Breaking the Ice: An Interview with Samantha Mobley of Frozen Soul
Samantha “Sam” Mobley, bassist for Dallas-based death metal powerhouse Frozen Soul, graciously carved out time from the band’s current tour supporting Killswitch Engage to speak with J. Donovan Malley. Despite the physical and mental toll of relentless touring with some of metal’s biggest acts, Sam’s enthusiasm for Frozen Soul’s journey shone through every word. Since the band’s inception in 2018, Frozen Soul has been virtually on the road non-stop, carving an icy trail across North America and Europe. Their unique blend of old-school death metal riffing and a frigid aesthetic—a combination that has captivated audiences worldwide—is a testament to their musical prowess and innovation.
Of all the milestones in Frozen Soul’s meteoric rise, one that stands out for Sam personally was their historic show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2024. As the first death metal band—and, by extension, the first female death metal musician—to play the iconic Colorado venue, Sam describes that night as a peak moment. Behind the towering sandstone cliffs and beneath a starry sky, she delivered what she calls “the best technical set of her career,” complete with custom makeup, a special bass guitar, and the knowledge that her family and bandmates had flown in to witness the feat. Yet, as she teases in this conversation, none of this success would have been possible had she not walked away from an entirely different life before Frozen Soul ever formed.
From Rottweilers to Riffs: Life Before Death Metal
Long before she wielded her bass on stage across the globe, drenched in stage lights, Samantha Mobley spent over a decade tending to the four-legged members of her community. For eleven years, she worked as a pet stylist at a busy veterinary clinic, bathing, brushing, and styling everything from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. “When Frozen Soul started, I was on a completely different career path,” she admits candidly. “I was like a hermit pretty much. I just went to work and came home.” While the days at the clinic offered stability and a steady paycheck, Sam confesses that something inside her yearned for a louder, more visceral outlet. Her decision to leave this stability and pursue her passion for music is a testament to her courage and determination.
Music was always there in the background. Sam had “messed around with guitar for a number of years,” learning riffs by ear and experimenting with chord progressions late into the night. But other than jamming with friends and attending local shows, she never envisioned a life in music—until Frozen Soul’s founders asked her.
In her downtime off the road, Sam prefers recharging quietly. “When I'm at home, I'll go to some friends' shows, like if they're passing through and stuff, and support them,” she explains. “But for the most part, I like to recharge my social battery because it's just exhausting every single day. Yet, paradoxically, the whirlwind of touring and sudden notoriety has only amplified her appreciation for that solitary recharge—something she’s learned to balance alongside the band’s relentless momentum. This relentless momentum, coupled with their unique blend of old-school death metal riffing and a frigid aesthetic, is what keeps their fans energized and excited about their future.
“The way the band has blown up has been really weird in many ways,” she reflects. “But I feel like I've always had kind of a weird lifestyle anyway. I've always been a night owl and like working nighttime jobs or in weird places. Weird jobs in general.” From styling poodles under fluorescent clinic lights to thrashing out skull-crushing grooves beneath the glow of stage strobes, Sam’s journey has been anything but linear. It’s precisely that unpredictability that prepared her for life in one of extreme metal’s most promising outfits.
Forging Frozen Soul: Origins and Early Days
Frozen Soul’s genesis dates back to early 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas, when vocalist Chad Green and guitarist Michael Munday set out to revive the primal force of 1990s death metal. After laying down initial riffs steeped in themes of winter’s desolation, the duo realized they needed a rhythm section capable of matching their vision. Enter Sam—longtime acquaintance of both Chad and Michael. “I knew Michael and Chad, and they're like, ‘Well, we need a bass player.’ I was like, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to learn how to play bass,’” she recalls with a laugh.
What followed was baptism by fire—or maybe, ice. Frozen Soul inked a deal with underground stalwart Maggot Stomp Records to release their debut demo, Encased in Ice, in 2019. Tracks like “Hand of Vengeance” laid the blueprint for the band’s blend of funeral-slow grooves, pummeling mid-tempo beats, and frosty atmosphere. Early reception was overwhelmingly positive, with underground tastemakers hailing the demo as a harbinger of old-school death metal’s resurgence. Yet for Sam, the most vivid memories lie in her first ever live show. “It was weird for me because I had never toured. Hell, my first live show was with Blood Incantation and Necrot. That was my first time playing live—ever!” she says, recalling stage fright that culminated in her vomiting backstage. “I still actually get nervous to this day.”
But nerves soon gave way to exhilaration. “After all that adrenaline went away, I got an incredible rush and realized how awesome it was,” Sam says. The taste of live performance lit a fire under her that no grooming station or nighttime shift could match. Frozen Soul began carving out their name in the live circuit—playing DIY venues and small festivals, with each show bolstering their reputation for unrelenting intensity.
Breaking Through with Crypt of Ice
January 2021 marked a pivotal turning point in Frozen Soul’s career with the release of their full-length debut, Crypt of Ice. After signing with Century Media Records, the band worked to expand upon the raw energy of their demo. From the bone-rattling opener “Crypt of Ice” to the merciless onslaught of “Wraith of Death”, the album was a tribute to old-school death metal’s brutal elegance. Critics and fans alike praised its retro authenticity and chilling atmosphere, propelling Crypt of Ice onto numerous year-end “Best Of” lists for 2021.
Sam remembers the whirlwind of newfound recognition with a bemused sense of astonishment. “Now I have friends and acquaintances from all over the world,” she says, describing their signing event at Party.San Metal Open Air in Germany. “We did a signing, right? And so everybody is from Germany and other European countries. Out of the blue, people started asking me how my dog, Eddie Spaghetti, is doing. It was super weird.” Yet despite the occasional surreal moment, Sam remains grounded. “No matter what happens, I just try to stay mild-mannered Sam,” she asserts. It’s an attitude that has served her well as the band’s profile skyrocketed.
Behind the scenes, Frozen Soul maintained a frenetic touring schedule to build on their momentum. “It can get a little fucked up every once in a while,” Sam acknowledges, “but for the most part, everybody's cool and chill.” Each successive tour reinforced the band’s reputation, laying the groundwork for their sophomore album and cementing a dedicated fan base across continents.
Ascending Peaks: Glacial Domination and Beyond
In May 2023, Frozen Soul released their sophomore album, Glacial Domination, further refining the formula that made their debut so impactful. Co-produced by Daniel Schmuck and Trivium’s Matthew K. Heafy, the album featured high-profile guest spots—including John Gallagher of Dying Fetus—underscoring the band’s rising prominence within death metal circles. Tracks like “Frozen Soul”, featuring an appearance from none other than GosT, demonstrated a newfound melodic flair amid the crushing brutality. The album also showed a thematic depth expanding well beyond wintry desolation to touch on personal struggles and mental landscapes. This period also coincided with continued expansion of the band’s opportunities.
“One of the things that I’m super proud of is when we played Red Rocks Amphitheatre last year with Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, and Obituary,” Sam recalls, voice tinged with pride. “All of our families flew out for that. I did special makeup. And I had special stuff on. I had a special bass. And I played what I would consider a perfect set. We were technically the first death metal band to play there. So we have a plaque at Red Rocks. And that means I'm the first female death metal musician to play there as well.” It was a moment that crystallized years of sacrifice, commitment, and hard work, and one that continues to propel them forward.
Commercially, the band has even breached the Billboard charts on multiple occasions. “The band has made the Billboard charts a couple of times and stuff. And we're like, “What the fuck is going on with this’?” Sam laughs. Despite these milestones, she emphasizes that nothing comes easy. “I think that a big part of our progression as a band has been how hard we work. We put 110% into everything that we do.” Moreover, Frozen Soul has consciously eschewed fleeting trends in favor of authenticity. “There are a lot of trends that kind of ebb and flow, and we don't want to ride those waves. We want to keep staying on this trajectory of staying true to ourselves and just getting tighter, bigger, and better.”
Currently, the band is connecting with a new generation of fans on the road, opening for established acts and encountering listeners unfamiliar with death metal’s relentless onslaught. “With this tour, where we are openers, a lot of these people have never seen us,” Sam notes. “Sacramento was my first time going out to the merch and talking to people on this run with Killswitch Engage. It was just a line of people, like, ‘Oh my god, I've never seen anything like this.’ ‘That was so crazy,’ and even, ‘It's so cool to see women doing this.’” Adopting a strategy inspired by veterans like Dying Fetus—who frequently tour with metalcore and thrash acts—Sam explains:
“We looked at bands like Dying Fetus and wondered why they tour with metalcore bands that are kind of the opposite of what they do. Because you're hitting a different group of listeners every day, and those people are like, 'Oh, I've never heard of this before.' And they start to listen to you and death metal in general. We really learned from that.”
Yet such exposure demands a certain performance edge. “You’ve got to be on the ball,” Sam admits. “So there's a little bit of additional pressure, especially being the opener. Because you've got to warm everybody up, and they're not drunk yet.” Still, each challenge presents an opportunity for Frozen Soul to expand death metal’s reach—one bone-shaking riff at a time.
Staying Sane on the Road
“Constantly playing on the road and trying to win over new fans is not always easy—in fact, it can be stressful as hell.” For Sam, the physical rigors of headbanging and carrying heavy gear have taken their toll, manifesting in bone spurs that ache after long sets. “I have to stretch for so long because my neck is already super fucked up,” she confesses, describing her ritual of neck extensions and stretches.
But the road also offers unexpected avenues for camaraderie and relaxation. One such outlet is Magic: The Gathering—a pastime that has become a beloved tradition for both the band and their fans. “We just visited Card Kingdom here in Seattle,” Sam grins, recalling a midday break from soundcheck spent drafting booster packs and trading cards. “We love to play Magic: The Gathering when we’re on the road. It’s actually been a way to really connect with some of our fans.” Whether battling life's challenges between city stops or trading rare foils in backstage corridors, the game provides a communal respite from the high-octane environment of extreme metal touring.
Between neck stretches, late-night games, and connecting with friends and fans, Sam has cultivated resilience and perspective—essential qualities for life on the road. From pet stylist to bass warrior, her transformation epitomizes Frozen Soul’s ethos: embrace the cold, survive the storm, and let the music carry you through.
On the Horizon: New Material and Beyond
Despite the punishing cycle of tours, recording sessions, and promotional duties, Frozen Soul’s creative flame remains undimmed. As Sam reveals, the band recently enjoyed a rare hiatus before embarking on the current Killswitch Engage run—time they put to immediate use in the rehearsal space. “We had a couple of months off before this tour,” she explains, “so we've been working on new stuff. We've probably got about four, almost five, and it's completely done. We're going to have a little bit of time this summer to really push it.”
Fans can expect the next chapter to build upon the icy foundations of Glacial Domination while venturing into uncharted terrains of heaviness and atmosphere. With the pedigree of Century Media behind them and a track record of transformative live performances, Frozen Soul is ready to elevate death metal’s frozen frontier even further. As for Sam, the path from pet groomer to chart-topping bassist is a reminder that the most profound journeys often begin with a single, unexpected riff.
In a landscape where trends come and go, Frozen Soul’s steady ascent underscores the power of authenticity, hard work, and a shared vision. Whether it’s headlining the world’s most storied amphitheaters or trading Magic cards in quiet moments offstage, Samantha Mobley and her bandmates continue to redefine what it means to forge a lasting legacy—one bone-crunching, frost-bitten note at a time.
