For as good as the original Systems Overload is, it’s firmly planted in 1995. The new mix is rawer and louder, and the instruments have more space. My only gripe is that everything is loud, making songs that should be more dynamic and punctuated lose potency as all dials are pegged at 11.
Review: Integrity – Systems Overload (A2/Orr Mix)
National Music Reviews
Integrity
Systems Overload (A2/Orr Mix)
Organized Crime / Magic Bullet
Street: 11.19.2013
Integrity = Ringworm + Slayer + Cro-Mags
Systems Overload comes from a time in Integrity’s history when they were unstoppable. The second in a line of classic metallic hardcore records from the Cleveland terrorizers, its importance and overall quality should be undisputed. Instead, what makes the A2/Orr Mix relevant is that it is a full remix of the album by former guitarist Aaron Melnick and current guitarist Robert Orr, in what they claim is Integrity’s true vision. I’ll give it this: It sounds current. For as good as the original Systems Overload is, it’s firmly planted in 1995. The new mix is rawer and louder, and the instruments have more space. My only gripe is that everything is loud, making songs that should be more dynamic and punctuated lose potency as all dials are pegged at 11. This new mix isn’t simply a curiosity for the Integrity completist and is deserving of a spot on any hardcore fan’s shelf.
–Peter Fryer
Systems Overload (A2/Orr Mix)
Organized Crime / Magic Bullet
Street: 11.19.2013
Integrity = Ringworm + Slayer + Cro-Mags
Systems Overload comes from a time in Integrity’s history when they were unstoppable. The second in a line of classic metallic hardcore records from the Cleveland terrorizers, its importance and overall quality should be undisputed. Instead, what makes the A2/Orr Mix relevant is that it is a full remix of the album by former guitarist Aaron Melnick and current guitarist Robert Orr, in what they claim is Integrity’s true vision. I’ll give it this: It sounds current. For as good as the original Systems Overload is, it’s firmly planted in 1995. The new mix is rawer and louder, and the instruments have more space. My only gripe is that everything is loud, making songs that should be more dynamic and punctuated lose potency as all dials are pegged at 11. This new mix isn’t simply a curiosity for the Integrity completist and is deserving of a spot on any hardcore fan’s shelf.
–Peter Fryer
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