A Frog in the Bog

I first heard of this band when some random TF2 Youtuber mentioned that UEAKCrash is in a stoner doom band as a drummer. This caused me to seek out the band, along with a fascination with stoner doom. I feel like this split was the best place to start due to its short run time of 36 minutes in contrast to classic stoner doom albums with long song lengths like Dopesmoker (61 minutes) or The Great Barrier Reefer (approaching 80 minutes).

This split is a collaborative split between both Bog Wizard and Froglord, which means it is all original material that was written with the other band in mind. Their songs sometimes have the other side participating in the material, which gives off an odd sense of cooperation (despite the lyrics being everything but). The premise is also pretty interesting; it involves a frog deity encroaching into the Bog Wizard's territory, and he is too territorial to appreciate any extra company. Hilarious hijinks ensue.

The split begins with a fuzzy guitar intro that is omnipresent in most stoner doom albums before sporadic vocals were sung in a tone that sounded like the titular Bog Wizard doing random chantings. Although around the five-minute mark it promptly transitions into a slow jazz song with very powerful basslines and acoustic guitars, all the heaviness from the past five minutes just disappears. But after the first song ends, we start hearing the croaking of frogs, signifying that the frog deity has found its way to the bog's boundaries, and the lyrics reflect both the frog's intention to achieve world dominance and the wizard's disdain for any outsiders. And in typical stoner doom fashion, in the end, both the wizard and the frog sat down together and smoked a blunt together before parting ways.

The instruments here are very clear. BW's guitar has the typical fuzzy guitars that stoner doom is known for, while FL's guitar has a more death metal sound to it. Both sides have equally clear bass guitars and drums, which is a plus. While FL has more fun guitar solos, BW has more synths and a slower tempo, which makes them the more stoned of the two. I'll side with BW more as their sound is more stoner doom-y, while FL has a sound that is best described as "death metal dosed on weed," which was what I was expecting when I first heard of Cannabis Corpse. The vocals are pretty interesting too; BW's vocals sounded like chanting while high, but FL's vocals, oddly enough, resemble the vocals of American midwest country music, which is ironic since FL is from England (and from Bristol of all places).

I favour the BW side more, but the FL side is equally good too. Overall, it was a good split that I really enjoyed. Simple songwriting, simple riffs, a simple premise—everything is simple, and sometimes that is all I need after a day of brain exhaustion.

In case you are still wondering what the title is about, it is a TF2 map made by Harlen Linke, aka UEAKCrash, the drummer for Bog Wizard.

Highlights: The Frog Lord (Bog Wizard side)

Can we start with how awesome the cover art for this split release is? I'm getting total vibes of primitive PC graphics, and by primitive I mean the PEAK. If we saw something like this on a Commodore 64 game's title screen, my bros and I might have creamed our collective corduroys. No surprise then that it is another tripped out recording from Michigan's psychedelic sledgehammer Bog Wizard, this time paired out with the equally outrageous Froglord out of England. There is no scenario in which the two of these groups collide and dungeon level mischief does NOT ensue, so make sure up front that you've run some clean bong water, written your wills, put on your space helmets and whatever random pieces of armor you can sling together to defend yourself from the trudging, sludging and drudging you are about to receive.

Bog Wizard's portion of the split definitely feels in the same wheelhouse as their recent Miasmic Purple Smoke album, that is to say a steady, slow, crush of distorted swill playing out thick, oozing, repetitive grooves that will devolve you into your respective reptilian or amphibious DNA. The vocal tracks are delivered with a barbaric hypnotism, but the band also breaks the heaviness down into some simple bass lines and percussion here. Froglord's contributions, "The Bog" and "The Wizard", both references to their partners in crime (much as "Reptilian Death Squad" did for them), are slightly more robust, accessible stoner metal jams with great tones, and a cool vocal that sounds like Rob Zombie got punched square in the gut, but gets a little more hoarse when they get to a chorus part. To be honest, both sides of this equation do complement each other well, they're both well within that wheelhouse of savage, simple doom and sludge that was undoubtedly inspired by Robert E. Howard's Conan fiction and dangerous degrees of hashish consumption. The Brits go for a brighter tone whereas Bog Wizard sounds more dreary, raw and repressed by design.

What's even cooler, is that in addition to how their individual contributions celebrate one another, there are two directly collaborative tracks named for one another, and these are some of its funnest moments, with the "The Frog Lord" mantra being repeated against some sizzling synth effects, and the aforementioned vocals attacking you from all angles as the tripping turns paranoiac. "The Bog Wizard" sounds like Clutch on a bad bender after listening to some Conan or Buzz*oven records, and it's just kind of cool to see a split recording taken this far...in general, the bands can remain a bit disparate and then the whole experience feels forced, but here it's all quite balanced. The songs are all really simple, and I wouldn't mind either band getting a little more riffy, complex or experimental for some added depth, but it seems like a good time was had by all, and if you're a fan of their individual records, then there is no reason to skip this one.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com