+Orrchida

The 7.17 compilation brings together such juggernauts as Integrity and Gehenna in honor of the show in Anaheim earlier this year. It's a great slab of vinyl that came in a handful of variations, ranging from the standard mail-order sleeve to personalized band copies. In addition to the three* standard copies, there's a fourth - almost a special edition of a special edition - that features a picture of Charles Manson in military garb. This was released by the wonderful Hellfish, who recently put up a gnarly pre-order of VVegas vinyl. More on that band in a moment. To my knowledge, this is sold out in almost all forms.

German powerhouse VVegas starts off the record with a killer rendition of Integrity's "Fading Away". It almost feels like it's actually Integrity rather than VVegas. In any case, it's a great starting point. It's violent and savage and acts as a perfect prelude to Gehenna's absolute mind-fuck of a track. "I'll Always Say Forever" is like the bastard child of the band's previous thrashy punk style and sinister witch house. Driving guitar work is accompanied by the Manson girls' sing songy voices; Manson then becomes the forefront with a long sample that features such words as "I'm not your leader" and "If you want to ride, we'll ride." The tracks feels very experimental and a nice companion piece to the Blind To Faith split A389 released. I've always enjoyed how Gehenna took bits and pieces of other genres and created something new - in this case a sample heavy almost instrumental number. It's not 83% with the fat mosh parts and demonic vocals, but it's interesting. Gehenna is in the midst of putting together their third full length and if it contains material like "I'll Always Say Forever", the record is going to slay.

On the flip side, Unreal City's "Oath" continues what the first two bands started. I had originally slept on the band but after hearing their excellent full length "Ephemeral Subsistence", I suddenly checked out their other material - even if it was a mere cassette tape. What you get is a band very influenced by Integrity. From the vocals to the guitar, it's clear what kind of bands help shape Unreal City. This is far from a bad thing as "Oath" is a highly likable track. It's one of the more faster tracks and contains a good level of melody and aggression. In the end, these three numbers - including Gehenna's - are mere appetizers to the compilation's final piece, "+Orrchida".

A lot of bands try and copy GISM and often you get horrid abominations; Integrity's "+Orrchida" is a goddamn masterpiece. Guitarist Rob Orr channels Randy Uchida's spirit to create a minute and half epic solo fest that cannot do anything but brighten one's day. The first solo reminds me of Chelsea of Death Side/Paintbox fame but that second one... There's no mistaking it. For the band's show in November, they performed this number live and it still retained the magic. People knock Integrity for their various line-ups, but 2010 has been a great year. "VVe Are The End", a 7" put out by Magic Bullet, might be the band's best material post-Humanity Is The Devil. And from what I've heard, the Rot In Hell split is no snoozer either. I cannot wait to hear more Integrity and Orr's guitar work.

This is one of my favorite records - not just because I have a personalized copy from VVegas. There is a perfect blend of eccentricity, originality, and it contains tracks from Gehenna and Integrity. Beyond the music, the art is simple yet morbid and busy. With every new look, I see something different.

Like most Integrity material, their contribution is available to download via Holy Terror.

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The next post, which will be sometime next week, will feature a brand new look that'll take out the usual post a boring album cover and random scribbles. Hopefully, that is; I just need my camera to work. Thanks for reading.