The 90’s never really seem to die. In some way, shape or form, every part of our culture has been influenced by or drawn on the decade that brought us both Nirvana and Mr Blobby. Most recently though, hardcore has been taking a break from youth crew nonsense and harking back to the glory days of metal riffs and baggy jeans with a spring in its step.

Step forward Florida’s Blistered who, with their debut full length ‘The Poison Of Self Confinement’, have opened the history vaults and dusted off some classic riffing for the modern day.

The beautiful thing about Blistered is how no-frills they are. Each track on ‘The Poison of Self Confinement’ is hard, fast and heavy. Deep-set riffs clash against booming drums and downtrodden basslines, all held together by a throaty vocal performance laced with malice and spite. Opener ‘Path of the Coward’ bounces with ankle-breaking force while ‘Illusion Of Destiny’ grooves with breakneck fret fuckery and a breakdown that could rust silver.

This is hardcore as it should be delivered; no compromise, no bullshit, no worries. Blistered have taken a style which should to a degree sound dated and stale, and made it completely relevant to 2015 and beyond. ‘Kingdom Of Traitors’ comes and goes in a blink of a crushed eye while the building darkness of ‘Into The Dying Light’ and the closing debauchery of ‘Death At Heaven’s Doorstep’ sees this to be a significant victory for Blistered and shows that a little reminiscing isn’t always a bad thing.

‘The Poison Of Self Confinement’ is everything that made hardcore what it was in the 90’s and everything is should be in the modern day. With no strings attached and no pretence hiding in its folds, Blistered have stated a claim for one of 2015’s hardest hitting releases and proved that sometimes to move forward you have to take a few steps back.

4/5

‘The Poison Of Self Confinement’ by Blistered is out now on 6131 Records.

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Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)