Frogstomp
Silverchair
Silverchair were teenagers when they made Frogstomp, and the record has the confidence of a band who have found a loud guitar sound and would quite like to keep using it. There are rough edges, familiar influences and some awkward lyrics. There are also several very good songs. Both things can be true.
Israel's Son is a strong opening. The bass gives it a solid foundation before the heavier guitars arrive, and Daniel Johns sounds far more forceful than his age might suggest. The song keeps adding pressure, with the band sounding increasingly willing to let the noise take over. It is a simple approach, but the three players make it count.
Tomorrow is more controlled. Its quieter beginning leaves room for a chorus with a proper lift, and the guitar parts give the song a shape beyond the usual switch from soft to loud. Pure Massacre is heavier and more direct, built around a riff that needs very little explanation. These are the moments where the influences become less interesting than the songs themselves.
The softer material helps too. Shade shows that Johns can hold attention without pushing his voice against a wall of distortion. The arrangement is straightforward, and that gives the emotion room to work. At the other extreme, Madman provides a short instrumental burst that is mainly interested in speed and energy. A perfectly reasonable use of two minutes.
Frogstomp is less convincing when a strong guitar sound has to do most of the work. Some tracks feel underdeveloped, and the lyrics can reach for a serious subject without finding a clear way to express it. The later Silverchair albums would show much more range. That doesn't make this debut something to dismiss while waiting for the cleverer records.
Its appeal is immediate: a tight trio, heavy riffs and a young singer with a striking voice. The album doesn't sustain the quality of its best songs all the way through, but those best songs are substantial enough to survive the comparisons. For straightforward nineties guitar rock, there is still plenty of life here.
