Intolerance - Waking Nightmares of an Endless Void

Intolerance is a death metal band from Spain, who formed in 2015.  Their latest album, “Waking Nightmares of an Endless Void,” is their second full length album; they have also released a demo and an EP.

Intolerance plays a vintage form of death metal that is heavy on the old school roots.  Groove, depraved vocals, and a beefy rhythm section take on the form of nonstop punishment.  At a length of 37 minutes across 8 tracks, the runtime is perfect for the style.

It isn’t a complex album that feels the need to stretch outside its own considerable boundaries. Instead it’s a highly focused effort that knows exactly what it wants to do: go for the throat.  It’s intense in that respect but what I find enjoyable about it, and what keeps me coming back to it again and again, is that it's not bludgeoning and aggressive for the sake of it.  Sure, it’s simple and straightforward but it’s also a smartly written album that is crafted well.  

The production and mix is a highlight for me.  The album’s sound captures the essence of the old school style but it’s modern enough to provide a full, in depth sound.  Whether it is the rumbling of the bass, the groove of the guitar, the hammering of the drums, or the growls and howls of the vocals, each individual element its brutal but still works together without any one element overpowering another.

Honestly, I don’t find the intro “Towards Perdition,” to be anything special so the real magic begins with “Fade Into Oblivion.” By the time even a second has passsed, the song is already providing ample brutality.  The groove and the vocals go hand in hand, feeding off each other and pushing the song ever forward. The bass and drums add in much of their own brand of pummeling, keeping the song extreme through the groove.  Death metal of this nature wouldn’t be complete with solos–this one rips but, as a whole, the entire album has better leads than most albums of this style I’ve heard lately.

The album is at its best when it becomes dark and sinister, throwing just enough atmosphere on top of their pulverizing notes to make it harrowing and even a little horrific.  “Rite of Passage,” is one such passage, the only note sounding evil as fuck. This song unfolds seamlessly as it moves from groove to a slick guitar solo and back to the horror filth. 

With a name like “Devourer of Worlds,” I expect a big sound and that’s what it gives.  The opening riffs fill up every inch of space, hanging overhead like a heavy miasma.  The low growls vomit forth, boosted by the undercurrent of a steady powerhouse of riffs.  The song hits its stride when it offers a doom-style tempo change around the halfway point, at which the vocals claw out from the grave and grasp with bone hands.  

The final song, “Melting Skies,” is my favorite because it’s slow and tortuous–my favorite kind of music.  It’s nearly monolithic but the vocals make it a depraved, crumbling tower rather than a majestic one.  The song speeds up later, the double bass pushing the song as much as it punishes my ears.  The bass drop around the 2:40 mark is a nice surprise and its particularly effective in sending the song into another doom like dirge.  

Intolerance’s “Waking Nightmares of an Endless Void,” proves that even a saturated genre like OSDM can still offer fantastic albums that use all of a genre’s tools at its disposal to create an engaging album.