CHOCLAT FROG

Nice father and song combo/collaboration from Deutschland. (There are more and more of these popping up, aren't there?) This is their second studio album release.

1. "Spaceloop" (4:43) Feels old ? like a Yes instrumental passage. Feels rudimentary ? like a warm up "getting to know you" jam. (8.75/10)

2. "Bomb alert "(8:19) tight KING CRIMSON-esque musicianship, with ample twists and turns, as well as ADRIAN BELEW-like crazy vocal antics--then cross it with a band like MR. BUNGLE, THIS HEAT, or THE RESIDENTS and you might get a taste for what I mean. I like it. Definitely a top three song. (18/20)

3. "This is my wife" (5:37) opens with some epic jamming over some awesomely solid/tight rhythm section play. In the second minute everything suddenly goes quiet with only the bass and some rim shots continuing the flow. Synths and electric guitar take turns showing some solo stuff. Two minutes of this before drums and keys start to come back--this mellowness is really surprising! In the fifth minute the rhythm section finally kicks back into full gear; the rest of the band weaves a nice fabric in and around the drums and bass. Interesting! My third favorite song. (8.875/10)

4. "Pollock" (7:14) opens with another bass line and quiet drum work before organ and then Mellotron support searing electric guitar solo. Bridge at 1:30 leads into a slightly different bass line and drum track while wah-guitar and synth take turns ripping out some blistering runs At 3:25 we return to simple bass line and rapid rim shots while Rainer's semi-spoken voice shouts out (in English) his observational and critical phrases of Jackson Pollock's work. The music kicks back in during the sixth minute while Rainer and Tim shout out "Jack ... the Ripper" in chorus for about 30 seconds. The ensuing music and guitar solo remind me of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and Buck Dharma! Very entertaining if not totally innovative. (13.25/15)

5. "Bound by Instructions" (5:48) delicate weave between picked electric guitar, bass, and drummer's rim shots back spoken growly voice. After the speaker has finished his first go-round, the band bursts into a "Thela Hun Ginjeet"-like frenzy of cacophonous playing (though some of it reminds me of old blues rockers artists like ALVIN LEE, BLIND FAITH, and even the JEFF BECK GROUP). A tension-filled lull begins at the three-minute mark as bass, guitar, and drums hold a kind of SONAR math rock weave beneath the bluesy guitar lead. At the end of the fourth minute the band kicks back into action, hitting KINGSTON WALL mode for Rainer to sing/chant in a Petri Walli kind of way. Thesong closes with Rainer and Tim chorus-shouting their vocal epithets over the crescendoing music. (8.75/10)

6. "Pulp Stalking" (8:48) more heavy bluesy-rock over which Rainer expounds on his social criticisms. The title is shouted chorus-style as the chorus. A lot of the thematic switches in this song make little sense/have little flow; instead it's like moving with the attention-span of a dog--governed by one's sense of smell. In the fourth minute the band settles into more smooth-flowing KINGSTON WALL music for an instrumental passage. Electric guitar and then portamento synth each take +/- 60-second solos before the music decays to a "underwater" bass solo at the six-minute mark--also of a very nearly-90-second solo. Not my favorite song. (17.25/20)

7. "On Detour to Shortcut" (9:06) straight-drivin' avant/RIO that turns funky in the second minute. Nice guitar soloing in the third minute before the music downshifts into polyrhythmic math rock territory. I like the overall inertia and drive of this one: despite numerous twists and turns, it remains forward moving throughout--which takes a lot of maturity and foresight in the composition department. The sixth minute reminds me half of LED ZEPPELIN and half of KING CRIMSON (never thought I'd hear/feel those two in bed with one another!) Virgil Donati's ON THE VIRG project from the late 1990s also comes to mind frequently as I listen to this one. Interesting Hammond sound and play in the eighth minute before the music goes limp as if the component parts are trying to figure out how to bring this one to a close. Overall, a cool jazz-rock infused piece that claims the spot as my favorite song on the album. (18.25/20)

8. "Reboot" (2:58) sounds like the intro/interlude part of a DIF JUZ song. Like to hear that trumpet! (4.5/5)

Total Time 52:33

Man! I wish I'd have thought of asking my dad (who was, in his youth, a jazz drummer) to jam with my brothers and I! How cool!

B+/four stars; an excellent addition of angular blues-jazz-rock in the avant/RIO vein that most prog lover's would find interesting if not enjoyable.

What a brilliant post-metal-flavoured experimental, playful, mindful music. "On Detour To Shortcut", released as the second full-length album by a German funky duo CHOCLAT FROG (aka cHoclat FRoG), has called me back to the wondrous rock scene last yearend (sorry to mention such a personal issue but I had been too pressed with my real life to enjoy either prog nor rock). Anyway I've been overwhelmed by their vigorous instrumental techniques and phantasmagoric melody lines and rhythmic bases. Their heavy-metallic avantgarde psychedelia should be enough to encourage and delight me in a natural manner.

The starter "Spaceloop", that looks like the duo would have been aware of authentic space rock, is clearly drenched in heavily spacey fragrance. The melodic / rhythmic speed is so delicious and vivacious enough to awaken me vividly. Awesome is a diverse sound move by Tim's guitar play. And supportive drumming by Rainer is quite strict and rigid. Faces of some space rock legends will turn white as concrete walls. Quite suitable for the opening of such a fantastic fanatic album. On the contrary, the following "Bomb Alert" sounds stickier and slimier. Critical texture all over the song is interesting. Rainer's keyboard play is also fascinating. Regardless of the theme of the song, the audience will get pleasant and enjoyable with irregular palpitations. And what does the song titled "This Is My Wife" mean? Guess it would be for a wife working busy for her husband, sometimes getting fatigued in her life, and finally singing the praise of her family's existence. Tough but fine stuff really.

"Pollock" is another wonderful avantgarde article filled with Tim's grand guitar machinegun and Rainer's magnificent rhythm ground. Sounds like this is created with minutely constructed melody lines but they play this song 'dynamically and instantaneously'. Wondering if this style is their musical policy (maybe)? And the similar phenomenon can be heard in the following track "Bound By Instructions" featuring quasi-improvisational aggressive phrases and stabilized healthy ones. Such a majestic sadistic contrast is pretty amazing. Never bound by instructions but how completely flexible they are. Another psychedelic beginning is wonderful in "Pulp Stalking" notifying me of something dark, depressive, and anxious. Repetitive persistent paragraphs are magical and mysterious.

And the titled track ... is stuffed fully with their colourful musical essence. As the title says, shortcutting is not easy and we need a long roundabout route to avoid risky issues or work hard for making our goal. No no their 'roundabout' playing makes us feel good. Their excellent soundscape full of diversity and enthusiasm is not long nor roundabout, even if it's 8 minute long. We can be immersed in the combination of melodic quirkiness and rock authenticism. Great is detour. The last solemn "Reboot" reboots us with calm but kinky psych guitar liquid and synthesizer tremors. A short but intriguing track indeed. Yes they play complicatedly, poly-rhythmically, and strangely but their highly intentional energy should be digested pretty naturally. 

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.

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.