Almost 24 years ago, Refused released The Shape Of Punk To Come, a twisty and hyperkinetic hardcore record that did everything in its power to live up to its portentous title. The Swedish band crammed synth-bleeps and drum-'n'-bass explosions and spoken-word interludes into music that was already frantic, and they polished it all up until it sounded stadium-sized. The effort ripped the band to shreds, and they broke up almost immediately. They came back many years later for some cash-in reunion tours and with an underwhelming comeback album that they recorded partially with a Max Martin understudy. The worst thing about The Shape Of Punk To Come might be the fact that the title proved accurate. Over the next decade, a whole lot of wack-ass shit, as well as at least a little bit of genuinely great shit, came out of all the bands who tried to be Refused. But the album itself still stands as a towering bugout -- a hardcore band trying to become everything and actually sort of succeeding.