Review: Frost* – Falling Satellites Release Date: 27th May 2016 Label: Inside Out
By The Progmeister (on behalf of Midlands Metalheads)
Ok, here we go. Back in the darkest recesses of 2006 a little album called “Milliontown” hit the Prog scene, it was the debut album by Frost*, the brainchild of one Jem Godfrey, a somewhat unknown quantity back in the day as he had only previously had success with writing hit singles for the likes of Atomic Kitten, Shayne Ward (X-Factor), Jennifer Ellison and Morcheeba, hardly the CV you’d expect from a Prog-Head !!
Master Godfrey also enlisted the support of Jon Jowitt (IQ/Arena), John Mitchell (Arena, The Urbane, It Bites) and Andy Edwards (IQ, Robert Plant, Magenta). The resultant platter became an instant Prog classic and the title track alone is a thing of legend…
A short while after the album was released (with a short promotional tour), the band broke up, but reformed in 2008 bringing Dec Burke (Audioplastick, Darwin’s Radio) on board. A second album, “Experiments In Mass Appeal” was released with the new and revitalised line-up, again a promotional tour ensued where the band supported Spock’s Beard, but once again, due to other commitments plus Andy Edwards’ exodus, the band was dissolved. The only problem was, by this time the band had acquired somewhat of a cult following so, despite his other musical projects, it has taken 8 years for Mr G to bring us the third studio album from the band Frost* and much anticipated it be. John Mitchell is still on board as guitarist and vocalist (lead and backing) plus Nathan King (brother of Mark King – Level 42) and Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson band) – this current line-up of the band has been stable since 2011.
So, what can you expect. Let’s just say, I only got the album today (press copy) and after two listenings had already made my mind up. This might sound a tad dramatic, but this is (so far) my album of the year !!!!! Complex, well-structured with multiple themes, you will not tire of this album too quickly, there’s so much going on !!! In the wrong hands, that could be a bad thing as the end result could come across as cluttered, not so here. Overall, the production and structure, as you’d expect, is outstanding, what we’ve come to expect from the perfectionist Jem Godfrey.
I have probably played Milliontown to death and never tire of its multi-layered, ever changing and yet totally innovative sound. Jem is not only a musician of considerable skill, but also a true exponent of current music technology and sound production, as a consequence, this album overflows with professionalism and originality. Be prepared to go a journey guys, this is BY FAR a worthy successor to Milliontown. Don’t get me wrong, the last album was great, but I always felt it fell short of the incredibly high standard set by the debut album. I’m not gonna highlight individual tracks or give you a track by track breakdown, you need to explore it for yourself, but just to say, if you fell in love with “Milliontown” the track, there’s a 6-part 32 minute suite called “Sunlight”, which also features a guitar solo by none other than Joe Satriani !!! 
If you love Frost*, you probably have this on order anyway, rest assured you will NOT be disappointed, I’m saying no more !! Fans of John Mitchell’s solo work should also seriously consider taking the plunge. In fact, I suspect those of you who like Frost*, also follow Lonely Robot and It Bites – John M is well used throughout and provides lead vocal on some of the material.
For those of you who have never heard the band or come across their music before, if you truly love modern Prog or Neo-prog as it is better known, you’re gonna go apeshit for this album. Drums, Bass and Guitar are impeccable, but personally I’m a big keyboard fan and the synth work is awesome throughout, some truly memorable solos, especially on tracks like “Nice Day For It…” Let’s just say, you’ll be pummelling the nearest hard surface and freakin’ out like a good ‘un – I was !! All four band members make a significant and memorable contribution with multi-point vocal harmonies a-plenty. We’ve had to wait 8 years for this album, but has it been worth the wait – Absofuckinglutely, buy it, steal it, love it – Welcome back boys, can’t wait to hear it live !!!
