Explore the musical odyssey of FROGG, a progressive metal trio, as they discuss their upcoming album, eclectic influences, and the intricate blend of styles defining their innovative sound.
1. Congratulations
on your upcoming debut album! Can you share some insights into the creative
process and inspiration behind the album, especially considering the blend of
styles and originality you aim to showcase?
The creative process is pretty complex. Will & I both have some songs that
have taken a literal decade to get out the door. Part of that was not having
the right avenue to release said songs under. We both love, study & play a
specific handful of metal subgenres, as well as other non-metal styles of
music.
The album comes with an interesting blend. One song on there is straight up
just a metalcore song, while the other might have sitar and other dozens of
world instruments performed by Will. At first, we were kind of worried about
pushing the envelope, but we’ve kind of adapted a mindset of not caring about
what people might think and just make songs that we enjoy in hopes that others
would enjoy them as well.
2. Your
latest single, "Dandelion," carries a powerful message about
rebelling against the structured process of being worked to death. What
inspired this theme, and how does it resonate with the overall concept of your
forthcoming album?
Working a tough job and long hours inspired this song. I think it’s a pretty
relatable feeling like you’re being worked to death / not getting ahead. The
corporate landscape is sometimes a brutal demoralizer. The album isn’t a
concept album, instead, every song holds its own theme, concept & even
different subgenres of metal. I don’t know what to call it, it’s just an
amalgamation of our proudest musical moments, and each song is aimed to be an
experience with many little details to catch onto when relistening.
3. The
"Dandelion" video has been described as having a much darker palette
compared to your previous single, "Wake Up." Can you elaborate on the
artistic choices and musical elements that contribute to this darker tone?
Wake Up has clean female vocals singing a chorus, and Dandelion’s chorus has me
yelling with a lot of double kicks and some guitar counterparts. The song is in
a prominently minor key and structurally follows a darker chordal skeleton. It
literally just sounds more “evil” if you will. These elements match the concept
and story the song tells.
4. The
band is known for incorporating authentic Afro-Cuban instrumentation and
pop-punk-styled choruses. How do you go about integrating such diverse elements
into your music, and what challenges or rewards does this present?
Will Brown (drummer) not only plays hundreds of world instruments, he owns them
and practices them religiously. And they’re not just Afro-Cuban, the amount of
times I go over to our practice space and there’s a new flute from some country
I didn’t even remember existed is startling. We have a lot of world instruments
planned for the album from Afro-Cuban to south east Asian, to middle eastern to
latin american.
It definitely is more challenging to write around more than a 5 piece band. We
do our best to draft notation for the world instruments/percussion that will be
incorporated into each song. Recording them is generally pretty easy.
5. With
a debut EP in 2019 and now a full-length album in 2024, how has FROGG's sound
evolved over this period, and what can fans expect from this upcoming release
in terms of musical progression?
Our EP is almost like a tech death homage to Necrophagist while the Album is a
lot more colorful. If you like fast counterpart guitars and extreme metal
drumming, it’ll still be riddled with all of that. There’s just a lot more
stylistic diversity on the album than the EP had, which means there’s probably
a song for different types of metalheads on the record.
6. You
mentioned that "Dandelion" features a lot of fun technical musical
moments. Could you highlight some specific musical techniques or elements that
stand out in this track and contribute to its overall complexity?
There’s a guitar call & response at 01:38 that queues in an entire section
that is rather complex. This section leads straight into a wailing guitar solo.
The song just has this big middle section that’s very rich.
7. As a
trio, how do you balance the different musical roles within the band,
especially with the addition of world instruments, modular synths, and diverse
styles?
It’s definitely a balancing act. For the songs out right now we kind of treat
the majority of our “non-core” instrumentation as embellishments, but they
definitely have their own sections, like the salsa portion of the guitar solo
in Wake Up. We’re not really aiming to “jam pack” songs with diversity, but
rather
8. The
band has expressed a desire to hit the live circuit with a new lineup. Can you
share any details about the changes in the lineup and how it might impact the
live performance dynamic?
Currently, our live lineup is just Will (drums) & I (gtrs/vocals). We’re
actively auditioning & looking for a live bass & guitar player that are
able to commit to performing live. Will & I are rehearsed and show-ready.
9. For
those who may not be familiar with FROGG yet, how would you describe your music
to potential listeners, and what makes your sound stand out in the progressive
and experimental metal scene?
We love very specific styles of metal. We can only hope we do each genre that
inspires us enough justice to inspire others.
10. You
are recommended listening for fans of The Ocean, Animals As Leaders, Periphery,
and Between the Buried and Me. How have these bands influenced your music, and
are there any other artists that have played a significant role in shaping the
FROGG sound?
Definitely, a few bands that I know influence Will and I individually that feed
into our composition- Children of Bodom, Unexpect, Diablo Swing Orchestra, The
Faceless to name a few.
11. Your
debut EP was released in 2019. Looking back, how has the band grown since then,
and what challenges and triumphs have you experienced along the way?
I’d say on a
personal level, a lot of growth has occurred. I think that’s something that a
lot of people experienced during the pandemic. Lucky for us, we had a lot of
practice time on our hands for our instruments. Fully arranging the album, and
getting singles and music videos recorded was definitely a challenge. Mission
accomplished thus far, and we’re actually pretty deep into the production steps
for the album.
12. With
the release of "Dandelion" and the anticipation for the upcoming
album, what's next for FROGG? Any tour plans, collaborations, or other projects
on the horizon that fans should be excited about?
FROGG will be releasing another single off the album in late April in a music
video format.
The album is aimed to be released this Summer. As an independent artist, there
will be hiccups and delays. We’re doing our best to factor things in ahead of
time and feel pretty confident that the album will be released this Summer.
FroggBand (@froggband) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
(140) Frogg Official - YouTube
FroggOfficial (@OfficialFrogg) / X (twitter.com)
Post a Comment