MILLIONTOWN

1. "Hyperventilate" (7:31) as nearly perfect a modern prog song as it gets; one for the ages (15/15)

2. "No Me No You" (6:06) Jem trying to be Porcupine Tree or Opeth? Nothing new or inviting here.(7.5/10)

3. "Snowman" (3:55) The Beatles doing BBC TV soundtrack music. (8/10)

4. "The Other Me" (4:51) opens sounding like an XTC song from the 1980s before the PETER GABRIEL "The Tower that Ate People" wall of sound hits 30 seconds in. As a matter of fact, until the chorus, this song sounds very much like an alternate version of "Tower"--and then picks it right back up in the instrumental section. (8.5/10)

5. "Black Light Machine" (10:06) very nice baseline weave of sounds and patterns supports another standard vocal. John Mitchell's guitar brilliance really comes shining through on this one (his three extended soli are by far the highlights of the song). (17.25/20)

6. "Milliontown" (26:35) (46.5/50) : - a) One Underground - piano-based with distorted lead vocal. - b) Abracadaver - heavy injection of full-on GENESIS-like NeoProg. All band members are running on high octane, giving very impressive performances on their respective instruments. I love the bass effect in the quieter vocal section in the sixth minute. - c) The Only Survivors - a little musical simplicity invites the listener in, to relax and enjoy the melodies while storyteller and instrumentalists flash in and out. Things get heavier and thicker at the end of the tenth minute and then there is a wonderful shift into an odd time signature that the band exploits brilliantly and emphatically in quite the symphonic way. Probably the best passage on the album. Shifting dynamics over the next few minutes are awesome until we come to astripped-down BEATLES-esque passage. - d) Core - far more subtle and nuanced with chord and individual notes and sound choices, the palette here is unusual and unearthly--until the nineteenth minute's launch into race time: - e) The Chosen Few - while a couple instruments remain on "slow time, sustaining their notes and melodic play, the rest of the band charges, speeds, swirls, and plummets as if they're on a race against time. Another great passage. Jem Godfrey is a true keyboard wiz. (How come we've never heard of him before?) Layers of guitars are also masterfully employed. A little repeat of a motif from "Hyperventilate" occurs at the 22-minute mark, then it's off to the races again, with a few dynamic and temporal shifts - f) Two Underground - a brief slowed- and stripped-down keyboard section to shift into the closing of the song. Man did these 27 minutes fly by quickly! Twenty-six plus minutes of heavily-invested work: this is no one-dimensional psychedelic jam, this is a true epic with many themes and motifs, a very well-worked out labour of some excellent and very serious musicians.

Total Time: 59:04

There are some real powerful, hopeful moments of pure prog bliss here as well as many elements of heavy and crossover prog. Definitely a group to watch.

B+/4.5 stars; an awesome example of the direction modern prog and Neo Prog may take--and definitely an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.

Share this FROST* review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to BrufordFreak
• Report this review (#377642)
• Buy FROST* music online with PA partners
• Show all FROST* MP3/Stream
• Go to FROST* page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Milliontown page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for FROST* related discussions