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I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone when I say that I think Refused were one of the best hardcore bands ever, and certainly the best I have heard. So, were they the best hardcore band ever? Well, I don't think anyone can claim to have heard every hardcore band in existence but I think most fans of hardcore will agree Refused were certainly one of the best. But how did they achieve this?
The hardcore genre took the spirit of punk and pretty much did away with all subtlety. Much of Hardcore is pure red faced rage. But it's this fact that strangled it. There's only so many ways to be creative with what is generally accepted as hardcore (or any genre for that matter). If a genre refuses to change, evolve, it's not going to survive. If fans dismiss any change, whether it's getting heavier or more accessible, using technology to enhance songs or stripping music right down to the bones, then the genre is going to run out of ideas sometime. As a little band called operation Ivy (2 members of which are now in Rancid) once said in their sleeve notes, it's the momentum that keeps any subculture moving. If people lose interest in a genre, and new people stop getting into it, the momentum is going to slow.
This seems to be what drove Refused. They saw that too much was sounding the same. 'The Shape of Punk to Come' was a revolutionary album. And it still is. I think it will remain so until others pick up on what the album meant. I'm not talking lyrics here, just what the album as a whole was. It was like punk rock had been started as a rebellion against 'the system' and hardcore was an offshoot of it, supposedly angrier, harder and subtle as a sledgehammer. But it loses its voice. Loses its effect. Hardcore couldn't carry on under the same restrictions forever.
Refused broke the preconceptions. Put a middle finger up to those stubbornly insisting that 'this isn't true hardcore'. The walls were broken down, the battle lines set. You could enjoy the sound of change, of a revolution, or stick to what you knew, and watch a genre you love die. What the latter didn't seem to realise was that just because something new comes around, doesn't mean everyone will ditch the old. In my opinion there's still room for '77 style punk, '80s style hardcore, whatever, all within the genre loosely labelled 'punk'.
But anyway, I seem to have strayed from the point. Why were Refused so good? They breathed some life back into a suffocating genre. Their music was revolutionary, as were their lyrics. Their music was the sound of change, and they were 100% passionate about it. They weren't afraid of whether people would accept the change or not, including techno sections, employing classical instruments in their sound and not compromising on their vision. And they still managed to be heavy as hell, and sound severely peeved off, while insightful and intelligent.
Refused- 'The Shape Of Punk To Come'... The Best Hardcore Ever? Maybe even the best album ever... Decide for yourself.
The hardcore genre took the spirit of punk and pretty much did away with all subtlety. Much of Hardcore is pure red faced rage. But it's this fact that strangled it. There's only so many ways to be creative with what is generally accepted as hardcore (or any genre for that matter). If a genre refuses to change, evolve, it's not going to survive. If fans dismiss any change, whether it's getting heavier or more accessible, using technology to enhance songs or stripping music right down to the bones, then the genre is going to run out of ideas sometime. As a little band called operation Ivy (2 members of which are now in Rancid) once said in their sleeve notes, it's the momentum that keeps any subculture moving. If people lose interest in a genre, and new people stop getting into it, the momentum is going to slow.
This seems to be what drove Refused. They saw that too much was sounding the same. 'The Shape of Punk to Come' was a revolutionary album. And it still is. I think it will remain so until others pick up on what the album meant. I'm not talking lyrics here, just what the album as a whole was. It was like punk rock had been started as a rebellion against 'the system' and hardcore was an offshoot of it, supposedly angrier, harder and subtle as a sledgehammer. But it loses its voice. Loses its effect. Hardcore couldn't carry on under the same restrictions forever.
Refused broke the preconceptions. Put a middle finger up to those stubbornly insisting that 'this isn't true hardcore'. The walls were broken down, the battle lines set. You could enjoy the sound of change, of a revolution, or stick to what you knew, and watch a genre you love die. What the latter didn't seem to realise was that just because something new comes around, doesn't mean everyone will ditch the old. In my opinion there's still room for '77 style punk, '80s style hardcore, whatever, all within the genre loosely labelled 'punk'.
But anyway, I seem to have strayed from the point. Why were Refused so good? They breathed some life back into a suffocating genre. Their music was revolutionary, as were their lyrics. Their music was the sound of change, and they were 100% passionate about it. They weren't afraid of whether people would accept the change or not, including techno sections, employing classical instruments in their sound and not compromising on their vision. And they still managed to be heavy as hell, and sound severely peeved off, while insightful and intelligent.
Refused- 'The Shape Of Punk To Come'... The Best Hardcore Ever? Maybe even the best album ever... Decide for yourself.
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I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone when I say that I think Refused were one of the best hardcore bands ever, and certainly the best I have heard. So, were they the best hardcore band ever? Well, I don't think anyone can claim to have heard every hardcore band in existence but I think most fans of hardcore will agree Refused were certainly one of the best. But how did they achieve this?
The hardcore genre took the spirit of punk and pretty much did away with all subtlety. Much of Hardcore is pure red faced rage. But it's this fact that strangled it. There's only so many ways to be creative with what is generally accepted as hardcore (or any genre for that matter). If a genre refuses to change, evolve, it's not going to survive. If fans dismiss any change, whether it's getting heavier or more accessible, using technology to enhance songs or stripping music right down to the bones, then the genre is going to run out of ideas sometime. As a little band called operation Ivy (2 members of which are now in Rancid) once said in their sleeve notes, it's the momentum that keeps any subculture moving. If people lose interest in a genre, and new people stop getting into it, the momentum is going to slow.
This seems to be what drove Refused. They saw that too much was sounding the same. 'The Shape of Punk to Come' was a revolutionary album. And it still is. I think it will remain so until others pick up on what the album meant. I'm not talking lyrics here, just what the album as a whole was. It was like punk rock had been started as a rebellion against 'the system' and hardcore was an offshoot of it, supposedly angrier, harder and subtle as a sledgehammer. But it loses its voice. Loses its effect. Hardcore couldn't carry on under the same restrictions forever.
Refused broke the preconceptions. Put a middle finger up to those stubbornly insisting that 'this isn't true hardcore'. The walls were broken down, the battle lines set. You could enjoy the sound of change, of a revolution, or stick to what you knew, and watch a genre you love die. What the latter didn't seem to realise was that just because something new comes around, doesn't mean everyone will ditch the old. In my opinion there's still room for '77 style punk, '80s style hardcore, whatever, all within the genre loosely labelled 'punk'.
But anyway, I seem to have strayed from the point. Why were Refused so good? They breathed some life back into a suffocating genre. Their music was revolutionary, as were their lyrics. Their music was the sound of change, and they were 100% passionate about it. They weren't afraid of whether people would accept the change or not, including techno sections, employing classical instruments in their sound and not compromising on their vision. And they still managed to be heavy as hell, and sound severely peeved off, while insightful and intelligent.
Refused- 'The Shape Of Punk To Come'... The Best Hardcore Ever? Maybe even the best album ever... Decide for yourself.
The hardcore genre took the spirit of punk and pretty much did away with all subtlety. Much of Hardcore is pure red faced rage. But it's this fact that strangled it. There's only so many ways to be creative with what is generally accepted as hardcore (or any genre for that matter). If a genre refuses to change, evolve, it's not going to survive. If fans dismiss any change, whether it's getting heavier or more accessible, using technology to enhance songs or stripping music right down to the bones, then the genre is going to run out of ideas sometime. As a little band called operation Ivy (2 members of which are now in Rancid) once said in their sleeve notes, it's the momentum that keeps any subculture moving. If people lose interest in a genre, and new people stop getting into it, the momentum is going to slow.
This seems to be what drove Refused. They saw that too much was sounding the same. 'The Shape of Punk to Come' was a revolutionary album. And it still is. I think it will remain so until others pick up on what the album meant. I'm not talking lyrics here, just what the album as a whole was. It was like punk rock had been started as a rebellion against 'the system' and hardcore was an offshoot of it, supposedly angrier, harder and subtle as a sledgehammer. But it loses its voice. Loses its effect. Hardcore couldn't carry on under the same restrictions forever.
Refused broke the preconceptions. Put a middle finger up to those stubbornly insisting that 'this isn't true hardcore'. The walls were broken down, the battle lines set. You could enjoy the sound of change, of a revolution, or stick to what you knew, and watch a genre you love die. What the latter didn't seem to realise was that just because something new comes around, doesn't mean everyone will ditch the old. In my opinion there's still room for '77 style punk, '80s style hardcore, whatever, all within the genre loosely labelled 'punk'.
But anyway, I seem to have strayed from the point. Why were Refused so good? They breathed some life back into a suffocating genre. Their music was revolutionary, as were their lyrics. Their music was the sound of change, and they were 100% passionate about it. They weren't afraid of whether people would accept the change or not, including techno sections, employing classical instruments in their sound and not compromising on their vision. And they still managed to be heavy as hell, and sound severely peeved off, while insightful and intelligent.
Refused- 'The Shape Of Punk To Come'... The Best Hardcore Ever? Maybe even the best album ever... Decide for yourself.