The Shape of Punk to Come

I wanted to bring your attention to a band that is no longer together. They had a major effect on the music scene around the late nineties, and are a band that many current artists and bands list as having a big influence on their musical output.

This band is called Refused.
Refused were a Swedish Hardcore Punk band who came together in the early nineties. They had an edge to them which was born out of their political thoughts, as well as their desire to create music which had intent; a purpose or meaning if you will. They released several E.Ps, and three albums, entitled "This Just Might be the Truth (1994)", "Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent (1996), and the final release which was "The Shape of Punk to Come (1998)". And it was this final album that really captured the essence of what Refused were all about, and ultimately led to their demise.

It is an album full of references to their musical heroes as well as their political attitudes. The music is spell bounding; all members in the band are gloriously talented in their musical abilities. Guitars and drums crash around the screams of singer Dennis Lyxzen. The album was a success both in Europe as well as America. However all was not well within the band, with creative differences between members causing an inevitable slide towards the band breaking up. The final tour over in America was bought to a halt midway through the bands final ever gig by police.

Although being almost 10 years ago since they split up, Refused still have a big influence on today’s hardcore scene. Last year a dvd was released which catalogues the bands rise and fall.

Aptly it is called “Refused are Fucking Dead”