I’m back with another one from the Malfortune Discs label.
Frogzard is a one-off project by artist Andrew Oliver, who is much better known for his excellent and highly regarded work as Chaucerian Myth. The four-song EP is his personal tribute to the Adventure Quest video game, the Frogzard being one of the game’s monsters. I have to confess to never having played Adventure Quest, but Oilver brings a simplicity to these songs, not going so far as to be 8-bit, but still doing so in a way that would fit a video game.
I suspect this one has flown under the radar given the popularity of Oliver’s Chaucerian Myth releases, some of which sell in the $100+ range. The Frogzard tracks are a bit more basic, but the musicianship is evident both on the compositional structure and instrumentation. The songs have a folk/ pastoral feel with a range of instruments (though of course these could be generated via MIDI)- strings and woodwinds provide character and flavor that is sometimes absent from more synthy examples of the genre.
You can listen to Frogzard on Bandcamp HERE, and I also suggest you give a listen to Oliver’s Chaucerian Myth work HERE.