''Freedom'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

band

Refused Refused (also known as the Refused) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarist Kristofer Steen, drummer David Sandström, and bassist Magnus Flagge. G ...

, released via

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and em ...

on 29 June 2015. It is the first album released by the band since 1998's ''

The Shape of Punk to Come ''The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts'', often shortened to ''The Shape of Punk to Come'', is the third album by Swedish hardcore punk band Refused, released on 27 October 1998 through Burning Heart Records. Although ...

'', as well as the first album to feature bassist Magnus Flagge as a full-time member since '' Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent'' (1996) and first to not feature guitarist Jon F. Brännström since '' This Just Might Be... the Truth'' (1994).

Background

After the band's successful 2012 reunion tour, Refused entered a hiatus for the next two years, however, rumours of a return to touring resurfaced after Jon Brännström posted on the group's

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

page that he was fired some time in 2013. The band announced later in November 2014 that they would perform in a string of festival dates and tour dates in North America supporting

Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, k ...

. Already two weeks before rumours began to surface of a new album, after ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's Autrey Fulbright II posted a photo on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

claiming that Lyxzén had been in the studio recording vocals for the album. The post in question was quickly deleted, however in April 2015 the group announced that they would be releasing a new album in June. The album was produced by

Nick Launay Nicolas Launay is an English record producer, composer and recording engineer. He is one of the most sought after record producers in the world due to his success with recent albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Anna Calvi, IDLES, Black Reb ...

, who was known for his work with bands such as

Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and ...

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass). Their first album, '' Killing Joke'', was released ...

and

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and p ...

, with two tracks co-written and produced by former Blinded Colony frontman and prolific pop producer Shellback, including lead single "Elektra". Other co-writing credits include "Old Friends / New War" with lyrics inspired by

Osip Mandelstam Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet. He was one of the foremost members of the A ...

and "Destroy the Man" co-written with Anders Lind. The band released the track "Elektra" on a "pay what you want" offer, along with pre-orders of the album for donations of over $25, in conjunction with charity

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

after the

April 2015 Nepal earthquake The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) killed 8,964 people and injured 21,952 more. It occurred at on Saturday, 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of 7.8 Mw or 8.1 Ms and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of X (''Extrem ...

and subsequent

aftershocks In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

. This was followed by the release of "Françafrique" on 26 May, and "Dawkins Christ" by

BBC Radio One BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

as the "Hottest Record in the World" on 11 June 2015.

Reception

The album was included at number 33 on ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...

''s top 50 releases of 2015 list.

Track listing

Personnel

Refused * Dennis Lyxzén –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

* David Sandström –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

Kristofer Steen Kristofer Steen (born June 26, 1974) is a Swedish musician, who is the guitarist for hardcore punk band Refused. He directed '' Refused Are Fucking Dead'', a 2006 documentary charting the demise of Refused in 1998. After Refused's demise, Steen ...

– guitars *Magnus Flagge – bass guitar The Françafrique Children's Choir *Rosie Ford *Grace Darces-Mannings *Elisa-Jane Pasfield *Jack Holman-Brown *Bianca Fonti *Hugo Roles Additional musicians *Church – additional vocals (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9) * Jennifer Goodridge – additional vocals (tracks 3 and 10) *Brian Grover – additional vocals (tracks 3 and 10) *Adam "Atom" Greenspan – keyboards, programming (tracks 2 and 9) *Robert Columbus – percussion (tracks 3 and 4) *Rasmus Lindelöw – keyboards (tracks 5 and 6) *Dan Regan – horns (tracks 4 and 6) *John Christianson – horns (tracks 4 and 6) *Matt Appleton – horns (tracks 4 and 6) *Per Nordmark – tambourine (track 7) ProductionAlbum Credits

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

– production, mixing *Adam "Atom" Greenspan – assistant producer, engineering *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and ...

– mastering * Shellback – production (tracks 1 and 8) *Michael Ilbert – production, engineering, mixing (tracks 1 and 8) *Nanni Johansson – assistant engineering (tracks 1 and 8) *Tom Coyne – mastering (tracks 1 and 8) *Gustav Lindelöw – additional recording *Jonathon Baker – assistant engineer (The Françafrique Children's Choir) *Christoffer Berg – additional sound design (tracks 3 and 5) *Fredrik Söderberg – paintings *Daniel Andersson – art design

Charts

References

Sources * {{Authority control 2015 albums Refused albums Epitaph Records albums Albums produced by Nick Launay Albums produced by Shellback (record producer)