The High Priest of Holy Terror

Revered... and sometimes reviled as purveyors of the 'metalcore' sound, Integrity's classic records combine the drive and intensity of hardcore and the heavier elements of the best metal. Behind it all is Dwid Hellion, the one man who has been the visionary behind Integrity through an insane number of lineup changes. But it's his unmistakable roar, cryptic and yet intriguing lyrical approach as well as his appreciation of a variety of art (he's a filmmaker, graphic artist and has ventured into abstract noise projects) and the occult that has led the band's sound into darker, uncharted territory; incorporating samples, industrial sounds and noise. He has also been a guest on a number of records recently (by the Hope Conspiracy, Pulling Teeth and the Ocean), is responsible for the equally amazing Roses Never Fade and is working on a new project, Irons, which features fellow visionaries Stephen Kasner and Jacob Bannon (Deathwish Records, Converge frontman). Dwid was kind enough the shed some light on his many projects and on the new Integrity record out in August.

What is the status of the different projects you're involved with such as Roses Never Fade, Irons, Psywarfare (and anything else I've missed out!) can people look forward to any releases from these projects any time soon?

Roses Never Fade has a long delayed ltd edition 7" that will hopefully become available soon from www.MissionMerch.com

Psywarfare has been on hiatus for the past decade.

Irons is currently in production with a tentative late 2008 release date scheduled, or at least a glimpse unveiling with that time frame.

Sticking with Irons, can you describe the concept behind it since no material been made available? I've heard it described as non-linear. Could any of it any of it be considered a continuation from your more abstract work with Lockweld and projects like Psywarfare?

It will comprise of many different elements and techniques that have been previously employed by the past work of myself, Mr Bannon and Mr Kasner.

With Roses Never Fade I was surprised by the song uploaded recently Rosa Italia which has heavier moments and you screaming/shouting. Do you plan to do this on more RNF songs in future?

We place no constraints upon RNF.

You've said the upcoming Integrity record 'The Blackest Curse' has similarities to your earlier work on 'Humanity is the Devil' and 'Seasons in the Size of Days' and is very metal sounding. Was it the plan to reference those two releases when you started working on it or is it just the way it took shape? How soon can we expect it?

There is no reference to either previous album. The Blackest Curse is its own album and concept. The release date is 18.08.08 available from www.DeathWishInc.com.

I've seen the upcoming dates on your myspace page with Converge and Coliseum, will you be playing new material on these dates? Do you plan on having any new releases available by the time these shows roll around?

A limited release 2 song 7" record will be available around the time of the summer tour

Despite the huge number of line-up changes through the years Integrity's output has had a certain consistency, vibe and feel that makes it Integrity. As a vocalist how do you communicate ideas with the band you're working with? Do you write guitar parts and much of the music on the other instruments?

The band has existed for 2 decades, and within that time previous members have moved on to different styles or abandoned music all together. Communication is sonic and visual.

I've heard you in earlier interviews talk about the different reactions to Integrity when you first started (something to the effect of it was too metal for hardcore kids and too punk and hardcore to be metal), what made you want to start a band that took hardcore and introduced the other elements into it? And then keep at it despite the less than enthusiastic responses at times?

I simply created a band that I wanted to hear.
It was a very selfish act.
I do not acknowledge the public response, whether it may be positive or negative. The music is our expression and our interests. The audience is more or less, eavesdropping on our own private entertainment.

My personal favourite Integrity record (and one of my all time favourite records period) is Closure which was a huge departure from the other stuff and overall sounded more industrial. What circumstances led to this and how do you view it in retrospect, do you like it? Hate it? Did you achieve what you wanted to with it?

Of course I enjoy many aspects of that album. Each album has moments that I still can relate to and enjoy. And each album has its own personality. None of the albums have been identical to eachother.

Integrity has definitely had an impact on shaping a lot of the hardcore, metal, and metalcore today. But what would you like people to take from the music you create and have created?

These creations are my/our expression.
The influence or reaction are not consequential to the music.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween podcast you did last year. Has anyone ever approached you to do host any more radio shows? Do you plan on doing it again?

Thank you.
Yes, as time allows, I will post future media at www.HolyTerror.com

Integrity - 'Closure'
Despite the fact that no two Integrity albums are alike, To me Closure sticks out from the pack as it strayed the furthest from the metal-hardcore fusion that the band helped pioneer. It plays more like an Industrial record while losing none of the bite that made the band's other records so great. Samples and ambiance are incorporated more seamlessly than in their previous efforts and as always there were some surprises such as the Danzig-esque backing vocals on tracks like 'Mine' and one of my all time favourite songs 'No Time for Sudden Glances'. Some tracks also offers a glimpse into the work Mr. Hellion would later other pursue with other projects like Roses Never fade (the acoustic guitar and sample-driven 'The Martyr Inside') and the grating noise of 'Le Mmurb' - which by the way is 'Brummel' spelled backwards, as in Tony Brummel, owner of Integrity's label at the time Victory Records who the band had some well publicised problems with during their time on the label.