Integrity (band)

Integrity is an American hardcore punk band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988, but based in Belgium since 2003. A pioneer of the metalcore genre, the band's merger of influences from hardcore punk and heavy metal music, as well as gothic rock, industrial, noise, doomsday cults and western esotericism, was widely influential on the subsequent development of hardcore and metal. The band was a defining part of the 1990s hardcore scene, influencing similarly influential bands such as Converge, Hatebreed and Killswitch Engage. During the 1980s, Dwid Hellion had enjoyed creating "fake bands", whom he would devise backstories and print merchandise for, spreading stories of these bands through word of mouth and calling in to radio shows. One of these fake bands was a supposedly twisted and violent straight edge band named Integrity. Following the disbandment of Hellion's legitimate straight edge youth crew band Die Hard, he morphed this vision into a real band, forming Integrity in 1988 with guitarist Aaron Melnick, who was also in Die Hard, as well as drummer Tony "Chubby Fresh" Pines and bassist Tom Front. The band's classic lineup consisted of Hellion and brothers Aaron and Leon Melnick, who were accompanied by various drummers during this time, releasing the band's first four studio albums. In 1999, Hellion recruited brothers Dave and Steve Felton of Mushroomhead, as well as bassist Craig Martini, renaming the group Integ2000. By 2001, the band had returned to simply Integrity, releasing an additional five studio albums.