t’s been a while since I listened to something like this without putting on ‘The Shape of Punk To Come’ – brutal, violent hardcore that remains essentially listenable without resorting to the cheap tricks peddled by the majority of wife-beater wearing morons masquerading as hardcore these days. ‘Blueprint…’ is effortlessly impressive from start to finish, filled with punishing riffs and abrasive vocals subtitled by a compelling low end that ensures proceedings are kept interesting with a strong groove.
Opener ‘Reborn’ hits like a mallet to the bridge of the nose with its muted riffs and slow burning build up. Dan’s vocals mostly consist of a piercing shriek that calls to mind Lyxzen’s more frantic efforts without imitating them. This pretty much sums up RSJ‘s appeal, because while it is obvious that they’re well versed in hardcore, ‘Blueprint…’ never sounds derivative or hackneyed in any way – and that’s a hell of a compliment. ‘Delusions of Popularity’ encapsulates the RSJ sound perfectly as the punchy rhythm and constant time changes allow no breathing space whatsoever, pounding along with the momentum of an errant meteorite until the final, climactic ending.
‘Dredger’ is more straightforwardly violent and calls to mind the odd moment of Dillinger Escape Plan‘s hardcore backbone. For a young British band to be this accomplished is truly exciting, and with none of the Emperor’s New Clothes falseness or hype of the worthless Trencher it is nothing short of inspiring. This is hardcore as it should be played, full of strong ideas and personality without evoking an empty message – for once the press release was not accompanied by a photo of the band looking ‘street’: maybe a message that hardcore is beginning to be reclaimed from the posers?
Ben
www.rsj.info