ALBUM REVIEW: Frozen Soul – ‘No Place Of Warmth’

We do love a bit of brand consistency around here. A band called Frozen Soul releasing their third coldly-named full-length in a row? And the artwork uses the same bleak, icy design scheme as the last two? Album of the Year contender already, IMO.

If that all sounds a bit too predictable, though, just get a few minutes through No Place Of Warmth’s title track to hear a young upstart named Gerard Way. Yes, for whatever reason, Mr. My Chemical Romance himself is on this death metal album to provide macabre shrieks, almost unrecognisable, but a total flex on Frozen Soul’s part. If that weren’t enough, features from Machine Head’s Robb Flynn and Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank reinforce with iron will how far Frozen Soul’s stock has risen.

And to be clear, it’s not like a leg up was needed. Frozen Soul have been doing great on their own for a while now while a constant trend upwards. They could very well be the death metal band to watch right now, demonstrably true on No Place Of Warmth. Even if the classic, American death metal wheel isn’t being reinvented, there’s enough in the execution to where it’s at its freshest and most exciting. By nature, it’s as heavy as you like, with Frozen Soul’s added glacial qualities bringing out their distinct feel. Most notably is the production around Chad Green’s voices, which almost has the feel of condensing into a frigid aura or echoing from the depths of an icy cave. The fact his yeti-like roars are what drives his performance only ties it all together even more neatly.

From there, No Place Of Warmth indulges in an elemental harshness, a bit different from death metal’s typical paths. At its centre, what’s here is immediately recognisable, though even that can have its own flavours. I Invoke War has its own form of slam like some Neolithic death metal hammer, while Dreadnought packs a bass tone from Samantha Mobley that could rip an ice sheet in two all on its own. But the coldness and frostbitten edge permeates so well, and gives No Place Of Warmth so much else to work with. Despite how brief they both are, Absolute Zero and Skinned By The Wind lash exceptionally well, and Frost Forged is a genuinely mountainous penultimate number. Give that one few extra berserker bellows and a longship in the distance, and it would pass as an Amon Amarth song, no questions asked.

Even with that, though, variety on Frozen Soul’s list of priorities is at subterranean levels. It’s a true death metal experience, in that sense; punishment comes above all else. You could complain, but a) you’re making precisely zero new observations, and b) the album moves well enough to where it’s not an endurance test. That’s especially significant for a band like Frozen Soul who appear to have one single idea (that being The Cold) that constitutes their entire career. They’ve got the pliancy of an icicle but, bloody hell, they make it work.

No Place Of Warmth has such a brilliant capacity for sounding titanic that almost singlehandedly powders the competition. For however ‘accessible’ extreme metal is allowed to be, this does come close on sheer force alone. With how its chorus shapes out (and, y’know, its name), you’d almost presume that Killin’ Time (Until It’s Time To Kill) is some thrash relic given a cover job, but it seems to be 100% a Frozen Soul original. That’s just cool, and it’s a vibe that Frozen Soul wear with pride all across No Place Of Warmth. If you want all-aura, all-assault death metal as it was always intended, you simply can’t go wrong with this. And don’t worry about that concept wearing thin, either; if anything, it’s only getting better.

For fans of: Bolt Thrower, Obituary, Carcass

‘No Place Of Warmth’ by Frozen Soul is released on 8th May on Century Media Records.

Words by Luke Nuttall