Frozen Soul – Glacial Domination (Review)

Releasing your second album as a band involves many challenges. The sophomore release will always have to compare with the debut. Do you stay true to yourself as a band or do you take a new path? Many questions and possible factors that certainly had to face Frozen Soul. On May 19th their second album Glacial Domination will be released via Century Media. With their debut Crypt of Ice the Texans could already make a name for themselves and tour in the USA and Europe.

With a distinctive sound, which is often compared with legends like Bolt Thrower or Mortican, Frozen Soul could win some fans under the term “Cold school Death metal”. Quite early a fan club called “Cold Crew” was formed. Also, on Glacial Domination the band keeps their unique sound. If you like Bolt Thrower, you should definitely listen to this. When they hit the listener directly with a dive bomb on the opener as on “Invisible Tormentor”, you better buckle up. In general, this album takes no prisoners, in terms of brutality it is hard to beat.

Compared to Crypt of Ice the production has been significantly improved. After all, Matt Heafy, among others, co-produced this record. I’m not sure if singer Chad Green is human at all. On songs such as “Assimilator” and “Best Served Cold” he sounds like an absolute monster. Nasty mosh parts that you’ve come to love on the previous record are no stranger to this one either. The breakdown on “Death and Glory” alone makes every bone shake. The interplay between the guitars and drums stands out positively. Frozen Soul know exactly how to write songs that evoke primitive instincts in people. As if you have to hunt down the next best Mammut.

Whether it’s instruments or vocals, the band succeeds (again) in making their album feel like a block of ice. It radiates this immense coldness when you listen to it. As if everything was recorded in a refrigerator or prehistoric cave. It’s remarkable how strong this atmosphere gives Glacial Domination even more depth. Frozen Soul also manages to imply new elements. The song structure and riffs on “Atomic Winter” and the self-titled track are strongly reminiscent of Death and Nile. While on the debut album they were still strongly oriented to the Bolt Thrower sound, the influences on the successor prove to be very multi-layered. Especially the different synthesizer samples sound more than refreshing. It almost seems as if they continue to work on their own DNA and fill the already existing Bolt Thrower formula with other elements.

Overall, Glacial Domination is a successful sophomore album. It is the logical successor to Crypt of Ice. Atmospheric, brutal and cold. Frozen Soul are the future of death metal, which they prove again with this release.