The Wizard and The Frog
I’ve been listening to a lot of doom, a broad and accessible sub-genre. Its history is intertwined with high fantasy and cosmic horror. Many bands rely on associated tropes as gimmicks, but few embrace these themes better than a frog and a wizard. Bog Wizard’s album, From the Mire, is a recent favorite. I first chose this album because of its Seussian artwork by Alistair Stro. It depicts a lichen wizard, half-eaten by the bog in which it presumably lives.
Panic, surrounding a popular tabletop RPG starts the album, sampling news reports. The second track, “Submission in Defiance,” consists of melodic vocal lines and fuzzy riffage. This song perfectly channels classic doom.
The album’s third track is an ode to the mythical “Tarrasque,” a spiny, primordial beast, capable of regeneration. Slow and steady, the song progresses from haunting, layered vocals to punkish shrieking. Deep bass and fuzzy guitars fade into one another until the track mercifully ends. After a calming recovery by campfire and a stern warning from the bog, another beast emerges: “Swamp Golem.”
This song, with its catchy riff and unique bass thump, is an immediate ear-worm. Its vocals are monstrously thick and reverberated, as if belted from a golem. After some heavy jamming, spectral vocals break to finish this memorable album.
From the Mire is an original album, blending elements of doom, stoner and progressive metal, psychedelic rock and fantasy. It even features a didgeridoo. Every track is worth listening to, in addition to these samples of the band’s sound, particularly the instrumental, “Gnarled Cane,” and the epic, “City in the Mountain.” Reborn after 10,000 years, a kaiju-like frog emerges from his swamp. Angry at human society, he seeks to restore balance to the natural world by violent means. Stifled by military efforts, however, he takes refuge, before returning to battle. After recovering to defeat the forces of humankind, Froglord, atop his toadstool, watches a scarred planet heal.
This story is told through the album, Amphibian Ascending, by the artwork, music and a volume of frog lore, online. Froglord, originally a one-man-band from Bristol, UK, fully embraces the character and its principles, which align with the artist’s. Often joined by and collaborating with other musicians, both live and in recordings, Froglord is just as dedicated to making music as he is to his persona.
I admittedly chose to listen to this album because of art by Steven Yoyada. A faded background surrounds a giant frog, praised by who appear to be the cult of Froglord. The album opens with a heavy track, “Judgment,” featuring harsh vocals and sludgy riffs. This song’s lyrics recount Froglord’s awakening and judgment of modern civilization. Relevant samples detail the song and, for that matter, the album from this track on.
For instance, the album’s third track, “Pesticide,” opens with another sample. This song is much like the first. It follows a similar structure, with more emphasis on melody and bass. It features a heavy guitar solo and, overall, delves into more extreme influences.
The album’s title track, “Amphibian Ascending” is a head-nodder. A simple bassline and whispered vocals enter a sludgy progression. A plucking melody becomes a fuzzy breakdown, accompanied by subtle sampling to finish the song. After Froglord’s recovery and victory over the humans, he’s left with his followers and an awesome, full-length album. Amphibian Ascending is full of sludgier doom and ‘90’s groove.
Froglord’s work is never done though. With his pious congregation, Froglord ventures into a forbidden bog, heavily guarded by an angry hermit.
Bog Wizard vs Froglord: A Frog in the Bog is a collaborative concept between the two namesakes. Each half of this album tells of their fateful meeting from each perspective. The split features artwork by Benjamin Blåholtz, reminiscent of retro video games. A pixelated frog struggles to escape a mysterious bog, while a furious wizard raves in the background. After a long, heavy introductory track, “Reptilian Death Squad,” Bog Wizard confronts Froglord in “The Frog Lord,” featuring vocals from the mystic toad, himself. This song is intense, utilizing spacey synthesizers and dramatic instrumentality to carry one measure to the next. The lyrics are fun and aren’t too serious, considering the subject matter.
Finally, Froglord finishes the album and his fight with Bog Wizard by urging his foe to recognize their equal power. Musically, this song is groovy, catchy and sludgy. It’s unique and theatrical, perfectly ending a fantastic battle between magical forces.
So, the wizard and the frog, united in smoke, doom the world. Their split album, A Frog in the Bog, is promising. Each individual, respective album, From the Mire and Amphibian Ascending, is worth listening to all the way through. Playlist: “Submission in Defiance” – Bog Wizard
“Tarrasque” – Bog Wizard
“Swamp Golem” – Bog Wizard
“Judgment” – Froglord
“Pesticide” – Froglord
“Amphibian Ascending” – Froglord
“The Frog Lord (feat. Froglord)” – Bog Wizard
“The Bog Wizard (feat. Bog Wizard)” – Froglord -DefCuttlefish














