“Cold Steel’s Discipline & Punish is a pit-ready manifesto of pure aggressive metal , unrelenting, unfiltered, and unstoppable.”
Straight from Tampa, Florida, a city synonymous with the birth of death metal, Cold Steel emerges as one of the most electrifying new forces in American heavy music. But unlike their Floridian forefathers, Cold Steel isn’t out to blast you with tremolo riffs and gore, they’re here to crush you with what they call aggressive metal: a volatile mix of thrash, hardcore, and metalcore that hits with pit-clearing precision.
Formed in 2021, the six-piece, Jose Menendez (vocals), Rafael “Rafi” Carbonell (guitar), Shawn Wallen (guitar), Janpierre Mojica (bass), Rafael Calderon (guitar), and Brandon Thrift (drums), quickly built a reputation for violence in motion. Their early EPs, Will of Spiritual Cleansing (2021) and Deeper Into Greater Pain (2023), carved their sound into Florida’s underground with tracks like “Bad Beat” and “Evil Eye.”
Four shows in, they were already opening for Trivium thanks to fan votes, and later shared the stage with Obituary and Weekend Nachos, a rare trifecta that says a lot about their crossover appeal. With Discipline & Punish, Cold Steel comes swinging under the Spinefarm banner, taking their unrelenting live energy straight into the studio.
From the first seconds of “No Escape“, Cold Steel makes their intentions clear, you’re not just listening to this record; you’re being tested by it. Every track feels engineered for movement, with riffs sharp enough to wound and breakdowns designed to rearrange faces.
The production is modern but mercifully not sterilized. Every instrument breathes, the guitars grind, the bass snarls, and the drums explode with clarity. Menendez’s vocals are feral but articulate, perfectly sitting between the barks of hardcore and the venom of metalcore.
This is Power Trip meets Madball, with the groove of Hatebreed and a touch of Slipknot’s early chaos.
Track-by-Track Breakdown
1. No Escape (3:01)
The opener wastes zero time. Riff-heavy, airtight, and mean, it showcases the album’s immaculate production, every cymbal hit and vocal roar feels deliberate. A mission statement: there’s no safety, no reprieve, and certainly no escape.
2. Protocol (3:23)
Built around a crushing mid-tempo stomp that transitions into thrash-speed fury. It’s militant, it’s mechanical, a nod to both Sepultura and Code Orange in its precision and tension.
3. Front to Enemy (ft. Aaron Heard) (2:47)
Aaron Heard (of Jesus Piece) is the perfect feature here, his bark layered with Menendez’s roar sounds apocalyptic. The pit will not survive this track. Two-step chaos.
4. Blacksmith of Damnation (4:06)
The lead single and the best entry point for new listeners. It’s the definitive Cold Steel sound: tight riffing, primal vocals, and breakdowns that hit like hammer strikes. The title is fitting, this track forges the band’s identity in molten aggression.
5. Killing Season (3:03)
Pure thrashcore adrenaline. Think Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax” meets Cro-Mags. The riffs move like a chainsaw, the vocals cut deep, and the chorus feels born for the live stage.
6. Vantage Point (4:16)
The album’s slow-burner. It starts with eerie atmosphere before detonating into a half-time crusher. A showcase of their dynamic control, even when they pull back, they never lose intensity.
7. Return to Agony (ft. Jorge Sotomayor) (3:27)
A standout duet of anguish and brutality. Sotomayor’s guest vocals add texture and emotional weight, complementing the chaos rather than competing with it. One of the most emotionally charged cuts on the record.
8. Fever Dreaming (3:58)
Dissonant and haunting, with a slight industrial feel in the guitar tones. The most experimental song on the album, and it works, a spiraling descent before the final barrage.
9. Smoking Mirrors (ft. Two-Piece) (2:45)
An unexpected yet brilliant collab. The intro flirts with nu metal swagger à la Limp Bizkit or Slipknot, then flips into street-level hardcore once Two-Piece jumps in. The track oozes raw attitude and mosh energy, pure chaos, pure fun.
10. The Coldest Death (4:43)
An epic closer, slower, darker, and dripping with finality. The title feels prophetic: the end is cold, but the journey was all fire. Massive closer that solidifies Discipline & Punish as a complete, cohesive album rather than a mere collection of songs.
Production & Sound
Cold Steel found the sweet spot between raw and refined. The mix keeps that DIY hardcore grit intact but gives it the punch of a modern metal production. The guitars are meaty and percussive, bass rumbles with real presence, and the drums sound like they could collapse walls.
What stands out most, though, is how consistent this album is. There’s no filler, no throwaways — every track could anchor a live set.
Final Verdict
Cold Steel’s Discipline & Punish is the kind of debut that announces a movement, not just a band. It’s the sound of Tampa’s legacy colliding with modern fury, part thrash, part hardcore, part metalcore; all heart.
This is a two-step, stage-dive, wall-of-death record that doesn’t care about subgenre boundaries. It’s about energy, intent, and release. And that’s exactly what aggressive music should be.
Rating: 9.5/10
Key Tracks: “Blacksmith of Damnation” and “Smoking Mirrors (ft. Two-Piece)“
Release Date: November 7, 2025
For Fans of: Power Trip, Mindforce, Cro-Mags
Buy it and Stream it: coldsteel.lnk.to/DisciplineAndPunish
Follow: @coldsteelbandfl
Cold Steel have arrived, and they’re not asking for permission.
