Integrity is an experimental metallic punk band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988 by vocalist, musician, lyricist, and visual artist, Dwid Hellion. The band has a rich history in the underground punk, hardcore, and metal-related extreme music, appearing on nearly fifty recordings since 1988 ; Integrity has had a strong live presence since their formation, having played hundreds of shows including numerous global festival appearances. Their sound is known for a mix of noise, punk, blues, hardcore and heavy metal with dark religious undertones, prominent use of lead guitars and solos, harsh vocals, occasional sampling and unusual influences such as industrial, noise and experimental music. Lyrical themes include religion, the supernatural, art, philosophy, horror, as well as mental illness and the occult.
Integrity is widely credited for being the pioneers of metalcore being one of the first bands to mix metal and hardcore punk in a way that would later become popular, greatly influencing bands such as Hatebreed and Terror. Their music has been described as "an intense sound that melds together high-velocity hardcore punk, heavy metal, blues, thrash, and angular, noisy guitar riffs." Albert Mudrian, editor-in-chief of the monthly metal magazine Decibel and author of Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore, claims that "They're one of the watershed artists" for heavy music genres, explaining that "they're definitely important to all forms of extreme music. A band like Hatebreed wouldn't sound like they did without Integrity opening up that door for them." Artist Derek Hess, whose art has appeared on albums and promotional materials for numerous metal, hardcore, and crossover artists ranging from Unearth to Converge, as well as MTV's Headbangers Ball compilations, claims that "They were ahead of the curve. Integrity started incorporating art and illustrations, and I think that was a real right-on thing that broke away from the pack. When you say the name Dwid throughout the industry, they know who you're talking about. He's infamous." Hellion has had numerous side projects, including his electronic project, Psywarfare. and horror-themed, Vermapyre. In July 2017, Hellion was featured on the cover of Decibel magazine, no. 153. He is quoted as saying "I do not listen to much new music. When I need a new album to listen to, I make one." Previously, in 2013, Integrity's Systems Overload was featured in the Decibel "Hall of Fame" in issue no. 107. In the seven-page feature which interviewed all the members who had written or played on the album, the album is referred to as "the landmark work in a grand and heretical oeuvre".
