Croak! Ah, this is going to be a difficult one. The RMR crew already covered swampy gurgles in the past, emanating from slimy creatures dwelling in the rotting muck. Such pieces can get far with us. And besides, the RMR crew often fancies leaning into the slimy primordial soup of deathly prog.
But then, there are the highly technical bands as well. Acts run by nerds putting the term avant-garde to shame. Cases when prog guys get sick of prog1 and kick it a few miles up the proverbial ladder. And we just found one, but we’re equally unsure what to make of this bunch of whizzes.
‘Soit!’, as we say in French. Meet Frogg and their crazed, otherworldly, and – yes – often hypnotic shenanigans that even Xanax cannot explain. The Eclipse is about to devour you. Just don’t look at the naked sun unprotected before you meet the void. It won’t kill only your skin, y’know.
Alright, you gotta have a taste for this overly complex fare. And it’s a very acquired taste. Frogg here dwell in a metallic bubble where dorky geeks run this freaky circus. A world where Archspire meets the glitchy world of Vvon Dogma I. A brutal and tumultuous patchwork quilt full of otherworldly drum work on fucking steroids. Filled to the brim with a frenetic riff fest, insane tapping sprees, and otherworldly shredding. And this means you’ll find outstanding technical prowess, and Frogg here deliver beautifully.
Put differently, the band roars forth with a genre-shattering mix of Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, and some strange ambient acoustics suddenly bringing the constant din to a friggin’ halt. Oh, and let’s not forget the skillful breakdowns into Deathcore.2 The ‘genre’ stealing valuable soundscape space better filled with trve metal. This may not sound too alluring to this crew here. But the integration with the other style elements present on this here record is pretty stunning nonetheless.
Eclipse comes with a relatively long airtime of some 45 minutes. Filled to the brim with an unending maelstrom of unhinged elements piled on top of each other. And before you start screaming at us that this ain’t true, wait until you get a taste of the inane intensity on display. Because, apart from the leads, fills, licks, and rapid-fire ideas, you’ll get those Death Metal barks, snarls, and the odd synth-generated robot vox that suddenly intertwine with pseudo-ambient piano leads. Boy, Eclipse even sports some female clear voice interactions that – supposedly – should inject some serene calm. But the wailing on benign rock beatz and the weird dance lessons won’t help easing this madhouse tune of theirs. Instead, you constantly wait for the next assault of pummeling and chaotic pandemonium.
In a way, this record feels as if Wobbler, the feisty retro proggers, woke up in a fever dream in a parallel universe with no means to escape, all members shot full of speed, and the Hammond piece stolen. An environment that took any and all ideas – half-baked or not – and threw them into a pot. Bedlam incarnate allowing every new flavor and mood to flourish halfway through fruition, just to be replaced with the next best thing that entered the space.
Ultimately, Eclipse displays a strobe-like quality full of swirling shiny objects turning about at breakneck speed. Beserk riff patterns, shrill and totally dense out-of-control antics that carelessly shred right across an undefined number of genres with flamboyant dissonant abandon. And it is this restless and youthful energy that made this gang yank the best cuts of terrible metal et al out of eternal slumber and chuck them helter-skelter into a sickly illuminated present-day daylight that carries the heft of their offering.
Frogg delivered a razor-sharp outlier of prog extremes – and it’s truly well done. And given that this overwrought technical menace is a debut album to boot, this left us wondering where this band was going to take their mighty ship next. Because, you know, the terrible sophomore reef beckons them. And they gotta best this here madhouse dance first to get anywhere come tomorrow.
And we’re waiting. Eagerly so.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 7 March 2025