Integrity “The Blackest Curse” CD/LP

"The Blackest Curse" (once more from the Deathwish Inc. label) is the ridiculously long-awaited new full-length from the almighty Integrity. It's been seven years since Integrity's had a release that contained more than a handful of songs, and many would consider this the first true Integrity full-length since 1997's "Seasons in the Size of Days"—which is probably at least part of the reason why so many parallels are being drawn between said masterpiece and "The Blackest Curse". There are similarities, however... and not just the black and white aesthetic of the absolutely massive 36-page booklet (which can barely be contained by the slim digipack), with its sinister portraits of the band members and obscured imagery that probably has all sorts of suggestive conceptuality buried beneath the surface.

For the majority of Integrity's heyday most of their songs were less than two or three minutes apiece, and in their current age (which I'd consider to encompass their post-"To Die For" output) the band has been moving towards longer, darker, more involved compositions. Here, the running times are generally moving back towards that slightly more concise format, but the overall atmosphere of the material still takes a little more time to digest. Therefore, "The Blackest Curse" is a 37-minute album that actually feels more like an hour-long album. And of course there are tons of chaotic, Melnick-influenced solos to be found here (that approach is a huge staple of the Integrity sound, after all), as well as some crunchy grooves reminiscent of "To Die For" (especially during "The Last Great Seance"). But the bulk of this work is forged in the slightly different forms of explosive aggression and experimentation heard on the "Walpurgisnacht" and "Love is the Only Weapon" EP's. For instance, the insane blasts and tremolo picking of "Simulacra" damn near come across as blackened thrash metal; and then there's the eight-minute "Before the World Was Young" (which also boasts the esteemed mystique of joining the trio of tracks towards the end of the album that have their lyrics omitted from the booklet), with its whispered vocals over winding, dissonant riffs and midpaced palm-muting—bookended by Roses Never Fade/"Heaven Inside Your Hell"-esque acoustic passages.

Perhaps some of these added twists and turns result from the band's increasingly collaborative approach, what with the booklet noting that every track was composed by multiple band members and additional contributions are made throughout by the likes of Boyd Rice, Mike Cheese (Gehenna), Nick Brewer (Pale Creation), Thorsten Wilhelm (Vegas), etc. Whatever the case, "The Blackest Curse" proves that Integrity is still producing intriguing, creative material that holds true to the apocalyptic vision the band solidified in the late-90's. There are always going to be stubborn old school fans out there who'll refuse to acknowledge anything Integrity records that doesn't feature the Melnicks, which I can understand to some small degree due to the band's historically significant impact on the genre and therefore their back catalog's personal impact on individual listeners. But that really is an irrelevant line of thinking now (and I'll take this time to quickly point out that the bass playing on this album really stands out, and is arguably the best Integrity's ever had). Is it the same? No. But it's not supposed to be the same.

Integrity "Learn to Love the Lie"

As the lies are unwound and hell is forgotten we bleed alone beneath the stars. Barren light pours out of our eyes. We finally see the breathing dawn...

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