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FROZEN SOUL
No Place Of Warmth

Century Media (2026)
Rating: 8.5/10

Still as chilly as ever, Fort Worth, Texas-based death metal combo Frozen Soul thaws out and issues a third full-length that once again channels a permafrost Bolt Thrower. Colossal riffs abound as each and every song operates like a snow bulldozer, grinding with heft amidst a blizzard barrage of tumultuous percussion and bass.

In spite of the initial buzz caused by their debut album, Crypt Of Ice (2021), Frozen Soul remains a somewhat understated act within the genre, a genre besieged by gory obsession and leaking slimy, sludgy ooze. Instead, Frozen Soul coats everything with ash; every instrumental vibration causes plumes of grey. ‘Chaos Will Reign’, with its dominant kick drum, churns and chugs with a steady arrogance and a lick of Bolt Thrower for good measure. Chad Green’s vocals sound like scorching blasts from a flamethrower, melting black ice and leaving deep furrows in the cold ground.

A majority of tracks offered are deep, gouging chromatic chug fests, and even Machine Head’s Rob Flynn mucks in on ‘Invoke War’ – the most metal thing he’s done for decades. ‘Deathweaver’ drips more chugs into the jug, the bass of Samantha Mobley is always a joy to experience as her strings shudder and quake. Again there’s that Bolt Thrower vibe and yet the production is crystal clear, bringing to mind a feel of, say, Fear Factory. Mobley rules the roost again, this time on the punishing ‘Dreadnought’ (featuring Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank), a heavyweight masterclass in skull crushing as the drums of Matt Dennard rain down like boulders.

The axe team of Michael Munday and Chris Bonner is one of the most formidable in death metal, riff after pulverising riff cascades and rolls like an oily leviathan churning in an icy black lake. There’s pace on ‘Ethereal Dreams’, the band kicking hard before the slower theme towards the last minute or so. ‘Ethereal Dreams’ showcases the successful shifting between faster, icier skips and slower, suffocating menace which makes itself more evident on ‘Eyes Of Despair’.

The production really is crystal clear, resulting in every instrument, particularly the drums, slamming into the ears. Whereas a lot of new, but old school sounding death metal bands opt for a swampy atmosphere and tone, Frozen Soul seeks clarity and precision while still managing to deliver pummelling cold snaps. ‘Frost Forged’ is another chunk of devastating slogging, Green’s coughs just burying themselves deeper into the frozen ash as the riffs turn and grind.

No Place Of Warmth is one of the heaviest albums you’ll hear this year, and by the time you’ve given it a spin you’ll be drinking De-Icer to prevent frost bite of the organs.

Neil Arnold

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