DAILY RECORD : Integrity

Posted by: Tony – Jul 16, 2010

Integrity – We Are The End (Magic Bullet)
Integrity fans, who likely will already own a copy of this by the time they read the review, should rejoice both for the fact that this EP exists and that it is not the only thing the band has released lately. It’s undoubtedly a killer hardcore record, but as a one-sided 7” record it almost seems over as soon as it starts. Ultimately, anybody who ever liked Integrity should be glad they ditched the abysmal Integrity 2000 nonsense and returned to the basic elements which made them great in the first place.

And what a return it has been. It seems like every element that made Integrity identifiable in the first place has been amplified and exaggerated more than any of their vast multitude of releases. The Japanese hardcore-influenced fast parts are faster. The slow breakdowns are heavier. The almost Slash-sounding guitar solos are all over the place. All they need are some acoustic interludes with sinister whispered vocals and they would have a miniature version of any of their best albums.

And in case any diehards might be concerned that Integrity has worn out the shock-value imagery and nihilistic lyrical content which defined their best albums – a worthwhile question considering how difficult it is to shock the consuming public anymore and how a system of belief based on not believing in anything could provide the impetus for learning instruments, releasing albums, and occasionally touring – each should rest assured that those are firmly in place. The cover succinctly sums up the aesthetic approach – Charles Manson, nude women, Klan members, Anton LaVey, Arabic script, Patty Hearst, Baphomet, and a vaguely Nazi-looking group of soldiers – in short, just about anything which could possibly shock, offend, or unsettle respectable members of society. Whether such tactics are a cheap attention grab is debatable, but regardless, when this band does something they don’t do it halfway. Lyrically, the record is par for Integrity’s course, bleak and apocalyptic with a bit more of a defiant attitude than the band has conjured in a while. “Awakened annihilation / under black flames we ride” howls singer Dwid Hellion, a couplet which offers a solid encapsulation of his worldview and lyrical approach.

Though less than five minutes pass between the time the turntable needle hits this record’s first groove and the time it reaches the center matrix, not a single second of this record is wasted on any unnecessary filler. While this release consists of precious few moments, not a single one is at all extraneous. While their most recent full-length The Blackest Curse is a great album and an excellent return to form for the band, We Are The End offers listeners two of the best, though unfortunately shortest, songs they have produced in many years.

by Graham Scala
ABUSUALISM photo: Reidwick