The record took the foundation of American hardcore and added elements of free jazz and techno to form a unique amalgam of music. From the explosive, off-time opener “Worm of the Senses,” to the freefall jazz drop-outs of “The Deadly Rhythm,” and to the jaw-dropping hardcore anthem “New Noise,” that after a decade has somewhat inexplicably became the band’s most popular song.
The Shape of Punk to Come was way ahead of its time, and did not become popular until after the demise of the band, shortly after the release of the album. Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzen stated, “We were one of those bands who rubbed a lot of people the wrong way when we were around. So it made perfect sense that we would have to break up to be popular. “To me,” he adds, “It’s a fitting legacy.”
Refused was one of those bands that til’ this day people are still discovering. I did not discover them until 5 years after they had broken up, and thought to myself when I first heard them, “wow, they should have been a lot bigger than they were when they were still around.” You can definitely hear the influence of Refused's music in modern day emo/post-hardcore bands such as Thursday, Thrice, and Underoath to name a few.
I would certainly have to agree with Roger that Refused were ahead of there time. I actually remember hearing a friend play the track New Noise sometime around 1999-2000 and was relieved to hear something so different and raw compare to what was being released at the time. I feel it certainly seems to be the trend to ignore "different" bands until they've become obscure, and then it becomes a badge of honor to listen to the same band. Refused is certainly a great example of this; when they were active, Refused were relatively unknown. Coming into existence long before super-slim fit jeans and Deep Vees, Refused are certainly a huge influence on the emo/post-hardcore scene that has recently become trendy to be a part of.
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