The errors of the past make way for one brutal future
Glasgow (Scotland) based technical death metal outfit Man Must Die certainly garnished plenty of attention for themselves with their first couple of releases (2004’s ...Start Killing and 2007’s The Human Condition), even if the band’s sound didn’t stray too far from countless other well known European acts within the same genre.
Three years after releasing their Relapse Records debut, the four piece act (comprising of vocalist Joe McGlynn, guitarist Alan McFarland, bassist Danny McNab and new drummer Matt Holland) have returned with their third full-length effort No Tolerance For Imperfection.
Direction-wise, Man Must Die hasn’t completely changed direction, with No Tolerance For Imperfection remaining firmly rooted in the band’s familiar technical death metal sound. But what they have altered this time around is their song writing, with the eleven compositions offered revealing a greater diversity to anything offered up in the past.
The opening title track No Tolerance For Imperfection is an absolute assault on the senses from the moment it begins, with the band blasting their way through the song in a particularly brutal and precision based manner. The production throughout certainly sharpens the band’s cutting sound (handled by former Stampin’ Ground guitarist Scott Atkins), while the overall song provides plenty of dynamics with its mix of different tempos and McGlynn’s throat ripping delivery throughout.
Gainsayer is every bit as punishing and speed induced as the opener, while the pure blast of Kill it Skin it Wear it, the thrashier based This Day is Black and the more groove orientated It Comes in Threes see the band experiment a little more with melodies, both in terms of chorus structures and within the lead guitar work.
The latter half of the album is no less impressive, with Hide the Knives, Dead in the Water and the lengthier pair of Reflections From Within and How the Mighty Have Fallen all reviving the intensity of the start of the album, with the band showing no mercy, while Survival of the Sickest closes out the album with a blasting/doom like fashion.
In fact, the only track that doesn’t quite sit well within the album is the instrumental What I Can’t Take Back. Although good, it just seems a little too laid back and relaxed compared to the rest of the album, and seems too at odds with the rest.
Despite one track that could have been omitted for consistencies sake, No Tolerance For Imperfection is one intense album, and by far Man Must Die’s most memorable and strongest releases to date.
(Relapse Records/Riot! Entertainment)
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