Interview Refused: Death Knell

“In 2011, we were all living in the same town, moving in the same circles,” explains Dennis. “The stars were aligned, and we were thinking: ‘Can we actually pull this off? Are we still relevant? Do people care?’ But that whole year [2012], we called it the victory lap. [2025] has a similar energy to 2012, but the big difference is our internal dynamic. This is the band we always wanted to be, and now we’re breaking up. It’s perfect!”

Having already kicked off farewell proceedings in North America, Dennis describes these shows as “some of the best” in their history. As considered as he is with every word, there’s no doubt that he’s telling the truth for one moment. And, playing songs from their debut EP all the way through to 2019’s ‘War Music’, the frontman still finds himself resonating with his “exaggerated” protest lyrics through new avenues.

“When I was young, everything was pushed up to 11 – I was a very angry, unreasonable man,” he ponders. “[Nowadays] I can be quite reasonable, but when it comes to art and getting a political idea across, I still like the idea of pushing the envelope. You exaggerate because you want to get a point across.” But, he considers, “that’s why I could never dabble in real politics, because you want to be a dreamer… it’s not necessarily a good thing that [the topics] we wrote about – and exaggerated – are relevant today.”

“Refused is going to be one of the defining factors of who I am – forever. If we talk in 20 years, Refused will still be a topic of conversation, which is wild. When you start your band, that [thought] doesn’t exist, because it’s so fleeting. It’s a privilege to put out music that really means something to people.”

Having always remained musically active irrespective of the status of Refused, Dennis is staying busy: he recently released an album with free jazz-meets-hardcore outfit Backengrillen, and is gearing up for more with Fake Names and INVSN. The grin on his face when he talks about music is evident, too - at the age of 52, he’s still channelling his inner child.

Beyond that, the immediate future is filled with books and, er, frisbees. “Me and David [Sandström, drummer] talked about writing a Refused book,” he reveals, with the face of someone who has a hundred ideas whirring around his brain. “I also play disc golf – it’s like golf, but with a frisbee. Maybe I’ll focus on disc golf next year? It’s massive in the States, Sweden and Finland, and the rest of the world has some catching up to do. During the pandemic, it was the fastest growing sport in the world…”

Though he doesn’t rule out the possibility of one final Refused song, he’s resolute that this really is the end. Yet, perhaps against the odds, it looks set to be a fairytale ending, and you might want to bring some tissues into the circle pit when they pay their final visit to UK shores this October.

“Me and David started the band in 1991, and we’ve had a lot of struggles over the years,” Dennis concludes. “But we’re still here. The legacy of the band – the music and politics that we leave behind – makes me incredibly proud.”

Refused will play Mad Cool Festival, which takes place from 10th-13th July 2025 in Villaverde, Madrid. Find out more and get tickets at madcoolfestival.es.

Tags: Features, Interviews, June 2025, Refused