Frost first came to see the light of day when Jem Godfrey ? musician, songwriter and producer ? founded the band in September 2004. The Brit already made a name for himself in the world of pop music on his collaboration wi... more »th Ronan Keating and Atomic Kitten as songwriter and producer. That is what Jem Godfrey says about Frost and their debut album Milliontown: "I?ve always been into progressive rock music and so I decided to do exactly that, writing an album to my kind of taste". At the recording sessions, he was supported by John Mitchell (KINO, Arena, The Urbane) and two members of the band IQ, John Jowitt and Andy Edwards, as well as studio musician John Boyes. Out came a varied piece of work with all sorts of facets: gripping song structures, refined vocal arrangements and virtuoso instrumental passages. Milliontown blends shorter catchy tracks with brilliant long ones, of which the longest provides a listening pleasure of almost 30 minutes. It becomes obvious that Jem Godfrey knows his stuff from what he learned in the field of pop music. His tracks are always to the point and they never get lost in endless repetitions and gaudiness.« less
Frost first came to see the light of day when Jem Godfrey ? musician, songwriter and producer ? founded the band in September 2004. The Brit already made a name for himself in the world of pop music on his collaboration with Ronan Keating and Atomic Kitten as songwriter and producer. That is what Jem Godfrey says about Frost and their debut album Milliontown: "I?ve always been into progressive rock music and so I decided to do exactly that, writing an album to my kind of taste". At the recording sessions, he was supported by John Mitchell (KINO, Arena, The Urbane) and two members of the band IQ, John Jowitt and Andy Edwards, as well as studio musician John Boyes. Out came a varied piece of work with all sorts of facets: gripping song structures, refined vocal arrangements and virtuoso instrumental passages. Milliontown blends shorter catchy tracks with brilliant long ones, of which the longest provides a listening pleasure of almost 30 minutes. It becomes obvious that Jem Godfrey knows his stuff from what he learned in the field of pop music. His tracks are always to the point and they never get lost in endless repetitions and gaudiness.
CD Reviews
Super group with members of IQ and Arena
Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 07/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Frost is a new project on the Inside Out label, led by Jem Godfrey who is the main songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist, and producer. Godfrey is actually a successful pop music producer, but his heart has always been in the progressive rock genre. So he decided to put together his own band, enlisting amazing musicians: John Mitchell from Kino and Arena on guitars and vocals, John Jowitt on bass and Andy Edwards on drums, both of IQ fame.
Needless to say, Frost is quite different from the musicians' bands, as Godfrey's vision was obviously to marry the hallmarks of progressive rock with modern recording and production techniques. There is plenty of studio trickery happening on these songs, ranging from electronic elements to slightly industrial beats, to processed vocals and clever mixing. Although Frost will no doubt appeal to most, if not all, neo-prog fans, the music presented on Milliontown is arguably heavier and more experimental than most releases in this genre. The production being excellent and guitar tones blending seamlessly with Godfrey's oft-times virtuosic keyboard performance culminates in breath-taking moments, as on the instrumental opening piece "Hyperventilate". Slow yet effective keyboard notes kick the song off mixing with the slowly building guitar riffs that are noticeably more complex than what Mitchell has played on his own bands' records. The brief technical wizardy blows your mind away before returning to a solemn solo piano and back to heavy, almost grinding guitar sweeps that rise and rock up until the five-minute mark. From here on, a vague folk motif is inserted before the song is wrapped up with swift acoustic guitars contrasting a solid rhythmic bottom and thick soundscapes. It is an incredible way to start the album.
Fans of IQ will be utterly pleased to hear the duo shining like they've never shined before. The songwriting is very rhythm-friendly to say the least, as Godfrey has given both Edwards and Jowitt enough room to take the lead and grace the songs with their rhythmic and technical abilities. It is Jowitt's dynamic bass sound that drives the otherwise modern-sounding, dark number "No Me No You", a song defined by great vocal harmonies and sudden tempo shifts. Likewise, "The Other Me" features a funky bass line around which the rest of the instrumentation is centred, often delving into catchy melodies with big choruses, very heavy breaks, and unusually experimental electronics that move from crackling noises to static bleeps, recalling OSI on their Free album. Speaking of these industrial sounds, there is more to hear on the shorter cut "Snowman" where Godfrey's piano melodies are combined with quiter acoustic guitars and lots of reverb-induced sound effects.
The last two songs are also the longest ones. "Black Light Machine" will immediately strike a chord with the 70's prog lovers in that it offers everything they may be looking for. Beautiful keyboards, poppy vocals, great guitar work, gorgeous symphonic moments, and so on. What's best about this track is the fantastic build-up to Mitchell's guitar solo, both emotionally charged and wonderfully recorded. Again, Jowitt's bass is central to the success of this track not to mention to dazzling drum work by Edwards (man, he should record more stuff like this!). The number closes with a distinct Floydian psychedelia and humourous wah guitars by Mitchell, as if he cut it really loose in the studio and just couldn't stop at the very end. With all that said, the sixth song, at over 26 minutes, is the climax of the album. It slowly unfolds with minimalistic keyboard work, introducing a strong lyrical theme. With the arrival of crunchy guitars and excellent drumming, we are in a killer instrumental break where we can also hear chanting-like female vocals distantly echoing in the back. The song is made up of several movements, and boasts lots of passages with bells, subtle electronica textures, birds humming, whispered vocals, and so much more. It also takes on a somewhat cinematic vibe, recalling The Flower Kings' Adam & Eve (think any song with Daniel Gildenlow singing) and touching on both folky and modern soundscapes. The ending of the song is particularly impressive, given the elegiac guitars and keyboards layered on top of the marching rhythms.
Bottom line, Milliontown could be the best debut of the year. It's a must-have for fans of neo-prog who can also handle modern production and experimental compositions."
From Kino to Frost - John Mitchell Does It Again!
Russ Bellinger | Bradenton, Florida USA | 07/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow! I got much more than I expected in listening to this great piece of work. Milliontown is awesome. It seems pretty much that anything John Mitchell plays on these days is the most inspiring music around. Last year he played with Kino and created an amazing new band. Now with Frost he and his bandmates seem to have picked up where Kino left off and offer an even more sophisticated piece of work. The keyboardist, Jem Godfrey, really has that Tony Banks sound down! This masterpiece was also his (Jem's) brainchild. His vocals often sound like Neal Morse and I sometimes can't tell if I am listening to a new Genesis or Transatlantic! But alas, no, it's Frost! Not to mention the incredible rhythm section with the bass player and drummer from the band IQ. And what can I say about John's guitar work? The emotion that pours out of his intrument is overwhelming. What a major accomplishment! The music of Milliontown is a little less pop and more progressive technical rock, but the whole CD from beginning to end works perfectly. It really grows on you. It rocks in it's own very interesting way. Very recommended."
REALLY good ProgRock that is worth the $$!!
JP | Macon, GA | 04/23/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Many of the prog-rock/prog-metal CDs that people recommend on their lists make me wonder what these people have been smoking!!!! I often seek out used copies of these CDs based on fellow reviewers recommendations only to discover that I have wasted my hard earned $$ and, in far too many cases, my time as well.
Apparently some of you are so hard up for progressive music that you will fall for any old stuff that comes along, as long as it even remotely falls under the prog-rock banner!!! And some of this stuff......how could ANYONE compare it to masters like Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Marillion, Rush, etc, etc!!
Well...I am very happy to say that this is a GREAT album and IS worthy of being on such lists!!! Unlike a few of the other CDs I recently purchased, I WILL be listening to this one and quite often. In fact, #1- "Hyperventilate" and #4 - "The Other Me" are already on my MP3 player!!
I heartily recommend this to anyone who is a fan of good progressive rock music!!! Now...if they'd only come out with a new release and go on the road opening for Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree or Rush, I would be a happy man!!! : )
"
Good Stuff and True Progressive Rock
JC | Albuquerque, New Mexico United States | 08/23/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I definitely enjoy current progressive rock bands like the Flower Kings or Spock's Beard, etc., but they do have a distinct retro feel to them (not necessarily a bad thing). Frost, on the other hand, is progressive rock for the new century. Crafted with up-to-date studio processing and industrial rhythms, Frost sounds different and fresher than many bands in the genre and is worth a spin for any fan of progressive rock. Warning: they do not sound like genesis, '70s yes or Pink Flyod, but more like Nine Inch Nails/Arena/Trevor Rabin era Yes
One weakness is the vocal performance...or more specifically, the vocal recording/style. Frequently heavily processed, the vocals simply don't 'shine' or carry a song. In fact, in the begininng of the last track "Milliontown" the processed vocals are almost whispered growlings that conflict with the beautiful solo piano in the background.
The weakness aside, this is a great effort that will get frequent play in my CD collection"
"Never egocentric but always inventive, it's like the classy little brother of the big bad prog boys. This is something like the high-society prog rock with its own status-quo.
I have to give you the listener review, since I am not the performer kind. So more than tell you about the techical stuff this band has to offer, I will concentrate what this band will make you FEEL.
Many of the tracks have such well crafted vocals that they get into the bone real deep. Some other moments are so heavy that you feel what follows is going to bring down the neighborhood, when all of a sudden a colorful bloom flourishes from the inside that makes you wonder how come you are here when you where all over there just a second ago! I need to admit that my favourite song of this album is Black Light Machine. I've played this song alone four times as much as all the other ones combined. It opens with a shivering voice blend that gives you a hard time trying to sing it along if you try to pick one voice alone. When it comes to the chorus, your eyes are already watering. Too bad they sing it only once. The song even gives you a sweet funky moment with a heavy keyboard solo, when in a split second, it transforms into the ethereal solo they all talk about. The keyboards race like clouds high above, while the drums and bass line keep you fast-paced. Above all this, the guitar is constantly tapping the melody string by string. Like an alien abduction, you come to realize you spent a life someplace else just 10 minutes later.
Then it comes the 26 minute long epic Milliontown. Dang it! what can I say..."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1