Review by Norbert on June 24, 2026.

This probably won't end up being my favorite death metal album of the year, but it has a very good chance of becoming my personal workout soundtrack of 2026—especially for strength training, when you're carrying a barbell on your shoulders and pretending, for a brief moment, that you're a medium-sized tank.

From the very beginning, Frozen Soul have specialized in music that sounds like a glacier marching across a battlefield, and on No Place Of Warmth, their third full-length album, they make no attempt to reinvent death metal. Quite the opposite. They take everything that worked before, tighten a few bolts, pour in some extra fuel, and send this armored vehicle charging straight into the crowd.

This is still death metal built on colossal grooves, mid-paced rhythms, and riffs that crush rather than cut. Bolt Thrower remain the band's spiritual patron saints, but the Texans are becoming increasingly comfortable with their own identity. The biggest difference this time around? The album simply sounds massive. The guitars carry enormous weight, the bass no longer hides beneath the permafrost, and the entire record hits with the force of a snow avalanche. The opening title track immediately makes a strong impression—monumental, catchy, and surprisingly melodic. Gerard Way's guest appearance turns out to be much more than a marketing gimmick. Who would have thought that the vocalist of My Chemical Romance would fit so naturally into a death metal world of ice, death, and depression?

The album's greatest strength, however, may be the band's improved sense of dynamics. The trademark bulldozing tempos still dominate, but Frozen Soul are more willing than before to shift into a higher gear or unleash a juicy slam-inspired riff. The brief 'Absolute Zero' lasts less than a minute, yet leaves a bigger impact than many five-minute songs released by their competitors. 'Eyes Of Despair' showcases a more aggressive side of the band, while 'Ethereal Dreams' and 'Deathweaver' prove that beneath all that ice lies a surprising amount of melody and atmosphere. None of these songs are revolutionary, but their effectiveness is almost shameless.

Of course, the band can be accused of being somewhat predictable. This is not an album that will change the history of the genre or suddenly make people talk about progressive death metal from Texas. Some ideas return with the regularity of seasonal supermarket promotions, while certain choruses and song structures are so familiar that you can anticipate them several measures in advance. The record also loses a little momentum toward the end. Still, it's difficult to complain too much when every successive riff lands exactly where it should—right in the neck.

What is truly impressive is how naturally Frozen Soul are growing into one of the leading modern death metal bands. Their music seems tailor-made for large stages (yes, I know that for some maniacs that's a serious accusation). These songs practically beg for festival circle pits, crowd-wide sing-alongs, and thousands—okay, hundreds—of people nodding their heads in perfect unison.

No Place Of Warmth is not the most ambitious or surprising album of the year, but it is certainly one of the most satisfying. This is death metal without insecurities, without unnecessary embellishments, and without any need to prove itself. If you're looking for a soundtrack for lifting weights, running, battling everyday life, or simply craving 36 minutes of controlled musical destruction, Frozen Soul deliver exactly what they promise.

And they do it better than ever before.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Michael on September 12, 2026.

Viva la revolución! Chilean thrashers Critical Defiance are back with a vengeance with their fourth studio album, "Rivers Of Blood". The title sounds really brutal and furious, and so is the album.

Starting with an almost tender intro, sounding sort of like Greek goddesses playing harps, the title is already levitating over the listener's head – "Red Omen." And when the storm sets in, we can already anticipate what is yet to come.

Brutal thrash without any compromises follows for the next half an hour. "Innate To Kill" is a breathtaking lesson in violence (sorry for the pun) that makes us forget the latest "thrash" releases by the greats such as Exodus, Sodom, or Kreator. This is what thrash metal was originally meant to be. Aggressive, yet still melodic, just a smash straight into your face. Aaarrgghhhh!!!!

Vocalist Felipe sounds like an unleashed nightmare from hell, gurgling and screaming his way through the seven songs. He is really delivering an insane vocal performance here. The instrumental skills are equally extraordinary and impressive. Despite the sheer brutality, there are plenty of hooks, short solos, and nuances that make it fun to listen to.

What I personally appreciate very much are the acoustic parts the guys have woven into their songs, like at the end of "The Feeling Destroyer" or in the furious "Valparaíso," which, with a running time of almost eight minutes, is the longest track and deals with the bloody history of the Chilean city.

"Dead Tongues" begins with some gloomy tunes before turning into a whirlwind of daggers stabbing into your body. That track is a sheer thrash inferno without any breaks. If Slayer's "Reign in Blood" was fast, I might even say this is "Reign in Blood" on speed.

Even when they slow things down, as in "Rivers Of Blood," Critical Defiance still remain super brutal because of the dense riffing and hateful vocals. The female, almost whispered vocals don't spoil that at all. And this really makes a difference compared to a lot of thrash releases that have come out lately. Keeping their authenticity alive is something many bands have lost during their careers. Fortunately, Critical Defiance haven't.

After another short instrumental, "Ceremony Of The Final Call," the guys unfortunately arrive at the banks of the "Rivers Of Blood" with "Glorify War." Many other releases have put some relaxing stuff at the end of their albums, but not Critical Defiance. This is another fast track with some almost death-metal-like tuned guitars, again accompanied by some acoustic sounds and some really cool twists.

While the previous Critical Defiance albums were already quite good, this is their pinnacle so far. And compared to the old heroes, who are without doubt huge role models for them, the Chileans are miles ahead and would win every competition. Now the world needs another Mayhemic release this year, so my thirst for superb thrash metal can be quenched for some time.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10