name of the first track “Walpurgisnacht” to find out this refers to the celebration of the canonization of a German woman back in 810AD. She was said to battle “pests, rabies, whooping cough and witchcraft” but not necessarily in that order! The day is celebrated in a number of countries (superstition runs deep still). What she has to do with the song is anyone’s guess but what a great opener nonetheless! Starting with atmospheric keys with quietly played guitar/bass (hint of neo-classical) before exploding into crazy riffs, time changes, stops/starts only stopping for an interlude that sounded like flamenco music! Well, why not? That really sets the scene for what is to follow.
My Head Swiveled:
Some of the other tracks that had twists or turns that I dug include both “Eclipse’s“, part 1 (called “Blind Bakunawa” which translates as “curved snake“, according to mythology a moon-eating dragon!). The song however is based on the Oedipus story but with a twist. In this they include some fuzzy-style doom metal near the end and in part 2 (called “Sickened By Silence“) they have a luscious dropdown with one guitar line having a touch of late 70s or early 80s prog work (possibly like Asia or similar), very melodic.
There are points musically that I feel my head swivel trying to keep up. There are a couple of songs that include “world instruments”, one of them “Sun Stealer” has a jazzy Oriental vibe with what sounds like a zither being played (or something similar). The other, “Omni Trigger“, has once again a hint of the East with some form of percussive instrument not too dissimilar to a cowbell in the middle of it all.
The album has some quite playful moments as well including “Interspecific Hybrid Species” which is about climate change and how it is coming for us all. There is a hint of Devin Townsend on this, but only little moments. There is also a tiny section of military-style drumming to keep things interesting. The ending is lovely and bonkers.
Best Song (In My View):
There are not a lot of singalong bits on the album but 2 tracks do have “choruses” in an almost traditional sense. “Double Vision Roll” with the “over and over again” section being memorable. This was a single from the album so is a tad more “commercial”, but only a TAD. One of the other singles is the best moment on the album for me. “Wake Up” is also the longest song so it does allow them to explore themes a little more allowing melodies to land better. This also features Emma and she adds so much to the song making it sound almost contemporary pop which is no mean feat in a song this technical. There are more breakdowns, mellow moments etc helping make the song stand out even more.
Battered Over The Head… Playfully:
Not much more I can say, other than to repeat that this is music which challenges the listener. The band play out of their skins, absolutely dazzling us with off-the-charts playing. Anyone who loves heavy music which is progressive will love this album (no should about it). What does help is that Frogg adds little touches of playfulness as well as extra or surprising musical instruments to keep the whole thing entertaining. I said in the review of the EP that it showed “great promise”. And that “promise” has in my view been met on this album. Once again they battered me over the head in the most fun way musically. I can only imagine the fun of seeing them do this stuff live. A must-have for fans of extreme progressive music.
Purchase Album Via: Bandcamp
