Integrity's New Split with Power Trip was a Long Time Coming

You know a split between Cleveland's legendary dark hardcore bruisers Integrity (who, as it happens, hail from the most metal city in the nation) and Dallas' Power Trip is bound to be lit. Lucky for you, Magic Bullet made it happen, and will release the pair's new EP this coming Friday. Both groups, despite the huge gaps in age, have produced some of the best hardcore-metal fusions to date, so this release was truly meant to be. It's only sort of a new release for both bands, as it's mostly comprised of previously released material, but old shit from Integrity and Power Trip is still better than most bands' newer stuff.

Integity's side was originally released (also by Magic Bullet) as We Are The End in 2010, and if you've listened to Integrity, you know what you're getting into here – burly Ohio beatdowns with liberal use of sweet guitar leads. “Her Eyes Is Filled With ϟtars,” an unusual homage to Crispin Glover's song from the 1989 film Twister, is new, though, and Dwid Hellion is one of the few dudes who could make Glover sound normal by comparison. He recites the lyrics like a snarling lullaby, the simplicity of the words making it all the more creepy. It also leans closer to the dreamy free-form guitar of the original, and while you'd never expect Integrity to approach anywhere near gazey territory, it works. No kidding, parts of “Eyes” almost sound like Grouper.

Power Trip's side is complied from a self-titled seven-inch originally released on Lockin' Out in 2011, and if you've been with them since the beginning, “Divine Intervention” and “Suffer No Fool” have caused you at least one black eye, three missed work shifts, half a lifetime's neck pain, and untold amounts of stagedives. Those two songs represent a turning point for the band – that savage prowess so evident on Manifest Decimation was really starting to show. The NY crossover influence is more apparent here, too—“Intervention” sounds like Overkill colliding on the subway with Cro-Mags. Austin metal/punk wunderkind Chris Ulsh had been with the band for a little over a year at this point, and his magic touch was just what they needed.

If you've never heard these songs (which is hard to fathom given how much Power Trip tour), they'll hold you over until they finish their second record, which will likely come with a form releasing them for liability from how much damage you'll do to yourself circle pitting and cross breaking.

INTEGRITY Tour Dates:

6/23-26/2016 Amnesia Rockfest - Montebello, QC [info]
8/04-07/2016 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA @ This Is Hardcore [info]

POWER TRIP Tour Dates:

6/10/2016 Kuckucksnest - Berchtesgaden, DE
6/11/2016 Smejdan - Goteborg, SE
6/12//2016 Alte Hackerei - Karlsruhe, DE
6/13/2016 Werk 21 - Zurich, CH
6/14/2016 Lo-Fi - Milano, IT
6/15/2016 Freakout Club - Bologna, IT
6/16/2016 Le Molotov - Marseille, FR
6/17/2016 Rocksound - Barcelona, ES
6/18/2016 Le St De Seins - Toulouse, FR
6/19/2016 Hellfest - Clisson, FR
7/06/82016 The Double Door - Chicago, IL*
7/07/2016 The New Vintage - Louisville, KY*
7/08/2016 Ace Of Cups - Columbus, OH*
7/09/2016 The Sanctuary - Detroit, MI*
7/10/2016 Velvet Underground - Toronto, ON*
7/11/2016 Les Foufounes Electiques - Montreal, QC*
7/12/2016 Upstate Concert Hall - Albany, NY*
7/13/2016 The Waterfront Tavern - Holyoke, MA*
7/15/2016 Shaka's Live - Virginia Beach, VA*
7/16/2016 Greene Street Live - Greensboro, NC*
7/17/2016 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA*
7/19/2016 1904 - Jacksonville, FL*
7/20/2016 Local 662 - St. Petersburg, FL*
7/21/2016 The Dojo - Baton Rouge, LA*
7/22/2016 Walters - Houston, TX*
7/23/2016 Club Dada - Dallas, TX*
7/24/2016 The Korova - San Antonio, TX*
7/26/2016 The Nile - Mesa, AZ*
7/27/2016 The Industry - Chula Vista, CA*
7/28/2016 Union - Los Angeles, CA*
7/29/2016 Gilman Street - Berkeley, CA*
7/30/2016 Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA*
8/06/2016 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA @ This Is Hardcore
9/17/2016 Off Limits Festival - Mexico City, MX
10/20-23/2016 191 Toole - Tucson, AZ @ Southwest Terror Fest
* w/ Terror, Harms Way, Angel Dust, Fury, Red Death

Any O'Connor is opening this pit up on Twitter.