Review Summary: A forty-eight minute sermon at the end of the world.
The apocalypse is a rather comedic subject in present times. No matter how many disaster or horror movies and ranting Evangelist priests, the world still treats the subject as if it is mere comedy. Humanity believes it's immortal but indeed in the current climate of global warming and the ill-fated War on Terror, maybe humanity is not as immortal as it likes to believe. It's from these little pockets of doubt that bands like Integrity are spawned. In the early nineties they pushed the boundaries of hardcore into darker territory with an album called
Those Who Fear Tomorrow.
It is not a subtle album nor is it complex. The songs structures are based upon the familiar linearity and tempo shifting that one associates with hardcore. Integrity's usage of the formula, though, creates a sound that is both apocalyptic and dense. The core of the sound is the juxtaposition of high-pitched guitar solos against layers of distorted guitar work and a thunderous rhythm section. The formula is minimalistic yet all the instruments add dynamics to the music, expanding the palette of emotions beyond the normal hardcore aggression. The hitting of the cymbals or the sudden switch to acoustic guitar work changes the emotion of the song in an instant yet never changes the direction of the song. The simplicity of the song-writing combined with the spartan production only enhances the impact of the songs, drowning the listener's conscience in darkness while Dwid rants in their ears.
Dwid Hellion's vocals are limited in their range, consisting of only a shout and a piercing shriek. However what he lacks in technical ability he makes up for with a performance that is violence incarnate. There is no line between his demonic shouts and despair drenched screams. He just traverses the barren soundscapes with unrestrained fury, spewing his macabre lyrics. Using his trite metaphors and fowl language, he conveys a style that is similar to John O'Hara yet far more visceral. The overall picture that these lyrics paint is unclear, with a range of topics from a vengeful mother-son relationship to a preacher threatening to burn his victims at the stake. However the multifaceted music allows for the lyrics to touch upon multiple pits of the human conscience but remain woven together by one long thread of contempt. However the overall music is not this album's most potent strength. That lies within in its twisted familiarity.
As dark as the music is, it is undeniable that the song-writing is also intensely catchy. The melodies that bind this album together flow in jagged rhythms with hooks aplenty. It is easy to fall further into
Those Who Fear Tomorrow's sound as the music contains the same hardcore fire that fueled this genre's didactic movement. Here though Integrity twists the genre conventions against the very scene that birthed it. The songs become almost Pentecostal with Dwid as the preacher to a raging pulpit. The edge of a human voice to his vocals adds an extra poignancy to the lyrics. The contents of the lyrics penetrate deep into the listener's own flaws because of this and there they brand themselves into the soul. This is what marks
Those Who Fear Tomorrow as the classic it is.
