Refused – Songs To Fan The Flames of Discontent LP For Discount

The second full-length release from Sweden s Refused, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent was released in 1996 to uniform praise as the group s worldwide following grew in both numbers and intensity. Signifying a musical evolution that culminated with their masterpiece The Shape of Punk to Come, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent is perhaps the most metal offering in the group s catalogue. Consistently aggressive, the staccato guitar riffs and drumming rest directly on top of the beat, giving this tighter, later-era Refused material a thick sound that retains its punk energy. Highlights include the almost-death metal grooves on Life Support Addiction and Worthless Is the Freedom Bought, the latter being a somewhat scattered but still monumental hardcore epic. Quiet sections on cuts like Return to the Closet are an ambitious surprise that fans of the group s more single-minded early-career demos and EPs might not feel any special affinity for. But this range just broadens the band s unique appeal. A truly definitive late- 90s hardcore disc, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent is a first-rate record from one of the best, most aggressive hardcore bands of this or any era. — Vincent Jeffries