Album: “Frogstomp”

Description

Silverchair: Daniel Johns (vocals, guitar); Chris Joannou (bass); Ben Gillies (drums). <p>Forget the fact that two-thirds of Silverchair will be in their teens 'til the year 2000; the band's debut, FROGSTOMP, spills with full-throttled guitar angst worthy of bands twice their age. <p>Having won a record contract through a contest in their hometown of Newcastle, Australia, the band recorded FROGSTOMP in less than two weeks, and the album entered the Australian charts at number one, a down-under first. It's easy to see why: gripping guitar structures, reminiscent of hard-rock antecedents from Black Sabbath to Dinosaur Jr., support howled vignettes of adolescent frustration. "Leave Me Out" has the same head-nodding lurch as the best Sabbath riffs, and song titles like "Suicidal Dream," "Pure Massacre" and "Madman" bring the whole freak-out theme home. "Cicada" drives the youth point further, with singer/guitarist Daniel Johns realizing that "growing old is like a Civil War." <p>Silverchair has done its homework well. FROGSTOMP is an aggresive debut for a band that makes up for their lack of age with impressive musical chops.