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Frost: Out in the Cold
 I've never quite understood Jack Frost — the journeyman guitarist, not the dude nipping at my nose. Here's a guy who has his own decent band (Seven Witches) and has lent his talents to Savatage and Metalium. Yet he's also participated in pointless tributes to Dio, Helloween, Twisted Sister, W.A.S.P. and Accept. Now comes Out in the Cold, Frost's second solo album, which is a mix of hard rock and good ol' heavy metal. Frost employs a variety of vocalists, including XYZ 's Terry Ilous (the title track), Danger Danger's Ted Poley ("Wasting Your Luv"), Racer X's Jeff Martin ("Covered in Blood") and Anthrax's Neil Turbin ("Crucifixation"). The guitarist even handles vocal duties himself on one track. Through it all, Frost lays down some kick-ass riffs and solos that should bring out plenty of air guitars — even though you'll have a tough time remembering those songs after the music stops.
Like Frost's last solo album, 2004's Raise Your Fist To Metal, Out in the Cold contains metallic covers of not-so-metallic songs, such as Foreigner's "Cold As Ice," 38 Special's "Hold On Loosely" and April Wine's "Sign of the Gypsy Queen." I told you I've never quite understood Jack Frost.
Track Listing:
1) Wasting Your Luv
2) Hell or High Water
3) Crucifixation
4) Out in the Cold
5) Sign of the Gypsy Queen
6) Peter and Me
7) Cold As Ice
8) Covered in Blood
9) Hold On Loosely
10) Passage to the Classical Side
11) Head First
Added: June 8th 2007
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:  
Related Link: Screaming Ferret Wreckords
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Language: english
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Frost: Out in the Cold
Posted by Murat Batmaz, SoT Staff Writer on 2007-06-08 16:03:41
My Score:
If you're into heavy metal, you must have heard of Jack Frost; or at least some of the bands he's played in. From his own band Seven Witches to the terribly underrated Bronx Casket Company, he also played with Metalium, Speed, and Savatage, albeit in different capacities. Out in the Cold is his second solo album after 2003's Raise Your Fist to Metal.
The album sees a huge list of guest musicians supporting Jack Frost; in fact, there is a different lineup on pretty much every single song. From hard rock singers like Danger Danger's Ted Poley and XYZ's Terry Ilous on "Wasting Your Luv" and the title track respectively to the more thrashy, heavier pieces such as "Hell or High Water", featuring Watchtower's Alan Tecchio; and "Crucifaxation" with Anthrax' Neil Turbin, Frost certainly opts for a diverse album. Sadly though, the less than steallar production has totally rendered some of these songs unlistenable -- some of the vocal harmonies barely come through and the rhythm section seems way too buried for my tastes. Frost's playing does not differ that much from his past works, but he's certainly played more melodic solos in his previous bands, most notably Seven Witches. This disc features more of his crunchy rhythm work than his searing, in-your-face heavy guitar leads as well as some ballady material like "Passage to the Classical Side".
Of the eleven songs on this disc, three are covers: Foreigner's "Cold As Ice", sung by the great Jeff Martin, features killer keyboard work by Vox Tempus man Eric Ragno; whilst April Wine's "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" is treated to a cool melodic solo. On the 38 Special track "Hold On Loosely", Jack Frost does the lead vocals himself, but honestly, he is not that great a singer in my opinion. That said, the album features a great list of bass players with Symphony X's Mike LePond, Fates Warning's Joey Vera, and WASP's Mike Duda.
Only recommended to die-hard Frost fans. Otherwise, approach at your own risk because Jack Frost has released much better albums. Also, maybe he could a little break from releasing so many albums in so little time, and focus harder on stronger songwriting.
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Frost: Out in the Cold
Posted by Ken Pierce, SoT Staff Writer on 2007-03-17 08:51:12
My Score:
In the world of Heavy Metal, you will find that Jack Frost is one of those very busy guitar players. I don't mean this in his playing style but in all the aspects of his career. Over the years we have followed his work in Savatage, Metalium, The Bronx Casket Company and of course his main band of focus Seven Witches. Somehow during all of this work he manages to take part in the numerous tributes to legendary bands like Iron Maiden and Dio and still have time to release solo albums. With Out In The Cold, his second solo effort, Frost puts together a veritable cornucopia of vocalists and musicians to give his fans a solid dose of Traditional Metal that I think will be right up their alley. Among the vocal powers present he has Ted Poley (Danger, Danger) and Paul Dianno (Iron Maiden) belting it out and they make songs like "Hell Or High Water" and "Crucifixation" great additions. The playing throughout is rather solid and should definitely appeal to any who enjoy Frost's playing. Most of the songs fall into the same line and style of what he does with Seven Witches, but given its place as a solo effort he does bring different ideas to the table. The album delivers some metalized covers of classic rock numbers such as Foreigner's "Cold As Ice", 38 Special's "Hold On Loosely", and April Wine's "Sign Of The Gipsy Queen". I loved the April Wine track the most since it had the most drive, and I found that Frost did a good vocal job on the 38 Special track. "Cold As Ice" lost me, as while I like the bluesy rasp of Shortino, it's just one of those tunes that is fine as it is and needs no real Metal treatment.
The CD comes with lyrics and a clever cartoon that features everyone involved in this project. The lyrics also break down who performs on which track and that was a good idea for better understanding of who is present where. It's a satisfying CD from a musician who really seems to enjoy being as busy as he is.
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