In 1993 a five piece band out of Sweden called Refused issued a EP called This Is The New Deal. It caught on a bit, the band became pretty popular because of it, and all of a sudden vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarists Jon Brännström and Kristofer Steen, bassist Magnus Höggren and drummer David Sandström found themselves one of the most talked about bands in the hardcore scene of the time. Five years after their recording debut and seven years after they'd formed, the band called it quits because they were unable to merge their politics with that of the music industry. Their final record, The Shape Of Punk To Come, remains a highly influential recording and is pretty much the best thing that they ever did – making it all the more interesting (and, in a sense, disappointing) that the band split up when they did. The future looked very bright for Refused but rather than coast on their newfound popularity, they quit while they were ahead.

Since disbanding, the group haven't really had much to say to the press nor have they made much of an effort to detail any really specific reasons why they split up. As a rule the band didn't really have much use for the press, turning down the opportunity to appear on the cover of Alternative Press and claming that for the most part journalists were only really trying to sell more magazines. There have been plenty of solo projects for the four band members, Dennis Lyxzén's The International Noise Conspiracy being the most successful of the lot, but as the title of the DVD states, Refused as an entity have more or less remained, well, f*cking dead.

This DVD, the first official DVD to cover the band in any way, shape or form, is important for two reasons – not only does it give fans who missed the band on their US tour (they called it quits in the middle of it after seven dates and cancelled the rest of the shows) an opportunity to check out a live set, but it also gives us a documentary made with the complete cooperation of all four members in which they finally talk about their experiences in Refused, in their own words and on their own terms.

Refused Are F*cking Dead:

Through interviews with all four members of the band and some interesting archival clips, this documentary pieces together to some extent at least the truth behind the demise of Refused. We hear, in their own words, stories of how they got tired of touring despite finally seeing some results in their popularity and record sales, and how the music industry was starting to enclose on them. They talk of their final performance, where the cops showed up to shut them down, and how that was sort of the final nail in the coffin for the band who had fast grown tired of life on the road and the politics of an industry that was adamantly opposed to their own personal beliefs and philosophies.

Pieced together by and Kristofer Steen, this is a pretty interesting look at the band who, having been split up for a few years now, have had a bit of time to reflect on the events that they discuss. The touring stories are interesting as is the history of the band that we're given through some interviews and what not, but what really makes this documentary work is the inevitable tale of implosion. The band members verge on the dramatic at times as they tell their tale and explain the philosophies and ideologies that made Refused what they were, and it's interesting to hear how once they started to taste popularity, they realized that they didn't really like it so much, at least as a unit.

Comparisons can be made to Nirvana, as the late Kurt Cobain had a tendency to eschew fame and stated numerous times that he really didn't want to be a rock star, and here we see similar ideals. Inner tensions did arise between band members, as can be expected when any group of people spend as much time together as a touring band does, and we hear how those same tensions started to eat away at the core. It's also interesting to hear the band talk about the enduring popularity of their work as some of their comments are pretty insightful.

Spilling anymore details about the piece would ruin some of the surprise for fans who have been waiting what seems like forever for this DVD to hit shelves. At thirty-eight minutes in length it does feel like it could have been longer and at times you're left wanting more details on certain aspects of Refused's short career but ultimately, we are left with a pretty comprehensive look at just what happened in the words of those who were there. Live clips from the early years through to the final tour make this one as interesting on a visual level as it is a cerebral one, it's a very different and thoroughly engrossing band documentary on a very different and thoroughly engrossing band.

The Shape Of Punk To Come - Live:

Doubled up with the documentary is this blistering forty one minute live performance in which the band performs the following songs in the following order:

-Worm Of The Senses/Faculties Of The Skull
-Liberation Frequency
-The Deadly Rhythm (Of The Production Line)
-Summer Holidays Versus Punk Routine
-New Noise
-The Refused Party Program
-Refused Are F*cking Dead
-The Shape Of Punk To Come
-Tannhauser/Derive

This is a seriously intense performance that's been captured here. Shot on a handheld camera the video bounces around from behind the drummer then to capture crowd reactions around the corner to the guitar and bass players and the vocalists as well. It's quite chaotic looking but so is the music and suitably so is the performance of the music so it all works. The audience is completely into the set, as enthusiastic as can be, and bouncing all over with only slightly less energy than the band themselves, who are all over the place on stage.

Dennis Lyxzén's vocals are insanely good here, ranging from smooth, almost Sinatra-esque crooning in spots to the demonic screams and angry chanting that punctuate so much of the band's library. Hearing him pull off live what sounded like studio tricks on the records is pretty impressive stuff and a testament to just how good a front-man he was when he wanted to be.

Video:

The documentary is presented in 1.85.1 non-anamorphic widescreen, and everything else on the disc is 1.33.1 fullframe. It looks like the concert was shot on video and the documentary on digital video, but with that in mind, the picture is pretty strong. There are some instances during the darker spots of the documentary where some mpeg compression is noticeable but that's really the only complain worth lodging against what is otherwise a fine visual presentation of some rough material. The concert footage looks better than most will expect and while it is a bit chaotic in spots, it works well against the context of the music. Some of the archival footage used in the documentary is a little worse for wear but when you figure it was captured primarily in small, dingy punk clubs and not always under the most ideal of circumstances, it's perfectly understandable that it looks the way it does. Overall, the disc looks pretty nice.