Not often enough do we come across a record that’s as fun as it is still serious in its approach. You tend to see such factors come and go in favor of one or the other as many bands find it difficult to blend such things together for a cohesive experience that can be taken seriously for the more straight-laced listener while casual fans can simply have a good time with in every regard. Both Bog Wizard and Froglord have been bastions for bringing those two together since both of their inceptions, and a crossover between the two has only ever been a matter of time with it truly being a swamp-made match better than Shrek. I don’t think I have to say it but I will anyway: everything about this glorious split is all that it could ever promise to be and somehow a little bit more.

We could simply leave this review at that fantastically fun cover art with it truly being a perfect representation for the kind of performance that anybody would be treated to should they find themselves in the midst of this creation, but that would be to do a great disservice to both Bog Wizard and Froglord for all that they smashed wondrously in these five tracks. More than just a collection of songs from each act, “A Frog in the Bog” somehow has a cohesive story. A battle for the ages, it is as the Froglord and his followers find themselves shuffling through the very swamp of the Bog Wizard that a truly bewildering confrontation finds itself about to take place. And in no small way, both Bog Wizard and Froglord manage to bring their A-games to the table to provide us with a staggering listen that has all the riffs, chanting, power, and fun that any of us could possibly ask for with every inch of this split being a real representation of what it means to make a split that’s nothing to fuck with whatsoever. It’s very tempting to dissect this record by looking at each band separately, but I can’t help but feel as though “A Frog in the Bog” is a creation that’s made by two sides of the same coin, making the very whole of the effort something that feels as though it was made by the same band with alter egos posing as either Bog Wizard and Froglord with this being the best possible scenario with such a thing. There’s nothing to look down on for the entirety of “A Frog in the Bog” right down to the last croak, and I would challenge any of you to say this could’ve been anymore flawless.

It’s very recently that we’ve been treated to a real barrage of splits from tons of different bands that have managed to raise the bar on what it means to make a worthwhile split, and it’s somehow between both Bog Wizard and Froglord that they’ve managed to meet that immensely high standard with their combined craft effortlessly one of the most compelling that I’ve ever heard with naught but a damn good time to be found once that play button is clicked. Without exception, there’s only one reality to accept with all that is to be found within “A Frog in the Bog”: to deny the grandeur of this performance is to be condemned to death by the slime. Bow down to the power of the Frog Lord and hail to the swamp of the Bog Wizard!

“A Frog in the Bog” releases on April 1st!

LISTEN to Bog Wizard on Bandcamp here.

LISTEN to Froglord on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Bog Wizard on Facebook here.

LIKE Froglord on Facebook here.