One For The Ages
Frost* have returned with their first album in five years, and the English prog rockers have put the blow of losing drummer Craig Blundell behind them to forge one of their best records yet. Prog catches up with Jem Godfrey and John Mitchell to find out more about Day And Age and the journey that brought them to it.
Words: Chris Cope Images: Tom Barnes
That’s the last time we ask these guys to smile. Truly terrifying…
“I know Frost* have always had a slightly chequered past of staggering from one disaster to the other,” Jem Godfrey says, “but we’ve kind of committed to take it a lot more seriously now. We are determined to really give it a crack now, a really good shot.”
It feels a little odd for a band more than 15 years into their career, having had lashings of acclaim, to now feel the time is right to give things a real bash, but with their new album, Day And Age, the trio find themselves on the front foot with fresh, palpable optimism.
And why not? The album – their fourth – is a ripsnorting prog rock cracker fit for many end-of-the-year lists, and one with a luxurious sheen that would pad out venues nicely.
“I think Frost* are in the best shape we’ve ever been,” proclaims keyboard player and vocalist Godfrey down the virtual line from Tunbridge Wells, and Prog finds it hard to disbelieve him. “I think the reaction to the album has been the best we’ve ever experienced. The interest we’ve been getting from people is the most. There’s a real momentum that starts to feel like it is building up. I hope it’s because we tried to do something different.”