Integrity – Black Heksen Rise 7” (Indie Recordings)
Wednesday, 27th March 2013
A bit of a notorious name (for a variety of reasons) in hardcore circles, Integrity have strapped up their boots and hiked on over to Norway’s Indie Recordings. Since Dwid Hellion and crew have never done what was expected of them, the move to a predominantly metal label shouldn’t surprise anyone. Their first release for Indie is the Black Heksen Rise 7”, which will set up their forthcoming full-length in May.
The only hardcore element of the band is Dwid’s neanderthal bark, of which time has been generous to. On “Black Hesken Rise,” he’s chest-beating over blackened riffs and sullen melodies, a combination that is a clear-cut winner and was exploited on the band’s underrated The Blackest Curse. “Waiting for the Sun to Rise (To Burn Your Eyes Out)” rounds out the set and consists primarily of a noise-based intro, segueing into additional unclassifiable, yet jarring metallic hardcore.
Both of these songs have been released in form or another, but Black Heksen Rise helps kick off a new era for Integrity. May they continue to be hardcore’s ugly, red-headed stepchild.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
