With Megaupload down and some real 1984shit going down, it seems that we are in the end times. And my computer is on the fritz. Eventually we're either gotta buy our music or start mailing burned CD's. Fortunately some bands put their shit out for free...
Metal and hardcore have had a long relationship, interbreeding on may occasions (crust, crossover, grind, sludge, powerviolence, metallic hardcore, 90s metalcore, etc.) Each fusion style bring something to the table, combining different aspects of the genres and creating something new. But few bands have combined both genres as perfectly as Integrity. Utilizing the simplicity and visceral impact of hardcore and fusing it to the darkness of metal, they are the forerunners of metallic hardcore and, along with Ringworm, the inventors of "Holy Terror" style played by bands like Pale Creation, Rot In Hell, Withdrawal, among many others. Consisting of dark, brooding hardcore songs are interspersed with abstract acoustic or noise parts, holy terror is as much of a cultural aesthetic as musical style. With extensive use of dark imagery and symbols, most notably the process cross, also known as the "holy terror symbol". Hell, as long as you spell your Ws as 2 Vs you can be holy terror too. And everybody seems to have a thing for Charles Manson:
In a fuck you to their former label, Victory, Integrity mainman Dwid Hellion has put up their early albums up for free download on the website for his label, aptly named Holy Terror, right HERE.
Of the albums available I would say the best is Those Who Fear Tomorrow. Very hardcore and less abstract then most of their other stuff, though it spreads out near the end. It also has their most famous song: "Micha (Those Who Fear Tomorrow)", "Judgment Day" which was covered by Dying Fetus and "Harder They Fall" which has one of my favorite guitar harmoneez in the intro.
On the more metallic side is Humanity is the Devil. HitD is probably the best starter record for the metalhead, and at 15 minutes of actual music what do you got to loose?
All the other bands up for download are good as well, especially Pale Creation. See yall in prison!
But few bands have combined both genres as perfectly as Integrity. Utilizing the simplicity and visceral impact of hardcore and fusing it to the darkness of metal, they are the forerunners of metallic hardcore and, along with Ringworm, the inventors of "Holy Terror" style played by bands like Pale Creation, Rot In Hell, Withdrawal, among many others. Consisting of dark, brooding hardcore songs are interspersed with abstract acoustic or noise parts, holy terror is as much of a cultural aesthetic as musical style. With extensive use of dark imagery and symbols, most notably the process cross, also known as the "holy terror symbol". Hell, as long as you spell your Ws as 2 Vs you can be holy terror too. And everybody seems to have a thing for Charles Manson:
