2010 marks the 20th anniversary of Integrity's first proper release, the now infamous "In Contrast of Sin" 7", and in honor of the occasion, Organized Crime Records has reissued this classic on colored vinyl. I suck at keeping up with things, so I actually had no idea this reissue was taking place until a week or so before I was told to expect copies in the mail. Needless to say I was shocked to further discover that on top of this, the label will be doing vinyl reissues of "Those Who Fear Tomorrow", "Systems Overload", "Humanity is the Devil", and "Seasons in the Size of Days" throughout the remainder of the year. Furthermore, in addition to the original cover art, this and every subsequent reissue will feature a limited edition run of reinterpreted covers created by Stephen Kasner. My vinyl collecting days are pretty much behind me now, but, ummm... these are some of the greatest albums ever, and Stephen Kasner is my favorite visual artist, period, so... I'm really fuckin' psyched about all this!
With such an utterly amazing and influential discography throughout the first wave of Integrity's existence, I feel like this 7" is largely overlooked these days in favor of "Those Who Fear Tomorrow" just the following year. While I certainly wouldn't argue that this material is better, I do find it to hold up extremely well to this day as a firm example of how important this band's history has been to the hardcore genre—love 'em or hate 'em. The last time I revisited these recordings it had been quite awhile since I'd last given them a spin, and I was really taken aback by how much I enjoyed everything. I, too, had started to ignore the significance of this EP in the shadow of such powerhouses as "Systems Overload" and the like. But there's something about the raw energy of this material—that Clevo guitar crunch, the hoarser vocals, shorter songs, fewer solos, and a handful more "hardcore" oriented lyrical themes—that still leaves a mark by creating a darker, more sinister sense of feeling. Not to mention stirring the ol' rage to the point where you just want to smash everything in sight! 20 years later you still can't fuck with "Harder They Fall". These are classic tunes, man. There's a fuckin' reason this is one of my all-time favorite bands...
If for some insane reason you don't already have these songs digitally and you're not huge on vinyl, every copy comes with a download code as well, so... while these are obviously collector gold, they should satisfy other fans as well. Limited edition covers (printed in metallic silver ink on matte black paper) are still available from the label, so pick one up while you still can...
Comments
this is a great package. lyric sheet, multiple artwork inserts, marble vinyl. sound is good too. glad to hear they are reissuing all the early stuff. if they are as nice as this edition, its worth the purchase even if you already know the songs like your mother.
3.5.2010 | By Marcus Garvey
are they remastering seasons in the size of days? that one was always mixed real low…..
3.5.2010 | By Russ
The Systems, Humanity and Seasons era was the best by far. I loved the song ‘Divinity in Exile’ too. I kind of wish they’d left it after that though, even the new stuff they’re doing just doesn’t equal that era.
3.6.2010 | By Jamie
jamie’s right. but i would def include “those who fear” in that list. hell, they were twenty-year-old kids when they wrote that record. i still can’t get over that fact. shit’s just too good!
3.6.2010 | By andy
I never got into ‘those who fear’ as much, I loved the Discharge style of the other 3 more. Integrity was best when the Melnicks, Dora and Novinec were in. (Even if Novinec’s a W Bush supporter!)
3.8.2010 | By Jamie
I really just can not stop posting my judgements against this band!
3.8.2010 | By Jamie
Very, very cool. The combination of vinyl reissues +download codes + Kasner art is unbeatable.
3.11.2010 | By Invisible Oranges
This record is fucking sick. Not as good as what came later but it’s pretty much a perfect mix of GISM and Breakdown.
3.14.2010 | By mark p.