Refused are (slightly belatedly) celebrating the 25th anniversary of their classic 1998 album The Shape of Punk to Come with The Shape of Punk to Come Obliterated, which features covers/remixes by every song on the album by Touché Amoré, Gel, Quicksand, Snapcase, IDLES, Zulu, Fucked Up, Cold Cave, Cult of Luna, and more. Today, the Cult of Luna cover of “Tannhäuser / Derive” is here.
It’s a good fit for Cult of Luna, considering it’s already on the slower and more atmospheric side, and they take it even further into sludgy post-metal territory and basically make it sound like a Cult of Luna song. CoL guitarist/vocalist Johannes Persson says:
I hate covers and I usually am very reluctant to spend any time listening to one band playing another band’s songs. However, I’m very excited by the opportunity to dive into another artist’s writing and see how I can contribute my own creative style. For me that’s the only way to justify making a cover, it needs to have the musical mark of the original artist. You need to take what is someone else’s and make it yours by adding, not merely copying.
We felt very honored when Refused asked us to cover one of their songs. Not only are they a band that we grew up listening and looking up to but they also were the pinnacle of Umeå hardcore. The scene that was the birthplace of our band. After the recording of ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’ I remember Dennis boasting about this 6 min epic song, their “Tannhäuser”. That’s the reason why I picked the song. If you want “epic” Dennis, we’ll give you epic!!! And thanks for the trust.
Listen below.
Refused are also saying goodbye (again) with a North American farewell tour in 2025 that features support from Quicksand. That kicks off at NYC’s Brooklyn Paramount on March 21. All dates are listed below.
Refused / Quicksand — 2025 Tour Dates
March 21 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
March 23 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
March 25 – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed
March 27 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
March 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Exposition Hall
March 29 – Del Mar, CA – The Sound
March 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theatre
April 1 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
April 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – Union Event Center
April 4 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
April 5 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
April 7 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
April 8 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
April 10 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades