Integrity Clears

The next post in my series of Relapse Records clear vinyl pressings that I picked up is an interesting one. I made the decision to stpo collecting Integrity recods a couple of years ago. It reached a point where I just couldn't afford to keep up anymore. That said, I did not make a deciosn to never buy another Integrity record. More, it was just a decision to not buy absolutely every single pressing of every record. So when it came to figuring out which clear vinyl Relapse pressings to buy, I was kinda drawn to the Integrity reissues from a couple of years ago. In the end I was able to scoop the full set for pretty cheap, so I figured I might as well pick them up. The appeal of a full set seemed too tempting to pass up.

Relapse reissued most of the band's previous full length records, but each comes with completely revised artwork. I'm not sure that I'm into all of the artwork changes, but certainly a couple of them look really good. Overall it feels like the artwork and revised band logo is designed to market them at a new 'metal' audience. I'm not even sure that this is a bad thing at this point. If nothing else, t's a form of evolution as the band is now 35+ years old.

So first up we get 'Those Who Fear Tomorrow'. The artwork on this one is practically the same as the original, but the text has been removed and the colour scheme it now mainly black.

Next up is 'Systems Overload'. The artwork on this one is completely different, and this one stands out from the others as the colour is red. This one is aesthetically my least favourite.

Next up, 'Humanity Is The Devil'. The original cover art is pretty iconic, featuring the Pushead design. But that has now been replaced with this:

Next is 'Seasons In The Size Of Days'. The cover art feels like an interpretation of the original, and I really like it. It also kinda reminds me of 'The Ring' (the horror film).

Next up, 'Closure'. The previous pressings of this all had the skull logo as the front cover. This version brings in some completely new artwork which I really like.

ANd finally, I also picked up a pretty pointless record just for the sake of owning a 'set'. 'All Death Is Mine: Total Domination' is a compilation 12" which brings together songs from several limited releases (all of which I already own) onto one 12". The name of the record is a nod to the last few years of the band during which Dom Romeo played guitar.

After deciding to scale back on collecting Integrity records, and then deciding to buy 5 reissues and a compilation, I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing anymore. But I think generally my decision was to pull back on buying lots of versions of records on splatter vinyl, which is what they all seem to be these days. But clear vinyl, on the other hand, looks great. If I'd had been in my old mindset and buying every version of every record, then this post would have featured an additional 20 records. So I bought 6 rather than 26, and when you say it like that, it seems to be much more sensible way of operating.