THE ROCKFIELD FILES

I only own the debut album of this band Milliontown which at the time I found a bit too harsh for my delicate ears. That was 2006 and perhaps 7 years later I am finding my taste moving more towards a heavier sound. Frost, lead by keyboard player and occasional singer Jem Godfrey, attempt to get away from the normal prog formulas ignoring the memo from prog central of how epic tracks should be structured (see the the interviews on the DVD and you will understand my comment!). In fact at times its hard to actually hard to discern any structure and it feels like a Dream Theater album with some muscular instrument work outs very apparent. John Mitchell is undoubtedly a brilliant guitarist and when you add the excellent drumming of Craig Blundell and rock solid basswork of Nathan King you have an impressive lineup of musicians feeling very much like a supergroup to me.

This was recorded at Rockfield studios and features probably the best two tracks from Milliontown including the very long title track and Black Light Machine which I love. There is also some fresh material for a proposed new album. Pocket Sun sounds a bit like Muse at times which is a good thing! The music is at times warm and at times very heavy with lots of dynamics.The production is immaculate and honestly I haven't heard a better sounding album and DVD in a long time. The DVD is the superbly edited record of the tracks being played in the studio. They have a lot of fun and that is evident. The DVD features interviews with John Mitchell and Jem Godfrey in the back of a Rolls Royce. This is lot of fun. Jem also introduces the songs on the DVD and gives you some fascinating insights into his writing as well as his feelings and observations about modern prog.

This is just so good it begs to be listened to.Prog needs this band and we as prog fans need this band. An essential part of modern progressive rock.

nb please see the thead on the forum under prog news. This gives details of how you can buy this.

If a tree falls while a band performs music in the desert without a gig or an audience, but there IS a camera present and a superb desert studio which is leveraged to immaculately record the performance for posterity, is the result a "live" DVD/album and do you want to hear it?

If your answer to the former more philosophical question was an emphatic "no", please allow me to recommend the more conventional Frost live recording "The Philadelphia Experiment".

Even so, If you appreciate skillful performances of fresh modern melodic progressive rock, you may not know it yet, but I can't help believing that when all is said and done, the answer to the second question will still be 'yes'! You DO want to hear The Rockfield Files. You want to hear it very much!!

For anyone new to Frost, although Jem Godfrey's keyboard skills are formidable, his approach is distinctly modern. Truth be told, a few of the percussive keyboard introductory lines would fit in fairly well as an integral part of a pop hit sung by some 'diva of the month'. Soon enough, however, they get interwoven into a tapestry of symphonic and metallic neo-prog elements before launching into virtuosic prog rock territory and never looking back. Such sonic appropriation may risk stretching the ears of conventional old-school proggers a bit farther outside their comfort zones than some would prefer. But it is also precisely the kind of 'neo-prog' that is essential if the genre is to retain any reasonable claim to the pretense of being even remotely 'progressive'.

Buyer beware. This is neither a 'live' DVD nor a 'live' CD in the conventional senses of the terms. It is essentially a studio album with some new compositions and a few side recordings of previously released pieces. Much - if not all - of it, however, appears to have been recorded simultaneously in single takes, hence the 'live' conceit (which admittedly somehow succeeds in making the recycling of material more palatable.)

For longtime Frost fans, this release's appeal is two-fold: 1) finally getting new tracks from one of the most fresh, unique, and accomplished modern USA prog bands and 2) getting to see them create such immaculate sonic perfection (dare I say it?) 'live in the studio'.

Frost - The Rockfield Files (2013)

Neo-progressive rock never sounded more brutal. I doesn't happen to often, but I fell intimidated when seeing this live in the studio recording on youtube. Frost is a supergroup I got interested in because of John Mitchell, of whom I adore the contributions to my favorite Arena albums. In this group he is however an equal to the brilliant & energetic Craig Blundell on drums, Jem Godfrey on keyboards and Nathan King on bass.

Frost plays a hybrid of neo-progressive rock, fusion and symphonic metal that is highly sophisticated and keeps fresh and surprising throughout this set. The key-element is however the energetic and enthusiastic feel the music has, only enhanced by the footage of the studio - which shows a professional band having fun whilst playing this very technically advanced sort of progressive music. The drums of Crag Blundell are the best I've ever heard in a modern progressive rock group; wild, expressive and getting every-one excited. I personally don't like some of the vocals of Jem Godfrey, but that's just because of the poppy tone of voice. Not because the quality of the vocals. The guitars of Mitchell sound great and seeing him perform in such a sophisticated fusion landscapes is just amazing. Nathan King successfully finds passages to show his great skill on the bass-guitar in a constructive way.

Right from the first moments of 'Hyperventilate' the band manages to impose their greatness on the listener and during the coming hour the group doesn't leave you in doubt for even a short moment. Five stars.

More reviews requested. The concert can be watched freely on youtube.