Frozen Soul’s 2021 album, Crypt Of Ice, was one of the most talked-about death metal debuts of recent years, with their ‘cold school’ gimmick drawing a wealth of admirers, including Trivium’s Matt Heafy, who has stepped in to produce its follow-up. Yet again, once you get past the chilly atmosphere and lyrical obsessions with ice and war, the band’s approach is fairly simple: delivering the meat’n’ potatoes of the subgenre with craft. While Death And Glory’s nefarious guile is held together by militaristic rhythm, and an appearance from Dying Fetus’s John Gallagher sees Morbid Effigy encompass more slamming elements, influences are proudly worn and enveloped idiosyncratically. While there are riffs that leave an instant mark, Frozen Soul itself boasts the band’s most immediate hook, coupled with the unsettling, minuscentigrade tone. ■■■■■■■■■■