Review: Frogg – Eclipse

Artwork by Yann Kempen & Bertrand Lefebvre

Style: Progressive Metal, Djent, Metalcore (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, Protest the Hero, Animals As Leaders
Country: New York, United States
Release date: 7 March 2025

Is it euphoric for you when Animals As Leaders writes distorted riffs on the low strings like they used to? Does Between the Buried and Me’s Tommy Rogers’ voice give you goosebumps? What about the soaring guitar melodies of Protest the Hero? Do you like the absolute wankiest stuff from Dream Theater? Then go listen to those bands. Fine lines exist between influence, homage, and unbridled derivation. Unfortunately, Frogg’s Eclipse mostly falls into the last category.

Throwing all of those influences—artists that I love—into a blender should produce a filling and thirst quenching superdrink for me. However, being from New York, Frogg seems to take less of a smoothie approach and opts to operate a schizophrenic pizza potluck: a slice from the Dream Theater cheese frisbee, a piece from the BTBAM doughmain, one with a big air bubble (love those) from Protest the Hero’s mozza mass, and so on through some well-known prog pizza pies. You’re rarely tasting all of these at once. Each moment—section to section, song to song, even measure to measure at times—is like taking a bite out of a different piece of this Frankenstein (Froggenstein? Let’s workshop that) dough disc. Crust almighty, is it erratic. The result is an LP that lacks any and all individuality—a haphazard buffet of reheated slices.

But like the totality of an Eclipse, there’s a shining, awe-inspiring solar corona here. “Wake Up” has a few moments of beautiful brilliance, like its happy shred-tastic intro and its gorgeous, pop-infused chorus, which features a clean vocal line sailing on solar winds over the top of a punchy, harmonious metalcore riff. I enjoy the entirety of “Double Vision Roll,” which has some bobbing, rowing guitar grooves, and tasteful solos to boot. Yet, for every enjoyable bite, I have to wash it down with a flat Diet Djent, or contemplate if I should pay attention to yet another overdressed Note Salad—or ask myself why I’m eating stale breadstick transitions when I’m already getting plenty of carbs from the chord calculus crust. These missteps aren’t isolated moments in one song or another, but the entire concept at the Eclipse Pizzeria.¹

If Frogg ever tours in my area, I could see myself doing dinner (pizza, of course) and then their show. I can’t deny that each member is a fantastic musician, and the level of technical skill on display here could be a fun live experience. Sky Clark’s vocals are powerful and simultaneously guttural and raspy—just how I like harsh vocal work. Despite their unrelenting onslaught, guitarists Brett Fairchild and double-duty Sky Clark are fretboard wizards, simultaneously providing most of the cheese. Bass lines from Nick Thorpe² do more than just add weight to make the songs heavy, but can flex some melodic muscle, cut through the mix, and provide more character to a piece (“Sun Stealer,” “Walpurgisnacht”). Driving all of this insanity with steadfast percussive grit is Will Brown—sprinkling on the oregano with a whimsical fill here and there for good measure. Though, a great dine-in experience doesn’t necessarily translate to satisfying takeout.

So, with a few enjoyable songs or moments, impressive musicians, and stark influence from some of the greatest progressive metal bands, why be this down on the album? Maybe I was hoping that, with all of those influences, this Frogg would be taking a leap instead of mostly just sitting pretty on the prog lily pad—tossing the dough repeatedly while trying to come up with a recipe of their own. I wish that Eclipse coalesced into a more satisfying, distinct musical experience, but the more seasoned foodies will probably look elsewhere.

Recommended tracks: “Wake Up,” “Double Vision Roll,” “Walpurgisnacht”
You may also like: Atlantis Chronicles, Interloper, Rototypical
Final verdict: 4/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Self-Release

Frogg is:
– Will Brown (drums)
– Sky Moon Clark (vocals & guitar)
– Brett Fairchild (guitar)
– Ethan Emery (bass)

1. I may or may not have been waiting for the delivery of, eaten, and then regretted consuming a pizza while writing this. Apologies. ↩︎
2. Nick Thorpe is credited as bass player on most of the album’s tracks, but is not in the live/current band line up. ↩︎