EPK – Hog Meets Frog – humANIMALization (Echotunes)
Publicist – Jon Asher – Jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“The EP is a non-conceptual concept record under the motto of the title: ‘humANIMALization’.
And, as it happens, when the animal in the human awakens, then, for example, one turns into a bigot monkey and the other becomes an insecure piggy, one becomes a peeping control bear and the other becomes a greedy stock market bull.
Just this behavior – sometimes silly, monkey, or also clumsy, bearish – is told in the lyrics, as well as through the wide range of sound worlds and riffs. There it goes from the cheerful, funky ‘I’m about to pee’ slap sound to the broad, massive, ‘the world is so evil’ New Metal sound to fuzzy-bassy and distorted-guitary sound with a sip of kick-ass drums.
You can call it progressive if you want or metal funky or whatever you want… in the end it’s nothing less than HOG MEETS FROGs SQUEAQUACKmusic!!
I think that most people will first notice the cheerful, funny, sick side of HOG MEETS FROG. But a few will remove the mask and then let themselves fall into the deepest depths of the music and lyrics and see what thoughts lie dormant there: Stories that life writes.” – Peter ‘PETZ’ Schwabl – Hog Meets Frog
For fans of Primus, RHCP, System of a Down, TOOL, Frank Zappa
Band: Hog Meets Frog
EP Title: humANIMALization
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Label: Echotunes
Hogmeetsfrog.com | Facebook.com/hogmeetsfrog | Twitter.com/hogmeetsfrog | Youtube.com/@hogmeetsfrog | Instagram.com/hogmeetsfrog | Tiktok.com/@hogmeetsfrog
Sales Links: Hogmeetsfrog.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music
“The quirkily name Hog Meets Frog are an Australian funk prog metal trio who released their third EP, humANIMALization, in February, and from which the equally odd Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough, is taken. We’re getting strong Primus vibes here, and the band also admit to a Tool influence.” – Prog (Great new prog music in our Tracks of The Week – April 28, 2023)
“If you are a fan of the jerky, spiky, awkward sounds of Primus you’ll love this. I daresay if you enjoy a bit of early Red Hot Chili Peppers you may also dig this – certain parts of the record do have a sneak peek toward Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention and The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – not too obviously, but those sly, sideways little looks are there.” – Ever- Metal UK
“‘Does humor belong in music?’ was once a question that the late/great Frank Zappa asked – and Austrian funk-prog metallists apparently agree wholeheartedly, as evidenced within the video for their new tune, “Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping,” – Bravewords
“Many hard rockers like when it is funky. Then this cool act must not be overlooked! This unit is a tight bunch of players and they have catchy tunes, for sure… Well worth checking out for fans of crazy funky hard rock.” – Melodic.net
“There’s an element of uniqueness to how each of these songs are written, although you can’t deny the clear influence of say the Primus bass lines or Zappa-esc experimentation, yet it is within the niche, thematic storytelling that gives Hog Meets Frog a real musical identity. The way they can tell a story with humour yet allow you to consider the real and often times scary true circumstances behind where these stories originate is what gives this band their staple. Certainly one to look out for in the future, long live Sqeekquackmusic!” – Metal Epidemic
“On their latest EP, this Austrian band presents offbeat funk-metal with semi-spoken vocals that tell absurd stories about weird characters. There are all sorts of slap-happy bass parts you could imagine Les Claypool coming up with, insanely busy and leading the band. That’s Peter Schwabl on the bass, and he handles the “storytelling” vocals as well… HumANIMALization is 23 minutes of big fun” – Exposé Online
“If I had to draw a comparison for this band… it’d be Primus, heavy catchy, quirky and big bass guitar. Great stuff!” – Mosh Pit Radio 89.9 FM (Madison, WI)
“One of the most creative and interesting bands I’ve heard in some time comes in the form of Austria’s Hog Meets Frog. The trio is extremely talented and unique.” – Transcending The Mundane
“They’re from Austria. One of the greatest song titles (Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping) I’ve ever heard. That’s all you’re getting. Press play and share the adventure” – Metallum Sub Terra
“If you love listening to the whimsical funky excursions of Les Claypool, and wouldn’t mind exploring similar landscapes that also include a bit more of a progressive metal approach and attitude, this EP will just about guarantee you an enjoyable experience.” – Progressor
“If the song titles like Apes don’t smoke cigars, just pipes are very funny, the musical aspects are of very high quality and definitely not “suitable for a headband”. Sure, funk isn’t a run-of-the-mill genre to sing along to, but sophisticated music at the highest level. So to speak, jazz music of the metal species. One can clearly register the inspiration of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Primus and Co. on this record, whereby the songs transport positive energy.” – Rock Magazine
“Overall – As chaotic as claimed, with quirky features, throughout, it’s fair to say that you never know where this is going to go, next. Trippy, outlandish and bizarre, it’s a wacky wonderland, all of its own… ‘HumANIMALIZATION’ can never be accused of being boring or predictable. Spicy and novel, in equal measure, it may appeal more to niche audiences. Hard to summarise easily, it’s a case of suck it and see.” – Rock Queen Reviews
“with all the wild antics they pull off in tracks with titles like snakes ‘n’ moles ‘n’ bulls ‘n’ dough, apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes and ZIGGY the unpigcorn, it all remains surprisingly easy to follow. Even the lyrics, which are all kind of inverted fables, with humans and the animalistic traits in their personalities. Weird? Absolutely. Wild? Certainly. But never just a gimmick, never a mess, in short, just a damn good album. Does Humor Belong In Music? Zappa once asked. Well, if the music is SQUEAQUACKmusic it is.” – Rock Portaal
[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]
Band: Hog Meets Frog
EP Title: humANIMALization
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Label: Echotunes
Track Listing:
1. Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough (4:32)
2. Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping (5:10)
3. Apes Don’t Smoke Cigars – Just Pipes (4:47)
4. Stuff(ed), Cage(d) & Enslave(d) (3:25)
5. ZIGGY The Unpigcorn (3:46)
EP Length: 21:42
(ghost track to find – number 23. It is called ‘the rabbit’s cry’)
EP Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: HOG MEETS FROG
• All songs written by: HOG MEETS FROG
• Produced by: Peter ‘PETZ’ Schwabl & Lukas Wiltschko
• Mixed by: Lukas Wiltschko (lwsonics.com)
• Mastered by: Lukas Wiltschko
• EP Artwork by: Attila Zsolt Tornyi (LaMañana, lamanana.net)
EP Band Lineup:
Ivo Matuš – Drums (peeping-bear’s exegesis of not peeping || apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes)
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums (of snakes ‘n’ moles ‘n’ bulls ‘n’ dough || stuff(ed), cage(d) & enslave(d) || ZIGGY the unpigcorn)
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ’PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling
Live Band Lineup:
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ‘PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling
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The EP as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
The EP is a non-conceptual concept album under the motto of the title: ‘humANIMALization’.
And, as it happens, when the animal in the human awakens, then, for example, one turns into a bigot monkey and the other becomes an insecure piggy, one becomes a peeping control bear and the other becomes a greedy stock market bull.
Just this behavior – sometimes silly, monkey, or also clumsy, bearish – is told in the lyrics, as well as through the wide range of sound worlds and riffs. There it goes from the cheerful, funky ‘I’m about to pee’ slap sound to the broad, massive, ‘the world is so evil’ New Metal sound to fuzzy-bassy and distorted-guitary sound with a sip of kick-ass drums.
You can call it progressive if you want or metalfunky or whatever you want… in the end it’s nothing less than HOG MEETS FROGs SQUEAQUACKmusic!!The best approach to serious topics is fun.
I think that most people will first notice the cheerful, funny, sick side of HOG MEETS FROG. But a few will remove the mask and then let themselves fall into the deepest depths of the music and lyrics and see what thoughts lie dormant there: Stories that life writes.
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
1. Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough (4:32)
The text tells of a friendship between a snake and a mole and a greedy bull who is addicted to the madness of money-making and wants to break up the friends to get more money himself. In the end, of course, friendship wins.
Starting with a stonerous riff the music then slides into a dry, narrative stomping and further into a spherical reverberant sound delirium, to finally once again – as already at the beginning of the song – get the stones and rocks rolling.
2. Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping (5:10)
The reason for writing the story of the peeping bear was the intelligence services and control freaks of this world, starting with the NSA scandal up to the possibilities of digitally utilized psychometric tools used for influencing elections by corporations or rich power-hungry people and warmongers.
This and much more we have packed into the sleeve of the sympathetic voyeur bear, who on top of that smilingly believes that he is spying, spying, and eavesdropping on everyone with good reason and only with the best of intentions.
From the left, from the right, from above and underneath, there comes this funky oriental punch right in your ears that represents the toe-dancing voyeur-bear, who sympathetically elated but unerringly sneaks into your mind and makes you join in. This absurdly groovy riff – in all its variations – opens a brief window in the middle of the song to a ponderous 7/8 schizophrenia that provides a prime breeding ground for a guitar solo. When the window closes, the slap bass hand in hand with the drums and the guitar do their fat oriental play again, until the song takes freaky punky forms to finally end in a massive slow groove.
3. Apes Don’t Smoke Cigars – Just Pipes (4:47)
Let me explain the tendencies to write the text for ‘apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes’ as follows: If the natural sciences are to be believed, the average commonality of human DNA and chimpanzee DNA is 98.5% – in some cases, it is as high as 99.4% congruent. So many a man has more in common with a chimpanzee at the DNA level than with a human woman.
Thus it has lent itself to transferring the behavior and attitude of some humans to monkeys. In this sense, bigotry and hubris fit our DNA relatives with the operating thumb like a glove. If I may quote myself at this point: ‘the pride of gods creation, the candle in the dark, above reproach superior, enlightened by the spark. admired by all livings, the sun but out of sight, infallible, benignant, a special kind of weight.’
4. Stuff(ed), Cage(d) & Enslave(d) (3:25)
“stuff(ed), cage(d) & enslave(d)” describes just three scenarios on which a part of humanity perpetuates itself in history.
Does it make sense? No! Would there be other ways? Yes!
Panda girls being caged in boxes, dolphin teenagers being stuffed into tuna cans, human children being enslaved on cocoa plantages and all this just to guarantee fun, tradition, and pleasure for a few people on this earth – and they never ever give a damn about where it comes from.
Does it make sense? No! Would there be other ways? Yes!
guided by a funky, slappy bass beaten off by the drums and licked by a weirdo guitar the voice tells the story in a sick way until the ‘three-nstruments’ in the back suddenly – just for a moment – jump forward and punch a distorted brute hole in the sound to immediately retreat right away again next to the voice, clear and distinct. But then, after some time, everything crosses over to a biohazard chorus – something that tells the listener what not to do what has been done very often for much with his mind too long while listening to it: “stuffed, caged & enslaved!”
5. ZIGGY The Unpigcorn (3:46)
Lyrically seen ‘ZIGGY the unpigcorn’ addresses a topic that many know, but very few are aware of the abysses that can open up: the beauty industry. First of all, I should say that I personally am not a fan of cosmetic surgery – except for medically necessary ones. Even though I realize that most of us have been the piggy at some point that doesn’t think of ourselves as beautiful or doesn’t have much confidence in ourselves. Body modification and cosmetic surgery are for some – often on an unconscious level – the obvious way to salvation, pushed by a billion-dollar industry and a society that has taught itself that appearance should have an enormously high status. I don’t want to overdramatize this, but I think that in the sense of making money, there is far too little education about what psychological trauma interventions like this can have. Many are then not even aware of where the new problems come from, because they seem to have fulfilled a dream. But well… we all know these dreams, from which one wakes up drenched in sweat and is glad that it was just a dream. After having surgery you can’t wake up anymore. This is probably the least homogeneous song on the record. Because at first it bounces seductively slap sound happily back and forth in front of the listener until it suddenly jumps uncompromisingly aggressively into one face, sucks itself there, and slaps and trashes and slaps and trashes and slaps and trashes, to then shortly after crawling through the ears into the skull and hit there from the inside with a new metal hammer against the skullcap until it goes through the ceiling… and this with a playful surprise every now and then and always with a little smile.
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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. HOG MEETS FROG play their music in honor of the holy spirit SQUEAUQACK. He created everything with just one fart and then fell into a deep sleep, on the edge of infinity. Maybe one day he will come back and – hand in hand with Kthulu (the misunderstood savior), the flying spaghetti monster, and some characters of the HOG MEETS FROG family – make the world a place of love, peace, and joy.
2. After a show, PETZ was asked by some fans if he wanted to drink liquor or whiskey with them or smoke a joint. PETZ thankfully declined, saying that he doesn’t drink or smoke, whereupon he was asked, “Really? And how do you get ideas like that without alcohol or drugs?”
3. HOG MEETS FROG seems to be funny… but it isn’t.
4. HOG MEETS FROGs music was defined as ‘avant-garde funk’.
Bottom L-R: : | ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi (guitar) | Ivo Matuš (drums)
Top: | Peter ’PETZ’ Schwabl (bass, storytelling)
Photo Credit Vicky vanSane
Hog Meets Frog is nothing short of humorous and entertaining with its diverse, wacky music. They have a new EP “humANIMALization” coming out in February. A non-conceptual concept record, it explores offbeat stories about several intriguing animals including a bigot monkey, an insecure piggy, a peeping control bear, and a greedy stock market bull. Their high jinks are detailed through storytelling and interesting music that is cheerful, funky, fuzzy, and progressive. The band explains further:“Every person has his or her own world of experience, which we do not want to give a framework. Everyone should see in the album what he or she sees in it. It is always a nice compliment when people tell us that they had fun listening to our music. Because we also want to convey fun. We are also happy when people not only see the music or the obvious sides of the stories, but also go through the looking glass to look for the deeper meaning behind it, which can be found in almost every number. In any case, interpretations are not only allowed but encouraged. For those who want to know what we were thinking, we are happy to talk about it.”“humANIMALization” is the third EP from Hog Meets Frog, two of the tracks including this single were released previously, but itching to have another physical offering, they gathered five cohesive songs that offer metaphors into current events and provide commentary on social systems in place, in this case, the NSA scandal.
Influenced by a range of genres including progressive metal, death metal, funk, and world music, Hog Meets Frog is only defined by itself and is unexpectedly contagious. They are recommended for fans of Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and System of a Down.
“humANIMALization” is due out on February 24, 2023, and available for pre-order – Hogmeetsfrog.bandcamp.com
Live Band Lineup:
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ‘PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling
Discography:
2023 – humANIMALization (EP)
2019 – apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes (single)
2018 – peeping-bear’s exegesis of not peeping (single)
2012 – holy spirit SQUEAQUACK (LP)
2006 – RUN tha FREAKS (multimedia single)
2004 – FREAKY RITES (EP)
2003 – infernal promotion (EP)
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