Palladium Times Square sits buried right underneath the Theater District, dead center in the middle of New York’s loudest tourist trap. It’s always a slightly surreal place to catch a metal show, but on Friday, May 15th, Broadway had to contend with a massive three-band package that completely hijacked the underground scene. The lineup was a wild, almost chaotic mix of styles: Texas death metal staples Frozen Soul brought the icy, old-school caveman riffs; Italy’s Fleshgod Apocalypse delivered their signature brand of symphonic tech-death; and Sweden’s Avatar closed things out with their massive, theatrical grooves. Down in that basement, the night quickly turned into a brilliant clash of pure operatic drama and raw, bone-snapping heavy metal.

The room’s energy was in constant motion from the moment the doors opened to the final notes of the night. While every band on the bill brought a completely different flavor to the stage, the vibe in the venue shifted entirely the second Frozen Soul took over.

The Texas crew is currently out celebrating their brand new third album, No Place of Warmth, which just dropped on May 8th via Century Media. They brought the stark, freezing aesthetic of the new record’s artwork straight to the stage. The production crew deserves serious credit here—they put together a mesmerizing visual setup that made the whole room feel just as cold and intense as old-school death metal.

The assault kicked off with “Skinned by the Wind.” Cold blue lights and thick fog framed the band as they took the stage, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop the second the intro sample cut through the PA. Bassist Samantha Mobley didn’t waste any time making her presence known, anchoring the stage and laying down a heavy, menacing low-end that you could feel vibrating straight through the floorboards. The floor opened up immediately as the blast beats landed and Chad Green’s guttural vocals hit the mic. If I’m nitpicking the sound mix, I was honestly expecting a little more delay effect on the snare drum—a bit of extra echo would have made those cracks sound absolutely sick in a basement like this. Still, the sheer volume was enough to swallow the crowd whole.

They pivoted back to their sophomore record in one fell swoop with “Beat to Dust.” The down-picked riffs, heavily underpinned by Mobley’s rumbling bass lines and relentless blast beats, hit the crowd like a physical avalanche. Naturally, the hardcore kids in the pit didn’t miss a beat, dropping down to do pit pushups the second the heavy breakdown hit.

When “Chaos Will Reign” exploded, things got truly hostile. The floor turned into a total warzone under the weight of relentless blast kicks and oppressive riffs, with the dense blue lighting and thick fog making the room look like a beautiful nightmare. Guitarist Matt Dennard kept his foot on the gas, trading crushing riffs with the rest of the band before they absolutely slayed the room with “Absolute Zero.”

Right after, Chad took a quiet moment to address the crowd directly about looking after our individual mental health. He opened up about his dad suffering a heart attack just the night before, thanking the New York crowd for their sheer presence and for bringing the kind of energy that gives people a place to channel that heavy emotion.

From that point on, it was pure, no-frills chaos as all bodies collided. The band ripped through the remainder of the set with zero hesitation, delivering a devastating run of “No Place of Warmth,” “Arsenal of War,” “Invoke War,” and their classic anthem “Crypt of Ice.” By the time the final notes echoed out, the basement was dripping in sweat, thoroughly tenderized by some of the finest old-school death metal in the game right now.

Walking out of the Palladium basement and stepping back into the neon glare of Times Square felt like waking up from a fever dream. A lineup this diverse could easily have felt disconnected on paper. However, instead, it worked beautifully—a masterclass in how heavy metal can take completely different shapes and still pull a room together. By the time the lights came up, the crowd was exhausted, bruised, and completely satisfied.

The tour is moving fast, so if you want to leave a piece of yourself on the floor, catch them at one of their remaining stops:

• May 16: Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Riverworks
• May 17: Albany, NY @ Empire Live
• May 18: Montreal, QB @ Theatre Beanfield
• May 19: Wallingford, CT @ The Dome
• May 20: Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino