Refused are continuing the overdue 25th anniversary celebration of their seminal 1998 record with ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come Obliterated’: a 12-song tribute album featuring covers from prominent names in hardcore.
“Refused was one of the first shows I went to and the first time I was up front,” shares GEL’s Sami Kaiser. “It was a charismatic performance and rowdy crowd and it definitely contributed to my love of heavier music and the live shows that demonstrate the energy of the music authentically.”
Anaiah Lei of ZULU – who have covered ‘Protest Song ’68’ – previously said that they’ve “always been a Refused fan and even had the chance to tour with them back in 2012 with my old band. This record was definitely top 10 in my list of favourite hardcore albums and it was an honour to get to play a song off it. Especially this one because I’m like, ‘Y’all made this in the mid ’90s?’ Way ahead of its time!’”
Refused shared: “Whatever the record means to everyone else, it represents a remarkable time in our lives when we were young and devil-may-care, we were taking risks, wanting to prove our mettle, and more than anything else we want to celebrate that: the madness, the wild combinations, the pure creativity of it all. So we asked a bunch of artists we love and respect to actually take liberties with the songs and either rearrange or deconstruct the material completely, to take the engine apart essentially and not be precious about it. And they weren’t, and to us this is the only tribute to our record that matters: heroes of ours, young guns as well as old friends and peers complimenting our music by uncovering new possibilities and new meaning within it. These bands are all caviar for the general and we are honored they took time to be a part of this. Thank you all.”