Welcome to The Saw’s Butcher Shop! It’s Ya Girl, The Saw! And it’s winter in May for all you Metal Heads! Frozen Soul released their brand-new, sophomore album, Glacial Domination (Century Media) on May 19, 2023. The new record is a freezing blast of ice-cold Death Metal! Killer riffs, bounce and groove, and wicked gutturals issue the beatings (of course). And there is some awesome new stuff, here, too, as Frozen Soul evolves (laterally) from their ground-breaking 2021 release, Crypt of Ice.
You know we always talk about how (most) bands are in a state of evolution at this point in their histories. Well, for Glacial Domination, Frozen Soul haven’t really evolved vertically – a change in direction in their sound and/or delivery – but some of the stuff that they’re doing is a horizontal move from their brilliant debut full-length. Everything I love about Frozen Soul is present on the new record – stone cold riffs, groovy bounce, nasty hooks, and brutal gutturals – but the band has stretched the way they approach and deliver this beautiful form of Death Metal. The writing on Glacial Domination is more expansive, with layered melodies and technical song structures. I think Frozen Soul are tightening the screws of their massive sound – I’ve seen them live, and they are tight and seamless – perfecting and maturing their brilliant brand.
Glacial Domination is co-produced by Matthew K. Heafy (Trivium), which helps explain the subtle changes in sound and accessibility. While the new record is still nasty “cold-school” Death Metal, the production and structure are polished and clean – a new type of hook to draw in listeners to the band, the brand, and the extreme metal scene. John Gallagher (Dying Fetus) makes an appearance on “Morbid Effigy,” the banging leading single about making a snowman out of guts. The one-two combo of “Frozen Soul / Assimilator” are a nod to the John Carpenter Antarctic sci-fi/horror classic, The Thing. This movie is one of the all-time greats! The graphics for its time period are awesome! And Frozen Soul offers a banging sound track of sorts in honor of the narrative. “Arsenal of War” features Reese Alavi (Creeping Death) and Blake Ibanez (Powertrip, Fugitive). This track is different from the others on the new album, lyrically, as it is a tribute to Chad Green’s (vocals) late brother.
Glacial Domination is 42 minutes of masterfully paced (and placed) new school Death Metal. Frozen Soul are perfect in execution on this new record, with each track distinct yet flowing nicely together. Even though I’m not sure of the point in the :59 “Annihilation” – a synth-driven interlude – it does play nicely with the intros to the album opener, “Invisible Tormentor,” and “Frozen Soul;” and the outro in “Atomic Winter.” The latter is a wicked album ender; just a perfect, crushing closer for an excellent album. The song is a great cap-stone to the well-marked theme of the Frozen Soul brand – cold, blued, icy; freezing, doomy, crunchy, dead.
Track Listing:
- Invisible Tormentor
- Arsenal of War
- Death and Glory
- Morbid Effigy
- Annihilation
- Glacial Domination
- Frozen Soul
- Assimilator
- Best Served Cold
- Abominable
- Atomic Winter
Rating: 10/10!! Beautiful “cold-school” Death Metal! Riffs, grooves, hooks, and gutturals!
Favorite Songs: Morbid Effigy, Frozen Soul, Abominable, Atomic Winter
Stay Metal,
THE SAW
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