Lost in Time: Frost* – Milliontown

Style: Progressive Rock, Neo-Progressive Rock (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Yes, Dream Theater, Rush, Porcupine Tree, Arena
Review by: Christopher
Country: UK
Release date: 18th July, 2006

Welcome back to Lost in Time, the feature in which we lecture our readers for not showing enough love to the classics they’re criminally neglecting. Today we’re going back to England in 2006, to review one of the strongest progressive rock debuts ever. In 2004, Jem Godfrey, a writer and producer for tracks by a number of British pop acts, notably Atomic Kitten and Blue, as well as a keyboardist and singer, sought to start his own band. He contacted guitarist John Mitchell of Arena, bassist John Jowitt (Arena, IQ) and drummer Andy Edwards (Robert Plant, IQ) to form a new prog rock group. In 2006, the fruits of their labours emerged: Milliontown, an album that would take the prog world by storm. 

With Godfrey’s uniquely dry timbre and proficiency on keys, Mitchell’s vocal harmonies and perfect blend of shred and melody, Edwards’ nuanced domination of the kit, and Jowitt’s throbbing bass hooks, Milliontown was like a shot of adrenaline to neo-prog, a genre which had become an inward-looking, soulless parody of early Genesis. Frost* were so lively, so catchy, so virtuosic. Godfrey’s roots in pop provided the hooks and a sense of immediacy, while Mitchell brought the metal influence (Mitchell has helped produce music by a number of British metal acts, including Enter Shikari, Architects, and Funeral for a Friend). Instead of prog’s intellectual detachment, Frost* provided a far more present and engaged sound, something that grabbed you with its energy and swept you away.

Introducing your debut album with an eight minute instrumental is a risky move, but the gorgeous piano motif which slowly builds in intensity until “Hyperventilate” explodes into life completely pays off, showcasing the relentless synth soloing, soaring melodies and instrumental pandemonium that will define the next hour of your listening. The driving rhythm and gruff, semi-spoken verses on “No Me, No You” follow, leading into rhapsodic hooks—“KILLING MY LOVE FOR YOU”—and crashing synthy chaos. 

Meanwhile, the talkbox-like synth motif on “Snowman” feels like it’s communicating a truth never to be parsed, its sombre beat and bittersweet piano cultivating something like a Massive Attack vibe more than anything in the prog world. “The Other Me” opens with quirky slide guitar before its massive industrial riff—which homages the iconic electronica motif of Gary Numan’s “Are Friends Electric?”—kicks in, almost Nine Inch Nails-esque in its jaggedness. In just four tracks, Frost* demonstrate a mastery of a variety of different modes and genres, borrowing judiciously from pop, electronica, trip-hop, country and more. 

“Black Light Machine” has always been my favourite track on the album, a massive ten minute track—well, on most albums it’d be massive… Opening with a reverb-laden tapping lick, “Black Light Machine” features some gorgeous harmonies from Godfrey and Mitchell, the synth atmospheres sparkling like crystalline pools, and Mitchell’s first solo is just god-tier, one of the best guitar solos I’ve ever heard. As the song reaches the halfway point a driving riff takes over, the entire song glitches and then the band pelt you with solos for five minutes. It’s one of my favourite solo sections in all of music as Mitchell and Godfrey take it in turns to shred frets and keys while Edwards pummels the kit with a manic energy and Jowitt provides that indispensable funk groove. Even when the boys are shredding away, they remain composed, elegant, and breathtaking. 

Of course, the iconic title track closes Milliontown, a gargantuan twenty-six minute epic loosely based on the Gordon Houghton novel The Apprentice, sojourning through a variety of soundscapes but showcasing in particular Godfrey’s glittering piano work and keyboard shred, while Edwards delivers his best performance of the entire record. Words can’t even begin to do “Milliontown” justice, but suffice to say it’s Frost’s mission statement, a perfect encapsulation of their vision, and a fantastic epic that any discerning prog fan should know. 

Aside from insane talent and compositional skills, it’d be remiss of me not to mention the stellar production on Milliontown, handled by Godfrey himself, naturally. The multi-tracked guitars, reams of synth layering and the wealth of harmonies are all rendered brilliantly in the mix; every touch of the kit a sonic gem, every crashing synth, every flourish of flanger and reverb, every background sample hiding beneath about forty other layers of sound treated with vital delicacy in order to make the record sound entirely sublime. 

Frost* were the most exciting thing to happen to progressive rock in a long time, and Milliontown hasn’t aged a day in the intervening seventeen years. It still stands as one of the high watermarks for the genre and can proudly take its place in the pantheon of the greatest prog rock albums of all time. If you’ve never heard Milliontown, today’s the day, you’re looking to me, but there’s nothing more to say. 

Recommended tracks: Black Light Machine, Hyperventilate, Milliontown
You may also like: Kyros, Southern Empire, Artificial Silence, Azure

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter

Label: InsideOut Music – Facebook | Official Website

Frost* (at the time of Milliontown) was:
– Jem Godfrey (vocals, keyboards)
– John Mitchell (guitars, vocals)
– John Jowitt (bass)
– Andy Edwards (drums)