When it was announced last month that Refused will soon be saying their last goodbye, it was also revealed that a group of artists will be celebrating the Swedish icons’ 1998 album The Shape of Punk to Come with The Shape of Punk to Come Obliterated. The upcoming compilation is a track-for-track reimagining featuring covers and remixes from Touché Amoré, Gel, Quicksand, Snapcase, IDLES, Zulu, Fucked Up, Cold Cave, Cult of Luna, and more. And today (October 1st), Cult of Luna‘s cover of “Tannhäuser / Derive” has arrived.
It’s a good fit for Cult of Luna, considering the original was already on the slower and more atmospheric side of things, and the tribute takes it even further into sludgy post-metal territory…basically making it sound like a Cult of Luna song.
“I hate covers and I usually am very reluctant to spend any time listening to one band playing another band’s songs,” Cult of Luna vocalist-guitarist Johannes Persson commented. “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 six-minute 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.”
As previously reported, Refused’s North American farewell tour takes place in 2025, and it features support from Quicksand. That kicks off at NYC’s Brooklyn Paramount on March 21st. All dates are listed below.
Refused and 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
This article was originally published on BrooklynVegan.com and has been edited by Revolver.