“I invoke war” roars Frozen Soul’s powerhouse vocalist Chad Green on the second track of ‘No Place For Warmth’, the band’s mammoth third full-length album. One can’t help but hear it as a battle cry, a statement of intent, one that aims to solidify the band as one of the death metal bands of the decade. Since their formation in 2018, the Texan quintet have swiftly ascended to become one of the most highly regarded, must-see acts on the death metal scene, combining influences of old school masters such as Obituary and Bolt Thrower with their own brand of ice-cold, knife-edged riffage and aggression. Having built their Matt Heafy-produced sophomore album ‘Glacial Domination’ on the promise of their impressive 2021 debut ‘Crypt Of Ice‘, ‘No Place For Warmth‘ finds the band sounding heavier than ever, delivering songwriting mastery that is sharpened by an arsenal of songs that stand up to the genre’s greats.
‘No Place For Warmth’’s epic opening title track is ominous. Its ’80s horror movie synths give way to a gigantic riff, bolstered by the band’s pummelling rhythm section of drummer Matt Dennard and bassist Samantha Mobley. Notable too is the surprising guest feature of My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, who lends some eerie shriek-filled vocals to the title track’s final minutes. A subtle addition to the track, Way offers an even greater malevolent edge as he seethes “This is not your place of warmth, you will find no peace” over the track’s brutal chugging. Here, and indeed throughout the entire album, the drums and vocals are pushed to the fore, making for a direct, dry and punchy style of death metal. Meanwhile, sparing but effective melodic flushes from guitarists Michael Munday and Chris Bonner lend a somewhat melodic feel to proceedings, as their impressive leads on ‘Eyes Of Despair’ and ‘Ethereal Dreams’ demonstrate.
What’s apparent as the album progresses is just how huge the band sound. On the earsplitting ‘Invoke War’, the thunderous stomp of ‘Frost Forged’ and towering riffage of ‘DEATHWEAVER’, they sound positively colossal – this is death metal in all its widescreen glory, invoking the fantasy-filled, evil-tinged imagery of the band’s album covers. The bass-heavy chugging filth of ‘Dreadnought’ features the guttural tones of Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank. They plunge the band to ever darker depths, whilst the Carcass recalling, catchy-as-hell and gloriously titled ‘Killin’ Time (Until It’s Time To Kill)’ closes the album in neck-breaking style. The result is an album bookended by its two most immediately hook-laden tracks.
It’s hard to avoid words like “frostbitten”,“ice-cold” and “glacial” when talking about Frozen Soul’s sound, but the band’s no-frills, stripped down and savage approach to death metal lends itself well to these descriptors. The riffs are razor sharp, the low-end is aggressively punchy and you can practically see the steam emitting from Green’s mouth as his monstrous roars echo over the barren and vast, sub-zero landscapes the band so effectively evoke. Despite being only three albums into their career, Frozen Soul are beginning to sound like genre veterans themselves, such is the strength of the band’s songwriting, self-assured identity and singular vision. With a focus on making killer, riff-filled, savage headbangers propelled by the instantly recognisable gargantuan roar of frontman Green, ‘No Place For Warmth’ is the band’s most affecting, cohesive and monstrous release to date.
Adam Firth