Sludge bands are cool. Musicians supporting causes bigger than themselves is cool. Sludge metal bands supporting causes I personally feel very passionate about is mega cool. Without beating around the bush any longer, Froglord is really fucking cool. The band combines incredible riffs with absolutely infectious rhythms and are really supportive of environmental causes, specifically declining frog species all over the world. We’ll get to both of those in just a second once you’ve taken the time to listen for yourself first.
Alright, now you see what I’m talking about, right? You can’t not bob your head while blasting Save the Frogs, can you? I challenge you not to feel the rhythms this one-man band puts together. I found the record as I do many records: randomly playing whatever Bandcamp recommends that has an interesting album cover. The behavior rewards me with music like Froglord’s randomly. I seemed to have tripped over a goddamned motherlode here. As soon as the 21-minute EP was over, I hit play again. I was stunned by what I heard, and I’ve no doubt other readers will be as well. Save the Frogs is a monument of praise to the hooky fuzz riff. The fact that one musician did all of this by themselves is a testament to the songwriter’s talent. I’m very glad this EP isn’t the only entry in the band’s catalog so I can now dive into the previous records.
But about that good environmental cause now. Froglord is donating all of the proceeds from sales to Save the Frogs!, a nonprofit organization focused on stopping the extinction of more frog species across the globe. According to the group’s website, frogs are a vitally important part of the food chain and the environment everywhere they live. They clean waterways as tadpoles by feeding on river algae. As adults, they feed on insects that are potentially harmful to humans, like malaria-carrying mosquitos. And they are an important food source themselves to predators like fish, birds, predatory insects, and even monkeys in some places. Not only that, but the mass extinction of frog species, and animal species generally, contributes to the loss of biodiversity. Sir David Attenborough can explain that part a little better in the clip from “Take Action”. Without going on and on about it, it’s a great cause promoted by a band and album chock full of tasty musical hooks. I strongly recommend heading over to the Bandcamp page and buying Save the Frogs. Dig it, y’all, and save the frogs along the way.