Discipline & Punish: Black Ice Vinyl LP

In spite of all the sun, Tampa thrives as ground zero for extreme music in Florida. The city has gestated the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide, and countless others and now Cold Steel. The six-piece—Jose Menendez (vocals), Rafael “Rafi” Carbonell (guitar), Shawn Wallen (guitar), JanPierre “JP” Mojica (bass), Rafael Calderon (guitar), and Brandon Thrift (drums)—engage in a full-on sensory assault fueled by breakneck riffs, pit-splitting breakdowns, brain-busting drums, and uncompromisingly crushing hooks.

Cold Steel made their mark with The Will of Spiritual Cleansing EP (2021) and Deeper Into Greater Pain (2023) collectively racking up over 500k Spotify streams and counting. By their fourth show, Cold Steel earned a slot as the direct support for Trivium after receiving the most votes in a local poll. They’ve shared the stage with everyone from Chicago power violence titans Weekend Nachos to Death metal legends Obituary.

The album was recorded with producer Arthur Rizk [Blood Incantation, Cold world, Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy, Ghostmane]. They nodded to inspirations like Metallica, System of a down, Machine Head, and Slipknot, shoring up their signature sound. Trivium’s own Matt Heafy was also a part of helping the band contributing to pre-production and arrangements whilst advising the band.

Their vision crystallizes on the incendiary and infectious single “Blacksmith of Damnation.” Serrated guitar scrapes across a pummeling rhythm anchored by airtight drums and a 2x4-thick bassline. Jose’s screams resound in a trance like chant, “A force to end creation, the Blacksmith of Damnation.” A subtle bridge only spirals out into one last cathartic blast of unfiltered sonic brutality punctuated by the ominous crack of an anvil. 

Tracklist:
1. No Escape
2. Protocol
3. Front To Enemy
4. Blacksmith Of Damnation
5. Killing Season
6. Vantage Point
7. Return to Agony
8. Fever Dreaming
9. Smoking Mirrors
10. The Coldest Death