FROST* deliver new stella EP, Others

FROST* - Others EP
FROST* - Others EP

Frost* are an English prog-rock ‘supergroup.’ They’re only an occasional presence on the prog scene as every member of the band is active with several other ongoing bands, including Arena, Kino, It Bites, IQ and Lonely Robot.

Originally devised as a recording project for band founder Jem Godfrey (who interestingly wrote ‘Whole Again’ for Atomic Kitten), the intent was to create ‘new and exciting prog-rock reminiscent of the past whilst facing the future,’ but the tunes being written required other musicians, thus Frost* came into being. Their debut album, Milliontown, was felt by many fans to be a prog masterpiece, comprising as it did supreme musicianship, catchy yet proggy melodies and fine harmonies in a genre not always renowned for vocal prowess.

They write quite lengthy pieces, on Milliontown ran to twenty-six minutes plus .. but on this new six-track EP, no song exceeds seven minutes. The songs on this EP were written around the time of their third album, Falling Satellites, but were held back as it was decided not to release it as a double album.

‘Fathers,’ the opening track, kicks off at a frenetic pace. It’s a fast, upbeat piece with a deceptively simple yet quite complex melody, with harmonies very reminiscent of Todd Rundgren and ends with a little girl saying ‘night night.’ ‘Clouda’ is initially slower paced but soon picks up, with some exceptional musicianship all the way through.

‘Exhibit A’ also has a fast frantic opener with ‘we own you’ being sang repeatedly. ‘Fathom’ is a relatively short piece but has a ‘Marillion’ feel. ‘Eat’ is a big production number, with several quirky stop-start interludes and voices fading in and out. ‘Drown’ opens with Don’t hold your breath, don’t make a sound, just breathe it in, lay back and drown. The influence of mid-seventies Genesis can be heard in the music. There’s a dark undertone to this song and there’s a nearly three-minute fade out as the track concludes. Why Frost* are so highly rated becomes apparent listening to this EP.

Six really good pieces of music, a high quality of musicianship and there are no lengthy instrumental sections for its own sake. The band are working on a new album for Autumn 2020 release, and Others will fill the gap until then.

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

2 × 1 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.