UMUR "Glacial Domination" is the second full-length studio album by US, Texas based death metal act Frozen Soul. The album was released through Century Media Records in May 2023. It´s the successor to "Crypt of Ice" from January 2021. There have been no lineup changes between the two releases.

Stylistically the material on "Glacial Domination" continues in a similar heavy and mid-paced death metal style as the one found on "Crypt of Ice". There´s maybe a slightly more melodic touch to some sections, but it´s details. It´s still Bolt Thrower which is the main source of inspiration, but I wouldn´t call Frozen Soul clones. They just sometimes sound a lot like their heroes, but then again sometimes they don´t.

Frozen Soul are a well playing act, delivering their parts with great conviction and skill. The songwriting is relatively strong, although they don´t exactly invent the wheel. This is pretty standard mid-paced old school death metal and although there are a few more melodic moments here and there (which made me think of Amon Amarth), that´s not all that unusual for a death metal act these days.

"Glacial Domination" features a powerful sounding production job, which suits the material well, and upon conclusion it´s a good quality sophomore studio album by Frozen Soul. It´s not terribly different from the last album and it doesn´t show much development beyond the occasional melodic section featured on the album, but it´s still a strong release in its own right. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Crypt of Ice" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Texas based death metal act Frozen Soul. The album was released through Century Media Records in January 2021. Frozen Soul formed in 2018 and released the "Encased in Ice" demo in 2019. Three out of four tracks from the demo appear on "Crypt of Ice" in re-recorded versions.

Stylistically Frozen Soul play a predominantly mid-paced, heavy, and brutal type of old school death metal on "Crypt of Ice". Bolt Thrower is without a doubt the greatest inspiration and especially the coldness and rawness of "Realm of Chaos (1989)" come to mind, although Frozen Soul very seldom play fast parts. The fact that Frozen Soul features a female bassist in the lineup, doesn´t make the Bolt Thrower comparisons any less obvious (although it´s probably purely coincidental). Lead vocalist Chad Green also has a voice and growling style which is close to the voice/growling style of late 80s/early 90s Karl Willets, so there are a lot of similarities and references to the seminal British death metal band.

That´s fortunately where the similarities end though, and Frozen Soul have wisely opted not to focus on war themed lyrics and imagery and instead focus on lyrics about frost/ice, death and dark magic. They are a skilled and well playing band, and the material is well witten and effectful too. A few more hooks and memorable moments could have made "Crypt of Ice" an even better album, but as it is, Frozen Soul have still managed to produce a great quality debut album, loaded with brick heavy riffs and rhythms, a gloomy atmosphere, and authentic early 90s old school death metal credibility. "Crypt of Ice" features a powerful, raw, and detailed sounding production too, and upon conclusion a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating isn´t all wrong.