Integ fanatics take note - this is NOT the original version that was reissued on CD and wax a few years ago by labels like Magic Bullet. In fact, in many ways this is a radical new vision of the band's classic debut full-length that transforms it into a completely new piece of music. Like the other Relapse reissues of the classic Integrity catalog, this features completely new (and killer) artwork, this time evoking the work of Francis Bacon, which has always been a sizeable influence on the mood and vibe of Integrity. But the first thing that really points towards this being a new vision of Those Who Fear Tomorrow is that Dwid completely stripped out the drumming from the original album recording, originally performed by Anthony "Chubby Fresh" Pines (who was also a member of notorious Cleveland HC provocateurs One Life Crew and pre-Integrity crushers Die Hard). With this re-work of the band's legendary debut album, those original drum tracks are ripped completely out by the roots; in their place is a pair of brand-new drum performances, one from none other than Sepultura's Iggor Cavalera. Holy crap. The other drum tracks are from Brandon Gallagher, of killer harsh EBM outfit Trace Amount, cult death rockers Sex Cross, and former beatmaster for HC band Old Wounds. Because of the extreme re-work of this album, I'm approaching it from a completely new standpoint, rather than just dropping my older review of the original version here. Not that my take is going to be that much different, as I adore this album, but we'll see where I end up.

So, here's 2022's Those Who Fear Tomorrow. Still an apex point with the "holy terror" hardcore aesthetic. And it's perfectly paced from start to finish. These fifteen songs inarguably helped set the template for the new blend of hardcore punk and thrash metal in the 1990s that we call "metalcore". And yet Those Who Fear Tomorrow sounds almost nothing like the metalcore bands that followed, or even the crossover bands that preceded this. I remember when this album landed in 1991 on Overkill Records - it really was sui generis, a sound unto its own; the previous stuff (1989's Harder They Fall demo tape, the In Contrast Of Sin 7" EP and Grace Of The Unholy tape from 1990) established the new sound, blending thrash crunch with violent, judgmental, triumphant hardcore that heavily drew from the New York straightedge scene, marrying the heaviness and rage of Judge and the more metallic moments of Youth Of Today with a frenzied, psychotic chaos that evoked the bizarre, evil vibe of Septic Death. But with Fear, that sound was fully developed, bringing even more metallic heaviness and berserker weirdness and end-of-the-world darkness to the whole thing.

Again, it sounded like nothing else at the time. The huge, rumbling drones of "Den Of Iniquity" flecked with nauseous electronics and disturbing sampled voices. Then that shout, and the title track kicking in with its stomping, bone-cracking tempo and Best Wishes-era Cro Mags-meets-Negative Approach-ized riffing and insane, paranoid lyrics delivered through Dwid's dirt-chewing drawl leading to Aaron Melnick's shredding leads streaking across a blood-red sky filled with the silhouettes of falling angels. And from there, it's a perfection of catchy, anthemic hardcore hooks, forays into bizarre atmospherics, monstrous breakdowns, raging sing-a-long choruses that chemical burn into your brain. Ripping crossover thrash with the metallic edge sharpened to a razor's edge. In the midst of this is "Judgment Day", a holdover from Dwid's previous hardcore band Die Hard, but here transformed into this massive, metallic, apocalyptic assault that ranks as one of the best hardcore songs ever, in my book. Eerie arpeggios drift across grim bass melodies and showstopping guitar work, solos that sing like war cries, surging waves of brutal double-bass drumming and those gnarly, gravelly vocals. Viciously poetic lyrics screamed and whispered and sighed, grinding Celtic Frost-esque riffage ("Wings Tear", "Harder They Fall"), the strange, almost post-punk tinged open to "Apollyons Whisper" that transforms into more chugging carnage. The despair and destruction glimpsed behind the majestic roar of closer "March Of The Damned".

Black sonic magic.

Hooked lung stolen breath cunt.

Songwriting-wise, it's one of the best albums in metal / punk / hardcore. Every single song is insanely catchy and infuriarting. A classic. Between 1991 and the end of the decade, Integrity was unmatchable.