Review: “Burned Beyond” by Refuse The Future

What happens when you take that Hardcore and Metal combination that was lumped in with American Metalcore in 2003 despite being very different and then bring it up to date with the production values of 2025? The answer to that one can be found with Boston Massachusetts Refuse The Future, a band who have Jamie King (The Contortionist, Between The Buried And Me, Dead Man In Reno) to thank for nailing the mixing and mastering on their debut record “Burned Beyond“. Joining vocalist Daniel Picknell and guitarist, bassist and backing vocalist Jason Calieri on this one is none other than Ken Schalk of Candiria fame, who provided drums, percussion and synth. As if that wasn’t enough to get excited about, they’ve cited Botch as one of their influences…

Hints of influence from bands like From Autumn To Ashes and The Fall Of Troy rise to the surface with fleeting lead guitar moments that offer very distinctive melodies on the otherwise Metallic Hardcore head rush of opening cut “Walking Wounded” as Refuse The Future expand their horizons with urgency. Flirting with Post-Hardcore sensibilities while Picknell screams “Wake up!” like a Sargent Major in Hell’s army ensures this one rattles the cage, passing up the opportunity for a melodic introduction piece and getting up close and personal almost immediately. The battery acid nausea of the churning riffs of “An Avalanche” immediately brings Meshuggah to mind, something that you might not have thought possible on the evidence of the opening cut. A powerhouse statement piece of violent vitriol is the perfect accompaniment to those weighty grooves, the band determined to get their message across in one way, shape or form. After that chilling demonstration of controlled aggression “Phantom Limb” then lets loose with a quirky piece of lead wrapped in Mathcore riff orientated chains, the aggressive nature of this beast meaning its threatening to go feral at any given moment.

The blood spills onto the page with “Letters Of Last Resort“, a ferocious cut with plentiful nuance underneath the rapid fire riffs that fly in all directions as Picknell asks simply “how many souls have you pulled under?” while sounding like a voice for the voiceless. In the final third some melancholia creeps into the soundscape as the sonically they spread their wings, the out cleverly turning the opportunity to introduce any clean vocals. “Cargo Cult” features a guitar solo from Matte Henderson and with the bass brought forward in the mix to act as a second rhythm guitar, it becomes a neck snapping delight with its clanky tone. A spoken word element is a nice change up, the energy and urgency of the onslaught maintained throughout as the band throwback to that early 2000’s sound with aplomb. Too Hardcore for Metal heads and too Metal for Hardcore fiends means that this is the knuckle duster armed sucker punch that you need in your life and the trademark kit work from Schalk is the icing on the cake. Acting as something of a tension break “Release/Ascension” is the warmth of the sun after a cold night of bitter argument. An acoustic instrumental that on paper doesn’t belong, in reality its gentle yet determined melody is actually a conclusion perfectly in keeping with its surroundings [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Walking Wounded
2. An Avalanche
3. Phantom Limb
4. Letters Of Last Resort
5. Cargo Cult (ft. Matte Henderson)
6. Release/Ascension

“Burned Beyond” by Refuse The Future is out 19th September 2025 and is available over at bandcamp