SNAPSHOT

Kinda explosive debut creation in order to break our 'preconceived ideas' away. A German duo CHOCLAT FROG (officially 'cHoclat FRoG') were founded by Rainer LUDWIG (vocals, keyboards, drums) and his son-in-law Tim LUDWIG (bass, guitars) in 2017. This opus "Snapshot" veiled in a sleeve full of 'snapshots' was released in June 2021 as their debut album. Looks like the creation consists of various colourful soundshots produced accidentally and improvisationally ... nobody but the duo knows the truth though. Some moments notify us they would play impromptu but others give us the impression that they construct their sound material elaborately and minutely. Aside from that, we can clearly mention that the combination of Tim and Rainer (especially the rhythmic bases) is quite creative and harmonious all around the album. Their incredible sound dissonance and quirkiness launched in the very beginning of the first track "Opposites" can impress us that there is no awkwardness nor toughness but smooth, silky texture. Such a movement should express their musical, instrumental, and physical / mental quality, let me say.

In "Part II (Army of the Wise Guys)" Tim's dramatic heavy guitar riffs remind us of the similarity to King Crimson in the "Red" era. Fantastic are also strong punksy vibes. "Part III (Philosophers)" features bombastic improvised potentials and sarcastic melodic stabilities ... such a mysterious contrast is interesting. "Part V (Need to Survive)" is one of the most energetic songs. Under the current tough situation, they claim for us that we need to survive. Exactly such a powerful opus encourages us, it's true. Rainer's beautiful keyboard plays in the former part of "Part VII (Monsters ? I Need More Bucks!)" cleanse our inner mind, and in the latter phase weird melodic lines confuse us pleasantly. Pretty enjoyable there are lots of gimmicks or traps in every single track. "Part IX (The Drinker)" is another authentic deep heavy stuff with less melodic dissection. Tim's dragging guitar play and Rainer's inspirational drumming are awesome. Sounds like they did not make a display of unusual, unnatural eccentricity on this track. One of my favourite songs in this album actually. And we can laugh out at the messy dirty atmosphere in the following "Part X (B*****d Neighbor)" flooded with enchanting madness launched via their gosh instruments. The epilogue "Part XI (Where Language Ends Music Begins)" shooting another metallic darkness all around by heavy drumming and dignified guitar playing sounds very innovative. Guess they have got inspired by various progressive rock / heavy metal vanguards until then but they could digest the crucial elements completely and recreate them as their original material.

"Snapshot" can be called as a fascinating debut album. We cannot help getting impressed with their accurate, serious, and natural sound creativity on a regular basis.

The RIO duo cHoclat FRoG (their capitalisation) was founded by Rainer Ludwig (vocals, keyboards, drums) and his son-in- law Tim Ludwig (bass, guitars) in 2017, and this is their debut release where they have been joined by a few additional musicians here and there. As with the best RIO releases this is challenging yet also has a sense of melody within it which allows the listener to easily and quickly get inside the music and understand. There are times when it feels massively improvised, and others completely arranged and composed beforehand, yet it all comes together seamlessly. It has been designed so it can be listened to as a single piece of music, or as individual songs, which is why it is broken into eleven parts.

King Crimson have been an obvious influence here, yet there are also times when Can, Present and even Zappa may be heard in what they are doing. It certainly does not seem like a duo, even though the rhythm section is the most part of this release as it provides the structure for the vocals, guitars and keyboards to hang on. It is always complex, yet there are also times when the music is sparse with silence and space being an important part of what they are doing. They have resisted the urge to compensate only being a duo by putting in too many layers, and the music definitely benefits from that. It is a compelling piece of work which comes across best when the listener has time to sit down with the headphones on and play it from beginning to end. Fans of Rock In Opposition style progressive rock really need to seek this out asap.