INTEGRITY - In Contrast of Sin 7" (green)

"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..." -Andrew Aversionline