Album Review: Frozen Soul - No Place Of Warmth (Century Media Records, 2026)
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Written: 3rd May
In 2023, I placed Frozen Soul’s superb Glacial Domination at number two in my albums of the year. Moving rapidly through the ranks of death metal, their rise has been well deserved. Having seen the band live at The Underworld in London, they have also proved over the last few years that their self-named brand of cold school death metal works incredibly well in a live setting. With the same line-up that has appeared on each of their full-length releases, the quintet are now set to unleash their third album, No Place of Warmth.
No Place of Warmth retains the same chilling atmospheres that have characterised each of their releases. Opening with the title track, Frozen Soul immediately display how capable they are of building mood and the macabre, eerie introduction – during which the band’s use of synths and tolling bells adds to the darkness – leads into the chugging, insistent riffs from Michael Munday and Chris Bonner. On a song that encourages breaking free from control, Chad Green’s guttural bellows are delivered with a seasoned confidence. Crawl from descension / A testament of flesh / You will not become our end / So we march forth to no place of warmth. Further evidence of Frozen Soul’s impact in recent years comes in the form of three guest contributions. In Green’s words, “Anytime we have features, it’s with friends and bands that we love and respect who share the same feelings and emotion that we’re trying to get across in the song.” On the title track, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance delivers some penetrating vocals that interplay well with those of Green, particularly during the conclusion. A wonderful opener that sets up the promise of what is to come.
Invoke War (which features Rob Flynn of Machine Head) begins as a slower, groove-laden slice of crushing death metal that increases and decreases in tempo at different moments, the changes perfectly aligned to Green’s vocal intent. The bass of Samantha Mobley and the drums of Matt Dennar are cavernous but never threaten to become oppressive. Furthering the message of fighting back, Invoke War invites us to use anger and pain as fuel in refusing to stay passive. I taste the agony as I tear your soul apart / I’ll savour the sweet sound of suffering / Your punishment I see fit / It’s boundless it never quits.
Given the sub-one minute length of Absolute Zero, it would be easy to think the band had decided to include a short, quieter interlude as is the case for many bands. Instead, with bone-crushing guitar and hostile, rampaging bass, Frozen Soul unleash the heaviest track on the album thus far. Cataclysmic explosions will make your speakers rumble, thunderous like seismic waves threatening to cause an avalanche. No Place of Warmth lasts a little over thirty-six minutes and the variety in track lengths allows the band to experiment with tempo and dynamics. Dreadnought (which has a contribution from Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg) lives up to its name, the stomping, muscular bass lines from Samantha Mobley creating a brutal foundation and the music destroying everything in its path with a crushing inevitability. While there is melody here too – in the form of the guitar solo – it is structured in such a way as to add further icy tension.
By the standards of the album, Chaos Will Reign is more straightforward in nature but this is followed by Eyes of Despair, which stakes its claim as one of the album’s strongest tracks. Combining both thrash and death metal, it takes us back to the old school, the opening solo one of the clearest examples of this. The shifts in tempo mean the breakdowns become even heavier while the lyrics warn of trust in the wrong things and lying to yourself. Illusion / Mask of decay / Delusion / Corrosion of fate / You feel the glare it draws near in the eyes of despair.
Ethereal Dreams – the longest song at a shade under five minutes – begins with a distant, chilling wind and tribal style drums that seem to indicate approaching doom - a broader, cinematic track that opens up the band’s frozen canvas and develops a widescreen sense of scale. Leaning once again into thrash embellishments, it makes use of melody, inventive guitar leads and moves through several sections. A central spoken word segment – albeit delivered with a deep, leaden rasp – adds another beguiling element. In the fortress of ice / Its scars, wounds that never heal / Sealed away to rest away in silence / Until the sleeper rises once again. It proves to be another highlight of No Place of Warmth and will be an absolute monster live.
The first half of the ninety-second Skinned By The Wind uses a quote from the 1990 film Lost In The Barrens, during which an orphaned teen and a young tribal hunter get lost in the wilderness. He was lost years ago. Up north; up in the barren lands. The worst place on Earth. So cold when you spit it’s ice before it hits the ground. Wind so strong it'll tear the skin right off you. It certainly fits the Frozen Soul aesthetic and the second half - with its uncompromising, punishing guitars – emphasises the cold as something that does not merely surround you but something that assaults you.
As the album reaches its final quarter, DEATHWEAVER (sic) and Frost Forged continue to deliver immense, savage riffs that add to the bleak, malevolent nature. The latter further delving into the album’s overall theme of being reshaped by hardship, the sounds of a hammer hitting metal on an anvil, emphasising the transformation that comes from survival. Primordial mountain torn from flesh / Salvation wrapped in annihilation / Cosmic abomination / Everlasting strength / Unchained.
Final track Killin’ Time (Until It’s Time to Kill) screams old school thrash at the outset and much like Eyes of Despair incorporates death metal with ease. There is also a punk-like belligerence and a twisted enjoyment within Chad Green’s vocals. Time fades away / My friend, today’s the day / I can’t deny / I’m sad to say goodbye / Time just flies / I’m sorry but it’s too late / Born to chill / But bred to kill. It allows the album another moment of diversity before, all too quickly, we have reached the end of our polar odyssey.
No Place of Warmth is a clear step forward while never losing sight of what made Frozen Soul so compelling in the first place. It is a tightly constructed, sharply paced record that knows exactly when to be more expansive (Ethereal Dreams) and when to double down on the band’s core identity, even if this means a little less experimentation (Chaos Will Reign and DEATHWEAVER). The album’s concise length works firmly in its favour; nothing lingers longer than it should and the shifting moods and textures keep the experience engaging from start to finish.
Josh Schroeder’s production is excellent throughout, adding weight and physical heft to every track without sacrificing clarity. Rather than sounding over‑polished, the production deepens the band’s glacial atmosphere, allowing the cold, oppressive feel to cut even deeper. Beneath the aggression, there is a strong sense of purpose and unity running through the lyrics, something Chad Green sums up perfectly: “Each song on this record has its own meaning and influences that helped make them what they are, but in their essence are written to give the listener that extra push and power they need to fight those everyday battles. These songs are built to say, We won’t be swept away by the winds; we can and we will move forward.” Steeped in death metal it has a clear love of thrash sewn in. It is an album that will resonate strongly with fans of Carcass, Obituary and Bolt Thrower. Brutal, colossal, melodic and disciplined, No Place of Warmth is a another triumph.
No Place Of Warmth is released on 8th May 2026
Frozen Soul online