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Frostbite is the name of the latest project from Atlanta musician Christopher Lee Compton and the project’s debut full-length CD, Valentine and Other Stories of Hope was released almost a year ago. It has been a long time since I’ve thought about Godhead (who were the only band signed to Marilyn Manson’s Posthuman label) but Frostbite seems to fall into a similar industrial/goth-rock territory.

Valentine is heavily atmospheric and Compton sings in a heavy baritone (think Pete Steele) and the disc’s eleven tracks are a mix of originals and eclectic covers. Starting with the covers – Compton delivers a version of NIN’s “Hurt” that is very similar to Johnny Cash’s version, his version of The Motels’ “Metro” is a great deconstruction of the new wave chestnut and he delivers a strong, industrial-flavored version of BOC’s “Veteran of the Psychic Wars”.

Moving over to the originals, the first half of the disc is predominately comprised of industrial tunes that are layered on top of a dark gothic landscape. The disc starts with the track “but for the beating…” which has a moody synth intro that is delivered in the same style as Marilyn Manon’s cover of “Sweet Dreams”. As the disc kicks into high-gear, the strong guitar leads and clanging industrial sounds are added to the synths as Compton kicks into the Satanist themed “My Darkest Dream”. About midway through the disc, Compton switches gears and heads into darkwave cabaret that is reminiscent of Marilyn Manson’s Eat Me, Drink Me. The emotional “bite” comes out on songs like “Yet Another Stain” (with lyrics “…home is where the hurt is”) and “Valentine”. The disc ends where it started, with “…of my heart” – which is the conclusion of the leadoff track. Of the disc’s two bonus tracks, “Veteran of the Psychic War” is a winner but “Howl” is a forgettable c*ck-rock tribute to (presumably) oral sex.

In a recent interview with Indie Music Digest, Compton said that the next step for Frostbite will be to “get a stable band together and get on a stage”.

Links:
Frostbite