Refused
The Shape Of Punk To Come

THE REVIEW

If you associate Sweden musically only with death metal bands like Dissection, In Flames, or Dark Tranquillity, this album will surely surprise you. Refused, hailing from Umeå, can be considered one of the most important European hardcore ensembles.

One of the group's merits has been its unwavering adherence to its ideals, including the Straight Edge lifestyle, animal rights activism, fighting capitalism aimed at overthrowing the system, and the belief that the general discontent of workers can be overcome.

This album, the last of their career, released in 1998, is undoubtedly their masterpiece. In the 12 songs that make it up, hardcore, techno music, and some jazz influences blend into a highly experimental sound, yet not overly elitist, offering beautiful sensations even to those who are new to hardcore (like me).

The album's title is a reference to the song "The Sound of Jazz to Come" by Nation of Ulysses, while the song "Refused Are Fuckin Dead" draws inspiration from "Born Against Are Fuckin Dead" by Born Against, two bands considered among Refused's most important inspirations.

The opener is "Worms of the Senses/Faculties of the Skull", which, after recorded traffic noises, makes a grand entrance with numerous tempo changes, slowdowns, electronic inserts, over which Dennis Lyxzén's screams stand out. The surprising finale features a radio DJ presenting a techno base in Italian (!), promoting it as the band's new single. Next is "Liberation Frequency", with radio-oriented verses and very violent choruses, in which the group urges listeners to reclaim radio frequencies. "The Deadly Rythm" is another extremely violent hardcore track; the lyrics revisit the theme of worker discontent ("Is it our duty to die for governments and for gods?/ Is it our privilege to slave for market and industry?"). More traditional and punk rock-oriented is "Summerholidays Vs. Punkroutine", followed by the techno base and xylophone interlude "Bruitist Pome #5" and "New Noise", the masterpiece of the album. I'm very attached to this song because its video was the first I ever saw on the Rock TV channel. Based on an obsessive guitar riff, the 5 minutes of the song present many sections in typical hardcore style, contrasted with parts featuring sampled loops and electronic violins. The lyrics critique the various anarchic texts of other bands, explaining that they have become a trend and that thoughts should be expressed in other ways ("We lack the motion to move to the new beat").

After "Refused Party Program", it's the turn of "Protest Song '68", whose title alone should explain what it's about and even references the Italian anarchist Errico Malatesta; the song musically features a sweet acoustic passage amid the violent guitar riffs that open and close the track. "Refused Are Fucking Dead" and the title track revisit what has been heard so far but remain highly excellent tracks. The last 2 tracks differ from what has been heard: "Tannhauser/Derivé", in its 8 minutes, features an instrumental intro and outro that also uses the violin, while the screamed vocals alternate with an almost whispered female voice; finally, "The Apollo Program Was a Hoax" is a ballad for acoustic guitar, double bass, and accordion, which ends the career of this extraordinary group in a melancholic way.

SCORE = 8