No Tolerance for Imperfection

I remember seeing this band live a few years back, supporting either Nasum or Nile (these things seem to blur together nowadays). Anyway, they were an impressive spectacle; particularly their drummer, whose snappy machine gun blasts really formed the centrepiece of their tight and brutal death metal sound, adding fire to its abrasively grooving hardcore influences. As it was on stage, so too is it on No Tolerance for Imperfection, with Matt Holland’s (formerly of vicious Glaswegian deathcore bludgeoners Madman is Absolute) rapidfire clattering frequently being pushed right forward I the mix to lift its riffs to a higher energy level.

This is a fine display of savagery; largely unrelenting in its fast and meaty metal, save the mellow albeit slightly pointless instrumental What I Can’t Take Back. They riffs themselves slip regularly between an At the Gates thrashy melodic sensibility, Kataklysm-like blasting, and a Decapitated-meets-Despised Icon crunch, fittingly superimposed with deep-throated and gruff vocals. But there’s the odd touch of subtlety that maintains your interest. The lead guitar is not a major element when faced with this rhythm-section assault, but when used it is with a technical flourish capable of energising the sound. It Comes in Threes brings the tempo right down to a crushing stomp whose relentless groove is only enhanced by periodic flashes of unexpected rhythmic deviation and a relatively rare, but surprisingly effective solo.

There is plenty of intensity here. This Day is Black is a monstrous and deceptively complex track that spins from an intensive, mechanized death metal assault into bewildering and hyperactive time shifts, before breaking down into a dystopian judder that threatens to collapse in on itself like a dying machine. Throughout, it does sustain interest, which is difficult for particularly extreme music. Much of its appeal is in the details; the dazzling little triplet sequences that sparsely punctuate the maelstrom of Dead in the Water, for example. However they also prove themselves capable of effective melodeath turns, as with the tuneful, almost poignant Reflections From Within.

All in all, nice work with which it is hard to find too much fault. Far from groundbreaking, but a strong death metal record with inventive touches and impressive execution.