Neo-Prog
United Kingdom
"Nothing against pop music, it's like a family car, reliable and safe. But now and then you want to rent a Ferrari and race it along the Nuerburgring to prove to yourself that you're still alive. PROG IS MY FERRARI." Words uttered by famed UK producer Jem Godfrey--the man behind ATOMIC KITTENS' "Whole Again", HOLLY VANCE'S "Kiss Kiss" and even movie soundtracks. In his quest for the high powered engine, he banded together two of neo progressive's most experienced and gifted musicians and anchored them with a drummer who is quickly making waves within the music community. What he gave us was FROST*.
Undoubtedly, Jem's mission statement for FROST* was to create new and exciting progressive music that blends the spirit of the old with the sonic onslaught of the new. This (in part) had to be achieved by throwing away the notion that progressive music has to sound like something from the 70's. Godfrey states, "Most prog bands sound as if the last thirty years never happened. How can that be progressive?" On the other hand, Jem's experience as a producer has taught him to hit hard and to hit quick. "It's much more difficult to write pop hits than most people think. You have to get to the point as quickly and as effectively as possible. When you can tell people something inspiring in three minutes, using a wonderful melody and wrapping it in great production, then you've got a hit. I don't see why it can't be the same with prog".
Diving in with reckless abandon, Godfrey purchased 40 CD's by the leading bands from the past several years, one being KINO'S Picture. This prompted him to e-mail John Mitchell (ARENA; THE URBANE; KINO) to invite him to play on his record. The same series of events led Godfrey to contact bassist John Jowitt and drummer Andy Edwards of IQ. Although Godfrey had already done some work on the album with John Boyes, a former band-mate of Jem's in Freefall, the acquisition of the remaining three meant that Jem's vision was now beaming with radiant clarity.
Milliontown was completed and released in the States on July 18, 2006 and in Europe on July 24. Check the reviews on Prog Archives yourself...Milliontown was an overwhelming success within the progressive community. Cygnus X-2 (who was the first to review Milliontown) states, "In the end, Milliontown is a great debut from this upcoming neo prog force. I can't wait for the next release from this group, as they seem to have a long, fruitful, and very high energy career ahead of them." By the end of 2006, FROST* had conquered. DPRP's year-end poll had them at #2 (behind THE FLOWER KINGS' and ahead of highly regarded bands like THE TANGENT, SPOCK'S BEARD, and TOOL). Additionally, 3 tracks off the debut were voted in the top 10 (1. "Milliontown", 6. "Black Light Machine" and 10. "Hyperventilate")-- a rare feat.
Hopes were quickly dashed, however, when Jem Godfrey announced on his MySpace blog that due to his increasing professional and personal commitments elsewhere, FROST* would be dissolved. This sent shockwaves throughout the progressive community; however, in early 2007, Godfrey had a change of heart and announced that FROST* was indeed destined to carry on. Added to the already rock solid lineup is guitarist Declan Burke of the band DARWIN'S RADIO and plans are to release Experiments in Mass Appeal sometime in 2008.
Eric Walker
ALBUMS:
2008 - EXPERIMENTS IN MASS APPEAL
Musicians
Jem Godfrey - Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
John Mitchell - Electric Guitars, Violin, Vocals
John Jowitt - Bass Guitar
Andy Edwards - Drum
Declan Burke - Acoustic Guitars, Lead Vocalss
1. Experiments In Mass Appeal (8:00)
2. Welcome To Nowhere (5:31)
3. Pocket Sun (4:28)
4. Saline (6:06)
5. Dear Dead Days (6:50)
6. Falling Down (5:49)
7. You/I (1:06)
8. Toys (3:03)
9. Wonderland (15:48)
Total time 56:41
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