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Frostiva:
Ochnomos EP
People think we practice witchcraft. So state Columbus, Ohios Frostiva in their online band bio. And judging from their recent six-song EP released last month on local indie label, We Want Action, its easy to see why. The all-female quartet uses drums, bass, guitar and keyboard to cook up a boiling cauldron of dark, driving, almost demonic goth-rock. In fact, ochnomos is a word used in the practice of the Occult, meaning name of power. From the moment the EPs first track, La Magia Verde, kicks in, its clear this is going to be a pretty thrilling ride. With an enormous guitar presence and an insistent, pummeling drum beat, the tune is simply menacing. And then theres the keyboard: cutting through the mix like a knife nay, a machete it comes at you with a downright frightening, go-for-the-jugular kind of intensity, the keys player pounding out dissonant, unnerving chords. Spooky is really the only way to describe it. The second track, Paramount Imposter, isnt quite as dark, but it maintains the chilly vibe the band has foreshadowed with its very name. The vocals are more front-and-center here, and the jittery, yet girly style reminds one of a cross between Sleater-Kinneys Corin Tucker and Le Tigres Kathleen Hanna. Another propulsive drumbeat keeps the pace quick, but the keyboard is decidedly more tuneful. Zero Hour is a bit of a departure, with the vocals far more steady in their delivery and now reminiscent of Luscious Jacksons lead singer with just a pinch of Karen O. Musically, the drummer refuses to let you slow your po-go, but the melodic structure is far more defined in the guitar than it has been up to this point, making this the first truly hummable track on the disc, with an engaging hook and mesmerizing keyboard swells. On the fourth track, Eros, the poppier side of Frostiva hinted at in Zero Hour comes into full view. It starts with the singer cooing Ooooh, ah-ah and then repeatedly begging Intoxicate me, but then, somewhere in the middle of the song, a full-on punk-disco beat blows up in your face. Before you know it, the guitarist is laying down shimmering, sexy lines and the keyboard is beckoning you to the dance floor. The bands connection to goth-inspired electroclash peers like the Rapture and Ladytron becomes clear at this moment, but Frostivas distinct vocal stylings, dedication to the guitar, and refusal to let go of its darker instincts sets them apart even here. Then its on to Pathos, the only track on the disc that doesnt quite succeed. A return to the magic spells and alchemy vibe of the first two tracks, the vocals are not just stuttery, but whiny, with the recurring phrase blody mary stabbing into your ears like that little boys red-rum chant in Kubricks The Shining. At over six minutes, its the EPs most ambitious track, but it simply sprawls out of control, with too many drawn out passages and seemingly random style changes. Unfortunately, rather than being intimidating in the way the first track was, its attempt at conjuring a deep-in-the-woods, chanting-around-a-fire scene from The Crucible falls into self-parody, sounding at moments like music one might hear in the background of a Jason or Freddy slasher flick. But track six, Suspiria, sets everything right again. A convincingly sinister farewell, it marks a return to the sound Frostiva seem to be perfecting so early in their career: mysterious yet hypnotic, craftily mixing the best elements of goth with the impossible-to-suppress drive of dance music and the howl of punk. If they stay true to the intensity and focus of most of these tracks, theres no doubt the women of Frostiva will be burning a hole in the rock scene for years to come.
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