FROST – Out In The Cold

Guitarist Jack Frost is arguably the James Brown of the Heavy Metal universe, having played in bands such as Savatage, Metalium, Bronx Casket Co., and Seven Witches (to name just four) over the years. He has also put in appearances on several tribute albums, and has released a solo album as well (Raise Your Fist To Metal), which saw some of Frost’s high-profile Metal friends drop by the studio to help out where they could.

Frost returns with the solo offering Out In The Cold, an 11-track disc consisting of original material and a handful of cover songs. Like on Raise Your Fist To Metal, the album features special guest appearances, with the likes of Ted Poley, Neil Turbin, Jeff Martin, Alan Tecchio, Paul Shortino, Mike Lepond, and Joey Vera popping up throughout the course of the disc. Frost handles guitar chores, and also performs lead vocals on the cover of .38 Special’s “Hold On Loosely.”

If you’re not familiar with Jack Frost’s guitar style, he specializes in choppy, punchy riffs, and while not a flashy virtuoso who play millions of notes a minute just because he can, his solid playing provides a good backbone to the music. That’s the blueprint for this album too: energetic riffs and leads, effective solos, and a solid bottom end complementing the various vocalists. Out In The Cold isn’t a “guitar god” album, but rather one where Frost thought it would be fun to kick back with some of his buddies and churn out a few Heavy Metal tunes. Deepness be damned, this album just wants to rock.

And most of the time, “rock” is what Out In The Cold does, and it does it pretty well. The majority of the songs are energetic, riff-laden, catchy, and pretty heavy, with lots of guitar crunch. “Wasting Your Luv” kicks off the album in fine style, with nice momentum and good vocals from Ted Poley. “Crucifixation” is more of the same: wailing guitars, chunky riffs, and strong vocal work from original Anthrax belter Neil Turbin. “Covered In Blood” is a cool stomper, with memorable, high-pitched singing from Jeff Martin.

The only songs on Out In The Cold that deviate from the Metallic approach are “Peter & Me,” which has a Bluesy feel to it, and “Passage To the Classical Side,” which is a cover of the Seven Witches ballad “Passage To the Other Side,” but with Classical instrumentation. Both tunes are well-done.

The other cover songs on Out In The Cold — “Sign Of the Gypsy Queen” (April Wine), “Cold As Ice” (Foreigner), and “Head First” (The Babys) – are pretty good too. They’re heavier of course, but are pretty faithful to the originals. Frost’s gravelly vocals on “Hold On Loosely” are decent, but he’ll never be mistaken for a great singer.

If you’re a fan of “old-school” Heavy Metal (and/or Jack Frost), you’ll probably enjoy Out In The Cold.