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| RefusedThe Shape of Punk to Come [reissue]2004 Burning Heart ![Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come [reissue] (Cover Artwork)](/images/covers/refused-shape_of_punk-reiss.jpg)
 Review by: pwfanatic See others by this writer Refused (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on November 19th 2004
The saying is something like, “If it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it.” When I heard that “The Shape of Punk to Come” was heading back to the studio for a second time around, I was not sure if I was too excited about that. I am one of the appreciators of this album and I regard it as one of the best albums ever created. Refused and company were ahead of their time when they said it and their untimely end would prove that no one would every come close to replicating it. Where as many people refuse to admit that this “non-punk” influenced the music they listen to in any fashion, I can still see little touches in many bands that recall this album. So here I am sitting here thinking that this chimerical bombination of twelve bursts is practically the second coming. Any negative change would be considered blasphemy, so the hopes seemed impossibly high for this album to be any form of success. The advertisement for the other remastered albums inside calls it “A punkrock odyssey through shit and failure.” Rather sure of themselves they are… The changes start rather immediately. The first line of the album is no longer “I’ve got a bone to pick with capitalism,” but is now, “Grab us by the throat and shake the life away.” Hearing this difference was disconcerting and caught me off guard, and would be the set reaction for every change that was made. From the start however, everything is much clearer. Every guitar line, every cymbal hit, every single one of Dennis’s shrieks, it has all been touched up and cleaned up. The full effect of the 5.1 comes experienced as “Let’s take the first bus out of here” literally echoes all around your head, and it was at this point that I realized that this was the way the album was truly meant to be listened to. The genius of the touch up can be heard right at the beginning of “Liberation Frequency.” I for one did not know that there are actually two little guitar lines strumming along, one being much quieter than the other. However, with the clean up done, it is a lot more noticeable. This is what makes the remastering a complete success. I always knew that “The Shape of Punk to Come” was a rather complex and pretentious album, but on the CD version, a lot of it just gets buried underneath its own distortion and heaviness. Not this time around, for the result of the extra studio work put in to cleaning it up showcases the skills of all the musicians even more. Everything is heard and nothing drowns anything out (except for a few times when Dennis’ vocals are a bit too loud for comfort). But it is these little clean ups done that makes it so great. I never knew that in the stand up bass breakdown on “The Deadly Rhythm” (actually, I don’t know if they added this effect or not) there was the background noise of a little jazz club crowd, clapping at the very end. It is these little tweaks that make listening to this album for the first time an experience. I constantly found myself shocked at first, but then after the change sunk in, pleasantly surprised. Aside from “Brutish Pome #5” which got a heavy, yet understandably easier makeover, the huge shock of the album is the “Refused Are Fuckin’ Dead.” We all remember the remix put out on “The New Noise Theology EP”, so I was wondering exactly what they were going to call this song, because about halfway through, it completely breaks down into a mix of that old remix with some new little touches thrown in. “The Refused Are Fuckin’ Dead .5 remix?” It’s a bit crazy sounding with all the new electronics thrown in, but after it is all over, the song still feels familiar. This is the standard aftertaste of every change that was made. It all still feels familiar; the original album just seems like a teaser now. It almost seems like this was the plan all along, that the boys of Refused just knew that they were going to release the album in this fashion eventually. It makes complete use of all the speakers, and not in a way that is overbearing at all. An incredibly pretentious album gets an incredibly pretentious makeover. The shoes still fit on the album. So after I have sat here and converted myself to a frighteningly devoted follower of a defunct band, there has to be something wrong with the album. The only thing that I can think of would be that to truly experience the release the way it was meant would require a lot of electronics surrounding you head. That is quite true, but I also listened to the album on my own crappy two speakers hooked up to my computer, and it still sounds fantastic. Not as cool, but I still will listen to this version of it over the original. So pretty much the only down side I can see to the whole release is that DVD players in cars are still semi-expensive (I think, I don’t look at their prices) and so I cannot blast revolution in the new fashion as I drive down the streets of America suburbia like I want to. Other than that, nothing is wrong at all. This is one of the best albums ever made even better. And for those that have the equipment to truly experience 5.1 digital surround sound, do not even hesitate. Go buy this album now! But when it is all said and done, the best part of it isn’t even on the actual release. It’s the little flyer advertising all the new releases, as well as a picture of an all black DVD that made me drool continuously for over fifteen minutes. “The Refused Are Fucking Dead DVD – Refused are dead. They spent the last year in existence touring godforsaken hellholes scattered around the western world. This is their testament.” What a bunch of loveable cocky bastards… People who liked this also liked:    ![Operation Ivy - Operation Ivy [reissue]](/images/covers/thumb/operation_ivy-operation_ivy.jpg)    ![Bomb the Music Industry! / O Pioneers!!! - Split [10 inch]](/images/covers/thumb/bomb_the_music_industry_o_pioneers-split.jpg)   Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
seriously one of the best cd of the last 10 years, and one of the most reveloutionary in the past 20. they totally ripped off international noise conspiracy. Daaaaaamb this is the best CD! I have ever heard and,I wish every body herd and new about this band even my grandmother listens to this CD>> !!!!!!!!!!!......... ;] KEEP UP THE GOOD FU*$#Kn WORK.......... I love this album. I can't believe it took me awhile to buy it! semantics. fuckers. this isnt punk, this is fucking hardcore. and it is the greatest hardcore record to date. this band was the fucking greatest. punk is talentless shit-rock. refused fucking rocks. normally i don't like punk but this is unbelievable !!! Antioch Arrow and Guyana Punch Line This album is excellent. Okay, this record is good. But one of the best ever? Naw. Fuck this band! "Hey, lets play a fun game where we're all elitist fucks and name drop bands to make other people feel ignorant!" Everyone else, go fuck yourselves. No one cares what you think. They fucked it up a little bit, but it's still an awesome disc. "Hey, lets play a fun game where we're all elitist fucks and name drop bands to make other people feel ignorant!" oh, and incidentally, one of the best hardcore albums EVER i think we should storm burning heart's business office (or wherever the responsible party is located) and demand that they release the refused dvd NOW "My real concern is if anyone can actually afford a 5.1 sound system." My real concern is if anyone can actually afford a 5.1 sound system. Yeah. NoU is good, Refused isn't. So of course they're not identical. There are similarities, but it's not like they're indentical. "Shape" was a great record, and so was NoU's "Plays Pretty For Baby" - but for the people who say that they sound nothing alike, you should think back to the spoken-word interludes and odd jazzy breakdowns that exist in both bands. "New Noise" is a crappy song with an uber-trendy video. I think you're wrong there. A good record, but nothing more than good. "Not bad, but holy shit, try to rip off Nation of Ulysses a little more blatantly" I'm suprised that everyone already tapped the "NoU" schtick already. I thought both bands were great, even if the Mr. Lyxzen seems prone to Svenonius worship (Nothing wrong with drawing some inspiration from the greats). as much as i may like this it has to be the most overrated album in punk/hardcore You all need to get jobs. Where as many people refuse to admit that this “non-punk” influenced the music they listen to in any fashion, I can still see little touches in many bands that recall this album- oh man, so many douchebags on this thread. Go alphabetize your record collection or something. right ok, everyone. except refused SOUND NOTHING LIKE NATION OF ULYSSES. they borrowed their asthetic, no denying it. borrowed stuff like that from born against too. but they don't sound like either band! they may have been influenced by bands, but they took what came before them, added their own stuff and came up with a unique and powerful mix. so all you people who are saying refused ripped off tons of bands can come up with one example, nation, and you are still only talking about their look? and its not even like nation had costumes and refused ripped them, its more like they comb their hair similar? The main difference between the NoU and Refused is that the former was into it for the love of music. "refused ripped off Nation of Ulysses" is just something jaded scenesters who hate Refused say to sound cool...yeah ok maybe they adapted the look but that's about it...these bands sound way way far apart Fuck this negativity. This new mix is incredible and deserving for such a monumental album. It sounds amazing. That's why it won the award for Best Multichannel Reissue at the Surround Music Awards in the US in August Haven't heard this version, can't comment on that, but the original was fantastic. would it make me super idie punx to say that refused is tons better than nation of ulysses and that they dont really sound anything alike? not to say that n.o.u. is bad but they arent similar at all. Wow, so much animosity to one of the greatest bands in our section of music. Fuck that, just hop on over to www.dischord.com and buy as many releases as you can. Only $10$. And make sure to buy the debut from the Routineers so you can tell me what they sound like. I am sorry to say, Refused did rip off Nation of Ulysses's aesthetic, and made it more accessible at the same time. Then T(I)NC formed after The Make Up formed. Now I'm just waiting for T(I)NC to break up and start a 70s psych band ala Weird War. Shape Of Punk To Come was good, but I feel like it hasn't aged too well. And NoU had way more cred than this band of sell-outs. For starters, I've never heard of any NoU singles. "Thats the first time pointing out a typo reversed the meaning of the sentence. He meant everyone rips the refused sound and aesthetic off. " they ruined one of the best punk cds ever made. adding minutes of noise into the middle of a song is fucking retarded. making the drums sound like cardboard is retarded. changing the vocals around is seriously stupid. i honestly can't imagine the band listening to this and going "oh yea this is DEFINITELY better. i love how the guitar is almost inaudable!" I forgot to post under my name. Yay me. Wait... gay me. Sweet. I haven't even heard the remastered version, but I love this fucking album. Kiss my ass with ur comments by the way! Yeeeeehaaaaaaaah!!!! Hey, lets play a fun game where we're all elitist fucks and name drop bands to make other people feel ignorant! But the NoU actually sounded good. "Thats the first time pointing out a typo reversed the meaning of the sentence. He meant everyone rips the refused sound and aesthetic off." Not bad, but holy shit, try to rip off Nation of Ulysses a little more blatantly. This just isn't as revolutionary as people seem to think. It's just bad metal with keyboards. BSD you're such a fucking fag. Ok, sorry, but that opening line is one of my favorite opening lines on an album ever, the removal of it takes away majorly from the song, and album. I mean that line sets the tone for the whole fucking album, and when it is followed by "and a few to break" it just screams greates punk opening ever. "Refused gets ripped off by everyone" I love the original record, and as much as it pains me to say it, playing the DVD version was a huge disappointment. Here I was, with my 5.1 setup, anticipating the subwoofer blowing the doors off my apartment, and yet, it was a weaker mix than the CD. "Refused gets ripped off by everyone" i can't believe you gave this reissue a good review...they fucking BUTCHERED one of the greatest punk records of the 90s...this is a giant travesty...the amazing guitar tone is gone...the amazing drumming is toned down...Dennis's voice (and ego) is pushed to the forefront...there's all these horrible bullshit techno-y parts thrown in (see: Brutist Pome, Protest Song, Tannhauser, Refused Are Fucking Dead) and all these different little nuances are thrown in that turn the album to shit...they even changed that amazing first line...god they threw this fucking AWFUL and super awkward radio/sample segment in Protest Song...then proceeded to butcher that amazing guitar line where the drums fade out at the end...I don't know what the fuck they were thinking...and that part in Tannhauser during the spoken word part that used to be so amazing...ugh i don't even wanna talk about it... Pavement formed long before Refused. And just so you know, JTB is my favorite indie band. Fucknuts. Go listen to pavement chinatown Refused gets ripped off by everyone I've only heard 2 songs by this "legendary" band--New Noise and the one on P-O-R 4. I don't care for either of them. hmmmmm i seem to have put an "a" in there instead of an "e" Is it just me or does that new song by the Used sound like a really bad Rafused rip off? Wait a minute, used, refused, refUSED, holy shit! i love the fuck out of this album. but i'm not really ok with them changing it. just so everyone knows this is a dvd audio cd and needs to be played on a dvd player, it won't play in a normal cd player amzing album. still sounds as fresh as it did when I first heard it I actually like this band somewhat. Not that great in my opinion, but I can see how they'd be popular with druggy commies. hmmm... perhaps you should have explained how 5.1 surround sound works? Your review is really vague on that. "I cannot blast revolution in the new fashion as I drive down the streets of America suburbia like I want to." Awesome, except you ended the sentence with a preposition. You fail, otherwise good review. I really hope one of my friends pick this up. Oh and BSD, before you make a negative comment on this album, shut your cake hole. So pretty much all they did was remaster it, and screw with the one song? this cd is awesome. |
