In 2008, Frost* released, Experiments In Mass Appeal. It was the band's second studio album and their only one with Darwin's Radio's Dec Burke. In an article originally published in Prog in 2010, bandleader Jem Godfrey explains what the singer and guitarist brought to the recording.
“When I was researching where prog had got to in the last 15 years since I last listened to it prior to recording Milliontown [in 2010], I bought a whole bunch of records, one of which was the first Darwin’s Radio release [Pictures EP] recorded by Robert John Godfrey (no relation!). I remember thinking that there was something very good going on especially in the vocal department. I made a metal note about Dec and then got on with Milliontown. When we did the gig at The Scala supporting The Flower Kings a couple of years later, Dec came down and we had a good chat after the gig about him possibly collaborating on a future project. Happily for me, he said yes and when the time came to start doing Experiments In Mass Appeal, he was the first person I called.
"He brought in a real powerhouse of a voice to the Frostiverse, and on songs like Saline and Toys he enabled me to write songs that we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. Some of his top Cs made my eyes water! Also, in a live context, his phenomenally good guitar playing mixed in with John Mitchell’s already legendary guitar god status meant that we had a veritable shred-fest on tap when we needed it. For songs like The Other Me, it was breathtaking to watch them both trading licks with such skill.
- “I thought I’d have to sell my house. The manager suggested we got part-time jobs”: Marillion were facing oblivion. Then they made This Strange Engine and found a way forward
- “Want to scare people these days? Forget about Satan and drugs. Bring on the evolutionary biologist”: Nightwish were accused of seeking to shock by working with Richard Dawkins. Instead they explored the poetry of science
"Dec’s taken his experience so far and really channelled that into the song Destroy All Monsters, which has resulted in what I think to be very mature and thought provoking songwriting. There’s tremendous light and shade on the album which makes it a very complete listen and I think Dec has easily exceeded every expectation he placed upon himself.”
Frost's* 2021 album Day And Age is out now via InsideOut.
Extract taken from an article previously published in Prog #17.
