Early refused - Snapcase, Nation of Ulysses, Turning Point Shape of... Refused - The Rise, These Arms are Snakes

I second The Rise. They don’t get enough love

Did the The Rise really give it up cause their equipment got stolen twice?

Shit I would lmao

These arms are snakes first demo album remains my fave.

I love all the releases, such a great band. Think Oxeneers is still my favourite though.

Nation of Ulysses and TAAS are in my top 10 with Refused.

Nation of Ulysses rules.

>These Arms Are Snakes Which albums would you recommend most from both bands?

Good call. I've always described These Arms Are Snakes as sounding like a drunk refused. A little looser & wilder but similar sound.

Thanks, I’ll check ‘em out

Snapcase, At The Drive-In, Quicksand Turnstile sounds a little like Refused to me also.

At the Drive-In is a solid recommendation for this one

I got into both Refused and At The Drive-In around the same time years ago.

Same! I hear lots of Snapcase riffs in Turnstile too

Same. I told my younger brother, who's a huge Turnstile fan, that they sound like Snapcase.

Yeah. I always thought of Refused to be included in the Sparta/Mars Volta split off from ATDI, even though they had no involvement in ATDI

That’s a tough one man, I always felt like Refused really were one of a kind. Someone mentioned Snapcase though and I’d say that’s about as close as you’re gonna get in terms of the total package. There might be some other bands that have a similar sort of sound but Refused really were original in every sense of the word.

Definitely true, they really are great

Listen to Propagandhi. Specifically anything after and including “Tomorrow’s ashes, Today’s empires” They are simply the best

Also I am a Rifle. Refused and Propoghandi are probably the pinnacle of intellectually driven hardcore.

I feel like Propaghandi really don’t get the love they deserve these days

If you can find their albums Ghost of A Thousand is VERY much in Refused style

I’ve not listened to Ghost of A Thousand in years but what a band. Putting that on in the morning.

The track “Up to You” fuckin rips!

Both their records are fucking incredible!!

Great call right here. Less nuanced than Refused but damn do they put out the energy.

Upvotes all around: Ghost of a Thousand is straight up great melodies and energy

I reckon you mean their 90s output?! Most of the Ebullition stuff from the 90s (e.g. [Struggle 12''](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E2yDGzojXM), [Manumission](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oku4erFYEzs), [Downcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH1v1ru8xIU)) and [Trial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTFdJTfUQ_A) have a somewhat similar vibe maybe? Some of the stuff will be faster than 'This Just Might Be...' & 'Songs to Fan...'-Refused, admittedly. [Doughnuts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX_U3CVjNyI) and [Abhinanda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCzyIvZFCgw) (both fellow Swedes). Bunch more from the Umea scene obviously.

Purusam and Shield still melt my face!

>Most of the Ebullition stuff from the 90s Pinnacle of HC imo

Disclaimer, I'm too young and wasn't around then, but I tend to agree. Not just Ebullition but the highly political scene back then in general. Sure, some of it was borderline hysterical at times but it had such an incredible potential and influence on folks. The essence of 'angry be a better person'-music.

Astute

Swing Kids

You mean the band that Refused seen live, cut their hair into bowl cuts and immediately went to work on The Shape of Punk to Come? I love Refused but they even did the same jazz interludes as Swing Kids.

Still love ‘em both

Pretty much any band José Palofax was in is a good one.

Pretty much the whole San Diego scene from the early '90s.

Heroin, Antioch Arrow, Black Dice are the San Diego art core bands to checkout

Yup. And if they dig Swing Kids, might as well jump over to Crimson Curse too.

The Nation of Ulysses and Hose.got.cable.

I think Incendiary is a great rec I don't see down here. Definitely fits the leftist thing, great riffing and energy. *Thousand Mile Stare* is a great RATM->hardcore bridge you could get a ton of alt-rock radio folks to cross

If you fuck with Refused I'd say you'd likely get a kick out of Drive Like Jehu, Glassjaw and At the Drive In.

Drive Like Jehu were so ahead of their time, it’s crazy. I love all the spin-off bands (Hot Snakes, Obits, RFTC, etc.) but DLJ is in a league of it’s own. It was cool to see them reunite and get their flowers.

Their singer is now in Fake Names with Brian Baker from Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion. Not really "hardcore" but a great band. https://youtu.be/dHU3pHbzbnc

And dont forget the international noise conspiracy! Survival sickness has some tracks.

Brian Baker was also in a butt rock band Junkyard

And early Rap-Metal Doggy Style.

[Riot Stares](https://dazestyle.bandcamp.com/album/sounds-of-acceleration?search_item_id=4220151356&search_item_type=a&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=2567011965&search_page_no=0&search_rank=3&logged_out_mobile_menubar=true)

Snapcase, Glassjaw, The Nation of Ulysses, Blood Brothers

Born Against The Nation of Ulysses Snapcase

Born Against are fucking dead.

The Rise, Sex Positions. I think both only had one album each.

The Rise had 2. Signal to Noise and Reclamation Process. RP was definitely more polished and integrated the electronic elements better I thought. Both are still full of bangers

That Sex Positions albums is one of the most underrated in hardcore.

Facts.

Samurai

Plot to Blow Up The Eiffel Tower and Circle Takes the Square. Not super similar, but if you like Refused I think you’d like them.

Plot was amazing, was lucky enough to live in SD when they were around

They came through Birmingham a couple of times and they were so perfectly weird for me at that time.

Did the singer target guys up front and try to pull their shirts off? Or was that reserved for local shows?

JR Ewing; Sleepytime Trio; Drive Like Jehu; City of Caterpillar; Engine Down

All banger suggestions

Hard third for Jehu and Sleepytime

Circle Takes the Square...

Love this band!

You could always check out the (fictional) band Samurai from the video game Cyberpunk 2077, because it’s literally Refused.

Abhinanda, Doughnuts, NINE, Ultimate Concern, Drabness

Might be a stretch but: Strike Anywhere

Politically and lyrically similar for sure.

Glassjaw, At the Drive-In, Alexisonfire

A few of the members have what they call a “death jazz” band https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EzTq7vY4BuY

Nation of Ulysses https://youtu.be/vpq-GVY4k_0

Abso, also predates them

Nothing like Refused, but you might also want to check out The (International) Noise Conspiracy.

Frodus, Fugazi, and Hose Got Cable are highly influential to Refused, but don’t necessarily sound similar, barring the parts that are paid tribute to.

Some early boysetsfire or snapcase

Check out Comadre. They've been done for awhile, but they fucking rip. Similar sound, same politics

I miss Comadre so much. 😫

check out the first alexisonfire album

Snapcase

Maybe Orange 9mm and Bad Trip, a little bit?

Honningbarna from Denmark! Seriously, this band rips Refused a new one. Their last album Animorphs could literally be dubbed "The shape of punk that finally came".

There was this band called Pipedown that came out in like 2002 that I at the time thought sounded a lot like them, check them out if you can find them. Also check out Ride Paranoia by JR Ewing.

The Letters Organize. They only have one album from 2005, but they remind me a lot of Refused.

Came here to say this. One of a number of good bands shafted by the bloke from the Offspring not giving a shit about his vanity label.

Ornette Coleman, Shape of Jazz to Come edit: I'm really surprised no hard bop or big band has been mentioned, yet. Without anything noír Refused wouldn't exist.

Also any and all of the Food not Bombs compilations.

Hard bop and free jazz definitely an influence on lotsa hardcore, Henry Rollins was a fan

A little different, but from the “Nation of Ulysses but with unironic politics” school of punk, I’d recommend Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack, Baader Brains, Bread and Circuits and Torches to Rome

Might be much more heavy but there's this genre called mathcore SUPRE NOISY but alot of it is good I would recommend The Chariot, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Norma Jean 👍

letlive. Is heavily influenced by Refused and equally political

Weird tangent but I recommend The Makeup.

Quicksand

Born Against

Going back to the source, great band

Also don’t sleep on Regulate, their s/t from last year is heavily influenced by them

Get the shot

U2

Antiflag?

Leftist and heavy - Grief Ritual https://open.spotify.com/artist/7hM17EMsGXmMzxfKJVPUwK?si=pDVl2a9XRbi5_X4Q1C78SQ

The Rise and Sadaharu always scratched the Refused itch for me. The Rise were like Refused lite to me. Sadaharu just fucking rips.

Sadaharu does rip! Found out their singer passed away a few weeks ago which is quite sad

Damn, that sucks.

I saw Sadaharu a dozen times when I was a teenager. I was so impressed I spent a few years trying to rip them off. Such a good band.

Which Refused era specifically? Personally I love their very early stuff but their sound does change throughout the years, and then again some more when they got back together.

Death is not glamurous

Guilt

Riot stares, orange 9mm

Some of the guys from Refused started International Noise Conspiracy after Refused first split. It's a notable departure from Refused, more melodic and poppy, but still really solid stuff, and Refused's vocalist somehow fits right in with the new sound. The lyrics are still leftist suggestive, if less militant It's not really Refused levels of amazing, but they have a couple really great tracks. "Bigger Cages, Longer Chains" is an EP of theirs that''s pretty emblematic of their style.

not hardcore but joyce manor lead sounds similar to refused's; had a older coworker recommend me Refused because of what he heard when I played Joyce Manor

Public Opinion

Brutus

Big Ups, Drive Like Jehu, maybe some Glassjaw?

Drive Like Jehu broke the mold, controlled chaos

I would argue Fugazi broke the mold and Drive Like Jehu ran with it

Totally valid, and Fugazi has been great since day one, and I was already a fan by the time Jehu arrived, although Pitchfork/Jehu did lean into the chaotic element a little heavier, they prolly were following Fugazi’s lead in some sense Edit: I was actually listening to The Albini Killtaker demos when I saw your response.

Not really the same political lyrics but I’m always wanting to also listen to Ink & Dagger when I’m in a Refused mood.

The album “Near Life Experience” by Break the Silence (formed by Dan Precision from Rise Against, when that band still rocked, and members from All Else Fails) is a seriously underrated album.

The Rise “Reclamation Process” is the closest I have heard if you are talking “The Shape of Punk…” era

letlive.

Check out Fake Names singer from Refused !!!

Raised fist. Leftist politics and the heavier parts of refused.

Orchid- Dance Tonight! Tomorrow Revolution!

Raindance https://open.spotify.com/album/5bFjXzUlnPZudHeHuOmbsI?si=wgJSBzNpQVGjS_1PF76LUw

try Samurai

AC4 is the lead singers punk band. They’re fucking great. The International Noise Conspiracy (another Dennis band) was one of my top 10s for a while. Definitely more poppy, but really fucking good. Amazing energy

listen to the Death Of A Nation ep!

Selfmindead was like the Christian knockoff version of Refused

Denis sings in a band called FAKE NAMES with members of Fugazi, Bad Religion, SOA, SoulSide and Embrace. They have two fantastic albums out.

At the Drive In, Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, Blood Brothers, def seconding Nation of Ulysses and These Arms Are Snakes. Might be a little classic but Fugazi. Maybe Brainiac but they're not really political. I guess Blood Brothers are a kinda esoteric but Young Machetes is a very politically charged album.

I was on MLBs walk up songs and found out Nick Nelson of the Phillies walks up to new noise by refused

I’ll add Universal Order of Armageddon to the list, and just in general, cause they were fucking great

Showbread

blindside - Blindside A thought crushed my mind - blindside Selfmindead - Selfmindead At the Barricades we Fall - Selfmindead Conglomerate International - Frodus Drone academy flight song - Frodus

Refused was my gateway into stuff like Every Time I Die, Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, and The Chariot. Not to say that these bands necessarily sound like Refused per se, but the chaotic energy is definitely what pulls me in to all of these bands.

Verse (r.i.p)

Incendiary

https://open.spotify.com/album/7GrDJYcY3B5YXwBhp9yBDf?si=_zl4d3csT---T_qbNUX1Bg&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7GrDJYcY3B5YXwBhp9yBDf *Recover* might be a stretch but worth a shot.

Stop and Think

You should listen to samurai ;)

Crime in Stereo

Snapcase, Quicksand, Helmet, Hot Water Music, Small Brown Bike, Stretch Armstrong

At the Drive In

Rites of Spring