Texan death metal titans Frozen Soul have returned & this time there is “No Place Of Warmth” for you to hide!!!
Formed in 2018, it is one of the few early bands to bring back the old-school death metal sound to the modern metal scene.
With the likes of Creeping Death, Sanguisugabogg & 200 Stab Wounds, Frozen Soul from the start came out with something different.
Blending the melody of Bolt Throwers & Unleashed with the heaviness of Obituary & Mortician, the band added the last element of lyric topics, artwork & general themes of the band to be based around ice, snow & all things cold, which really played well & was a stark difference between their native city, Fort Worth, Texas, and being in one of the hottest places on earth.
Their first EP, 2019’s “Encased in Ice”, took the underground by storm. Creating a huge buzz for the band, which drew the attention of Century Media Records, where the band’s first album, 2021’s “Crypt of Ice”, really broke the band into the snowy landscape of post-COVID’s lust for new music. With a ton of touring & great press, the band is unstoppable.
In 2023, the band took on the task of creating their sophomore album, “Glacial Domination”, pushing the boundaries of the band’s sound, with more epic, heavier & most expansive material from the band to date. Landing them tours with the likes of Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse & The Black Dahlia Murder.
Now, in 2026, the band are bringing us their third & most crushing album, “No Place Of Warmth”.
The album’s opening track brings the punishment right from the get-go. With an eerie, piercing tone & swirling synths building the atmosphere, the bell tolls, setting the intensity as it peaks & the band rip it hard. Soaring guitar riffs fill the air, giving this ethereal feel, then the heaviness begins.
This track is a chugger, with a great, heavy rhythm from drummer Matt Dennar’s double kick throughout the track & bassist Samantha Mobley’s thick, thunderous tone driving the song. Already within the first few moments, vocalist Chad Green’s lyrics grab you, “No mercy, no peace. No need for sympathy. At this moment, you have no power over me!” gives a vocal that matches the impact from the instrumental tracks. Green vocals have always been a huge highlight for me, but on this track & the whole album, it may be his best performance yet.
His lyrics feel personal as well as being perfectly rhythmic, catchy & having the best pronunciation in there, Clear to hear & feel as well as having a huge impact in technique. This track is a perfect way to open an album with such magnitude. Having the brutality we know from the band while turning that dial up on the epic feeling & creating one of the year’s best surprises.
The track features a guest appearance from My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way on the mammoth bridge section. Adding an even colder feel, his vocals are piercing and haunting & give great dynamic contrast to the Green’s guttural style. As it closes, the leads have a great back-and-forth singing the closing words & end one of the best album openers in recent years.
Are you ready to get your arse kicked? Well, “Invoke War” is about to stomp a mud hole in you. With a snarl, Green’s lone vocal tells you, “I invoke war!!!” followed by cannon-like tom hits from Dennar that fill your ears, & a simple but heavy-as-hell chug from Michael Munday gets the battle cry in your ears. This track is a real stomper & has a ton of groove.
A great mid-paced feel, but increase the tempos just when needed to play around with dynamics. Having a really tribal feel & brings out the primal inside you. The track also has one of the best guest features the band have had to date.
Rob Flynn (Machine Head) appears on the breakdown bridge section. When the band brings back the early intro that slowly builds tension & Flynn recounts “For every second of our lives, We will forever be enemies..” harnessing an early Machine Head feeling, this moment builds until an absolute apocalyptic breakdown. This track is unbridled fury at its core & it’s captured so perfectly.
Capturing the band’s early sound, “Dreadnought” brings back that super-heavy side of the band. Inspired by the likes of Mortician & Mortal Skuld, this one, like its namesake, feels like a 40K war machine is trampling you. Opening with Mobley’s perfectly punchy, filthy yet clear bass line driving the track’s pace, this one is unrelenting.
You can’t help but start headbanging by the time the chunky & inventive guitar comes in from Chris Bonner & Munday. This one might be simple, but that’s the point; the band’s biggest strength is creating these great, simple, but earworm-like riffs that grab you and don’t let go. But if you want someone to give you a little sauce, Bonner treats us to a great solo lick that cuts through really clear & elevates the track even more.
Closing out the three guest appearances on the album, Devin Swank from Sanguisugabogg unleashed his powerful, gutter-like vocal on this one. As always, a perfect performance from him, giving us a nice little flavour on the track, but also it feels fitting for him to be on one of the most brutal tracks on the album.
Taking another step forward in the soundscaping of the band “Ethereal Dreams,” the opening section echoes tribal drums & thriller movie-like sounds, setting the tone for one of the most expansive tracks the band have written to date. Josh Schroeder from Random Awesome Studio helped produce the album & helped the band craft their biggest & most diverse sounds yet. This track has the band’s DNA throughout but places nicely with dynamics & leans heavily on its more melodic moments. Big tremolo riff sections & great thrash-like circle-pit sections. The closing two minutes of the track play around with a gore-soaked spoken-word sample & the use of great guitar leads, building to a breaking point, when the band breaks into a superb & perfectly paid-off two-step section. As the track fades out, it still keeps its epic feel & leaves you with a smile on your face.
The last two tracks on the album “Frost Forged” & “Killin Time (Until it’s Time to Kill)” might just be the most perfect Frozen Souls to date. Over the last two records, the band have really worked on their sound & created their own template. Taking what influences them but harnessing it into their own unique brand of heavy as fuck death metal. “Frost Forged” is straight up a bloodbath; its heavy, swinging groove runs through the track, hypnotic in feel, but its overall punishing sound is utterly brutal. It feels like the band has been able to turn up the dial just one more notch & create something heavy enough to crack through the arctic tundra. The closing moments & breakdown on this one are ridiculous.
And the album closer, “Killin Time (Until it’s Time to Kill),” is having some fun & going out with a home run on this one. With its lighthearted lyrical themes, “Born to chill, but bred to kill” from Green keeps the track fun and full of swagger. This one feels like it keeps the energy high, even as track eleven on the album. This one has all the elements that make the band them: great, fast-blasting sections, slowing it down to pack a punch, & creating fun transitions to keep the listener’s ears perky. Even with a tasty little lick from Munday & Bonner, this one has it all. A perfect closer on an album that is wall to wall with moments the band have expertly crafted.
“No Place Of Warmth” is a perfect album. Not only by death metal standards but as a blueprint to show what an unstoppable force Frozen Soul has become. Over the last few years, the band have been able to really focus on what sets them apart from this new wave of OSDM by creating inventive, surprising & the true icy cold sound that has become insistently recognisable as Frozen Soul.
Whereas the last album leaned heavily into the band’s melodic feel & anthemic sound, NPOW has the best of both worlds. The heavy wrecking ball of the band’s Texan swagger & catchy riffage, while still keeping that melody & instantly hummable guitar licks & vocal lines.
This album builds upon everything the band have shown us before, but also adds somehow more brutality & beauty.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
No Place Of Warmth is out via Century Media Records on 8th May 2026
Tracklisting:
1. No Place Of Warmth (feat. Gerard Way)
2. Invoke War (feat. Machine Head)
3. Absolute Zero
4. Dreadnought (feat. Sanguisugabogg)
5. Chaos Will Reign
6. Eyes of Despair
7. Ethereal Dreams
8. Skinned by the Wind
9. DEATHWEAVER
10. Frost Forged
11. Killin Time (Until its Time to Kill)
Band Members:
Chad Green – vocals
Michael Munday – guitars
Chris Bonner – guitars
Samantha Mobley – bass
Matt Dennar – drums
