Dockyard 1

Mario, Germany - Homepage

Integrity - Sliver In The Hands Of Time

(Dockyard 1 / Goodlife Records)

Sliver In The Hands Of Time is a collection of rarities, rare singles & B-sides of US-Hardcore band Integrity. They are told to be a big influence to the whole Metalcore/NWoAHM-scene. Lets take a look at this collection of rare tracks:

1. Live It Down (01:50)
This song starts slow, but the tempo gets raised through the almost 2 minutes. Dwid Hellions voice sounds hateful, but it doesnt fit to the music perfectly.

2. In Contrast of Sun (02:40)
This one starts after 40 seconds of nothing. Then, another HC-song starts, that is much more faster than the opener. Dwids voice somehow reminds me of Mot�heads Lemmy here. The song gets slower at the end.

3. Bringing it Back (02:06)
Bringing it Back starts with a nice bass-line and a good, grooving song comes around. After around 30 seconds, a brutal HC-song hits you direct in the face. The structure changes at the end, this song is ok!

4. Dead Wrong (01:34)
This song has a nice groove and works very much with the typical Hardcore-background-vocals, you know what I mean. The solo at the end is damn nice, fits perfectly.

5. Harder They Fall (02:38)
Starts kinda slow, until a fast riff gets cutted with a mid-tempo HC-song. The combination of the solo and the Background-vocals is pretty interesting.

6. March Of The Damned (04:10)
Mid-Tempo, easy lyrics and powerful riffing start this song. The structure gets faster and the end, and the 2 solos in the middle and at the end are a very good addition to this song.

7. Darkness (03:00)
The structure of this song reminds me of Mot�head in their young years. It is a pretty fast song with two solos.

8. Kingdom of Heaven (02:59)
This one starts very slow with nice guitars and a riff that could have been from a 90s-Metallica-record. After around 50 seconds, it becomes faster. Even a solo is included, while the end is the same stuff than the start.

9. Rebirth (02:25)
This song starts pretty slow, Dwid shouts in a strange way. A mid-tempo neckbreaker with some solos, the typical Integrity-stuff.

10. Eighteen (03:54)
This is a Hardcore-ballad. It starts very slow with nice guitar melodies, until some heavy riffs and nice solos, combined with a mixture of clean and shouted vocals create a nice ballad. The shouted parts remind me of Slayers Tom Ayara.

11. Sarin (01:27)
A short and straight HC-song, that is a little bit to quiet.

12. ATf Assault (02:23)
Lemmy of Mot�head starts this song with some spoken vocals. A mid-tempo hardcore-song starts, with nothing really special in it.

13. All is Lost (01:31)
An up-tempo HC-song. Dwid shouts like hes getting stabbed or something like that. Sounds good, anyhow.

14. Silence Ever After (09:29)
This is the longest song on this compilation, it features a slow and kinda electric start. The song reminds me of Indians, some spoken words tell you something. That is everything, but its a good and unexpected addition to this record.

15. Divinity in Exile (01:32)
Starts electronic, too, until a heavy riff and Dwids voice destroy the silence. Changing its tempo over and over again, the song fades out with some electronic sounds, which sound bad.

16. Change (02:32)
Change begins with some riffing and drumming, until a scream of Hellion starts a pretty freaky song. Damn fast, damn hateful.

17. Thaw (01:19)
Another fast beginning, but the tempo sometimes gets lower, combined with spoken words. The end is as fast as the beginning.

18. Jimson Isolation (02:55)
A mid-tempo song with solo and stuff like that. Dwid sounds like shit on this song. The end is faster than the rest, but this song sucks.

19. Evacuate (02:50)
This one starts in mid-tempo, with some nice riffs and licks. This song is simple to discribe: Almost three minutes if the same riff and the same drumming.

20. Jagegd Visions (04:26)
The beginning reminded me of Linkin Park, but with a nice and slow riff, another Hardcore-ballad starts, sometimes combined with nice double bass.

21. Learn how to Die (05:30)
The last song of this record starts very quiet and slow. It is a complete electrical outro, that reminds you of a radio. At the end, some quiet guitar parts come around.

Result:
I believe, that this Best Of- or Rarities-compilation isnt so important at all. Ok, its something nice for Integrity-fans, of course. The music is ok, I especially like those solos. A minus is the sometimes annoying voice of Dwid Hellion.
Well, in my opinion, this CD is something for Integrity- or Die Hard-Hardcore-fans. Or for some guys who want to know how a big influence of the Metalcore-scene sounds like. The rest should ignore this CD.

2 of 5 stars (www.tonguesofdestruction.com

THE LISTEN-TO-IT NETWORK, Germany - Homepage

INTEGRITY aus Cleveland gehören nicht erst seit gestern zu den brutalsten, wütendsten, dreckigsten und apokalyptischsten Hardcore Kapellen, sondern mischen schon seit 1989 im HC-Duschungel ordentlich mit. Und genau das beweisen sie mit “SLIVER IN THE HANDS OF TIME”.

Dieser Silberling wurde mit 21 Tracks der frühen Tage versehen und bietet über eine Stunde pure Energie. Typischer 80er Old School Thrash HC, der mit etwas Metal, dreckigem Rock und ein paar elektronischen Soundspielereien versehen wurde, prescht einem hier entgegen und treibt den Zuhörer bis an die Grenzen des Erträglichen. Egal ob nun ultraschnell gerast oder im Midtempo auf den Zuhörer eingeknüppelt wird, diese angespissten Trademark-Vocals von Dwid geben den Tracks immer eine Seele und zeigen wie sich Hardcore in der rohsten Form angehört hat. Alle Songs dringen intensiv und mit Hass aus den Boxen.

Die-Hard-Fans (only) werden sich bestimmt über diese Zusammenstellung an alten Tracks freuen und können einen Platz für “SLIVER IN THE HANDS OF TIME” in ihrem Plattenregal reservieren.

Für ein Album, das einen guten Überblick über die frühen Jahre von INTEGRITY gibt, aber wohl nur Die-Hard-Fans überzeugen und gefallen wird, gibt es >>>>>> 3 | 6 Points

Javi Falcón, Spain (Madrid) - Homepage

“Esclavo en las manos del tiempo” es un acertado (por la elección de los cortes incluidos) y necesario (para situar a los más despistados oyentes del lugar) disco recopilatorio que reúne todos los Ep´s y Ep singles publicados a lo largo de más de una década por Integrity.

Integrity ha sido una honesta formación de marcada raíz hardcore (aunque su estilo nunca se sometió a esa única escena) que ha influenciado a un gran número de formaciones metaleras actuales si bien en su mayor época de auge (última década de los 90) no traspasó las barreras de los niveles del underground más puesto en el rollo duro que consideraba a la banda grupo de merecido culto.

“Sliver In The Hands Of Time” incluye algunas versiones inéditas de temas “clásicos” de la banda, es decir composiciones que fueron registradas de diferente manera y con otro desarrollo instrumental en discos oficiales. El álbum además viene acompañado de un libreto donde se repasa la historia de Integrity desde los ojos de Dwid, su mentor, y a través de los enriquecedores testimonios de gente como Jake Bannon (Converge), Rob Moran (Unbroken/Some Girls), Hans (Liar), 3Gun (Ringworm/Terror), Porcell (Youth Of Today/Judge/Shelter) y algunos artistas norteamericanos más. Además Lemmy Kilminster, bajista y cantante de Motörhead, colabora, aportando atmósferas tenebrosas, en “A If Assasult”.

Voces negras, descarada actitud inherente al genuino Punk, crudas producciones despojadas de artificios, solos de guitarra hermanos del mejor Hard Rock y rapidez propia de una banda Trash, han hecho de Integrity un referente atemporal por descubrir (si todavía no lo hiciste) o rememorarlos tras convulsionarte con ellos en un reciente pasado.

http://www.cuantoyporquetanto.com/htm/planetasonoro/resenashard/integrity.htm