ZERO TOLERANCE Debut Album A TEST OF STRENGTH Gets Cassette Release on SAVANT GUARDE RECORDS

Rising Canadian thrash kids join Savant Guarde’s Old Guarde roster with the official tape release of their debut album…

Next month, Ontario thrash metal newcomers Zero Tolerance will deliver their debut album on cassette via Savant Guarde’s dedicated subsidiary, Old Guarde Records.

Formed in Hamilton, Ontario in 2022, Zero Tolerance wasted no time establishing themselves as a serious force in Canadian metal. Known for aggressive drumming, fast guitars and uncompromising attack, the band followed their 2023 demo Hellion Trance and 2024 EP Tender Is The Flesh with their debut full-length, A Test Of Strength, last November.

Clocking in at just over half an hour, the album is a furious and confident take on old-school thrash metal. Drawing inspiration from the golden age of 1980s thrash, this is no simple exercise in nostalgia. The influence of Kreator, early Exodus, Sepultura and Metallica, can be heard throughout, but Zero Tolerance have absorbed those influences and forged them into something that feels immediate, hungry and distinctly their own.

For such a young band, there is an impressive maturity to their performances, combined with the reckless energy and hunger that makes underground thrash so compelling. The result is a record that feels raw, direct and genuinely alive. Tracks including ‘Hexengeist’, ‘Leather Lung’, and ‘Kill The Colony’ demonstrate the band’s ability to combine speed, melody, aggression and memorable riffing.

Released last November, A Test Of Strength will now receive its first-ever cassette release through Savant Guarde’s Old Guarde imprint — a subsidiary dedicated to bringing the finest in Traditional Heavy Metal and New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal to listeners around the world. As its third official release, it is a fitting addition to a catalogue that already boasts cult releases from acts like Corrupt and Gammacide.

With further releases planned for the end of summer and beyond, Old Guarde continues its mission to champion both legends of heavy metal and the next generation carrying the torch.

A Test Of Strength is available exclusively on cassette, limited to just 500 individually numbered copies worldwide and can be pre-ordered here.