InsideOut Music (Century Media Records Ltd) releases Day and Age, the fourth album by home-grown Progressive Rock group Frost. This currently three-piece band was formed in 2004 by keyboard player Jem Godfrey, and includes John Mitchell on guitar and Level 42’s Nathan King on bass. Three different drummers were used on the recording: Kaz Rodriguez, Darby Todd and Pat Mastelotto. The album was recorded at Dungeness, East Sussex, next to the sea, a nuclear power station and the harsh elements of the winter. Day and Age is available as a Limited Edition 2-CD, a Gatefold 2 LP + CD, and a Deluxe Digital Download...

The tracklist is: 'Day and Age', 'Terrestrial', 'Waiting For the Lie', 'The Boy Who Stood Still', 'Island Life', 'Skywards', 'Kill the Orchestra' and 'Repeat to Fade'. The tracks are repeated as instrumental versions.

Drums and keyboard break into a full band experience. A promising start  soon turns down Progressive Rock Street. At least the chorus is heavier, with significantly more substance than the verses. If anything, the vocals make this sound more Prog than the music. It’s a very long song to kick-off with.

Now, here’s the problem. Although my favourite band has pretty much always been Pink Floyd, who are usually pigeon-holed as Progressive Rock (I’ve never really been convinced that’s the case) – my music tastes almost totally come down on the heavier side. Metal and it’s many sub-genres and variations. Therefore, I’m probably not the best person to review a type of music which I consider, on the whole, pretentious and meandering. Stop-start, constant changes, scrabbling hooks… Well, you get the picture.

In its favour, it is very well put together. The sound is full and wide, and the production next to faultless. For me, the heavier moments don’t come often enough, but when they do emerge it’s the thickness of the sound that is impressive. The stand-out track is 'Island Life', more of a Commercial Rock song with Electronica-tinged vocals. However, the left field award goes to 'The Boy Who Stood Still', which is a weird story narrated between music.

In short, there are a couple of nice ideas, but the style is not for me. I can appreciate that many Prog aficionados will love this output, so it is only fair to compromise with an average score.

5

Ty Power