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 fuelled 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). 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 nod 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. Their vision crystallizes on the incendiary and infectious single ‘Blacksmith of Damnation’. Serrated guitar scrapes across a pummelling 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.