Refused - Freedom download mp3 flac

The 180g version sounds really well produced. The music itself is mostly enjoyable, but things change and people change in the course of over a decade. If you expected some kind of continuation to The Shape of Punk to Come, you'll be disappointed. It was a pretty high bar they had set, so that shouldn't come as a huge surprise. TSOPTC had a sound that seemed to emanate from some physical space, somewhere on the edge of imagination. Freedom just sounds clean and seems to stand alone, kind of naked.

Bits of styles from International Noise Conspiracy and Lost Patrol find their way into the mix. This is all par for the course as the band had killed itself, it's leftovers cross pollinating into many side projects and groups. Some of which had their successes. Too many styles and influences detract from the bands original style, leaving the album feeling overproduced and lacking in the stinging, vitriolic and condemning heaviness the group had in their heyday. At times this album has that bombastic mid 00's pop rock vibe of big swingy drums and sing songy choruses, as if Refused have transformed into a group that could be accessible once more by a teenage audience. Perhaps this was their goal, for this longtime fan, Refused are still fucking dead, this new album did not change the meaning of that phrase, even 17 years later. To condemn capitalism and consumerism and christianity, as fans they gave us a high bar, we were to be ourselves at all costs. Selling out for Refused was a joke, a game, their music videos featuring them smashing crap and people moshing like there was no tommorow. Now it seems we've got a version of Refused who could follow up a Top Ten artist at any festival without offending the audience too much. Much like many of the bands I idolized and worshipped in the 90's and 00's, they could not stay young and having lost that lazer focus to chisel unforgettable albums, we are left with an uninspired comeback album.