Integrity
Kingdom of Heaven (The Araca Sessions)
By Kiel HumeIntegrity are one of those bands that have lived up to their name. Despite a tumultuous career, they've continued to release material with pretty much every hardcore label out there. Their discography is a daunting list of splits, singles, compilations and every inch of vinyl available. Kingdom of Heaven is a 20th anniversary collection of tracks the band recorded with late drummer David Nicholi Araca. Sadly, there are only three numbers on The Araca Sessions, but they show the group considering different sounds in the early '90s. "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Rebirth" are classic Integrity: fast, thrash-driven hardcore. The influences of dark '80s metal are still very much present, with dissonant echoes and raw distortion techniques accompanying each track's hardcore progressions. Third and final track "Eighteen" is a somewhat out of place song sounding very '90s, even bringing Alice in Chains to mind in its softer moments. It's obvious that grunge is an influence, if only an experimental one, at this point. This is a great release, but material best suited for Integrity's biggest fans.
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