Live Review: Frozen Soul - Rebellion, Manchester
14th February 2024
Support: Creeping Death, Foreseen, Disengagement
Words: Sam Jones
Photos: Julian Tanner
Disengagement are pretty new to myself, having been made replacements for Phobophilic with short notice. Already the venue was filling out so the band had a good crowd to play to; don’t let their youthful complexions fool you though, these guys play chunky, crunching death metal that’s bound to get the nasty looks going, and our teeth deeply entrenched in their delicious riffs. Whoever did the mixing on their guitars did a wondrous job, picking up on the band’s vicious tenacity to destroy, yet bolstering the band’s steady style. The band play with speed from time to time but it’s only in short bouts; the full weight of their sound is bound up in their methodical, encroaching riffs that see many already banging their head. It’s a very organic sound, one where little is forced to create their soundscape.
Foreseen keep the night’s energy alive, and since their crossover thrash sound is light it means we aren’t getting totally bowled over too early on. That said though, the band’s bass drums fill the venue with a thunderous roar that you could feel from the front to the very back. Foreseen’s speed is a welcome change of tempo as the band launch into track after track of volatile ferocity; it’s easy to headbang along and considering the band make full use of the stage it’s a constant battle to keep them in view.
Creeping Death however play with the audio equivalent of a cinderblock to the face as bass and riffs and vocals elicit a clenched aesthetic. It’s the night’s first punch as audiences have drunk enough to really get going. Pits are breaking out, headbanging is rife and the floor is utterly rammed; I personally haven’t seen it this rammed with patrons since Deicide last August. We’ve reached the point in the night where people are after those serious riffs and Creeping Death are providing tenfold; the fact that you can hear the crowd’s approval of their performance above their riffs is testament enough. The band keep their performance to the earth. Creeping Death leave the stage to a barrage of applause and we know who exactly is left to play that stage.
But everything is merely the warmup prior to Frozen Soul’s entry upon the stage. If the support acts are the appetisers, Frozen Soul are the main course with all the sides included. Their sound is the tank rolling over your head as they completely dominate, usurp and command the crowd gathered for this obliteration. Frontman Chad Green commands – No- he DEMANDS crowdsurfers, he demands stagedivers. Mosh pits. Circle pits. Nothing is off limits to Frozen Soul’s retinue.
Only a few tracks in and the band have the audience eating out of the palm of their hands; the band command an organic entry that’s equally infectious as it is endearing to their talents. With impassioned cries of “The stage is yours!” and “I want complete chaos!”, Frozen Soul bow to the audience to wreak as great a havoc upon Rebellion as is capable. With confetti cannons adjoining the stage, the band showered us with in fine pieces resembling snow and falling ice crystals, something I’ve not seen used in a live setting in an intimate venue for a long time. But even as the set is drawing to a close, the band aren’t satisfied, they fall to the crowd again and again to simply destroy each other, throwing everything they have at us. Chad Green continuously leans across the pillars, dips his microphone into the audience where we get to bellow out vocals of our own, the atmosphere is electric. Creeping Death’s frontman Reese Alavi joins in with vocals during “Arsenal Of War”, I saw Disengagement’s own frontman mount the stage for stagediving. Seeing these people come together truly solidified the unified feeling every band brought to Manchester tonight.
If this is the course Frozen Soul are intent on staying then their future in death metal is already guaranteed. Considering the last time they toured the UK, they were merely the opening band for Dying Fetus’ UK leg of their tour and now they’ve returned in a headlining capacity, it only proves this band has a future ahead of them. It must be remembered that all but one of these bands formed within the last ten years, not a single act here you could deem as a legacy or predominantly old school band; these are bands who’ve released music, garnered fans and loyalty in the modern era and the place tonight was as rammed as when I saw Deicide play. Seeing how packed it was for bands, in the grand scheme of things, still relatively new to the metal world, is a relief to see. Frozen Soul right now are waving the flag for extreme metal and these Texans are doing it right; may we receive more big tours like these showcasing the new guard of extreme metal because, clearly, when you get the right bands playing together, it makes for a downright nuclear performance. Outstanding.
Photo credits: Julian Tanner
