The Witzard

Fake Names is a Punk/Hardcore super-group consisting of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén (Refused, INVSN, SAMURAI,) guitarist/vocalist Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Dag Nasty,) second lead guitarist/vocalist Michael Hampton (Embrace, The Faith, S.O.A.) bassist Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside, New Wet Kojak,) and, sometimes, drummer Matt Schulz (SAVAK, Holy F*ck, Enon.) "I'm in a new band with some friends from elementary school(!) and a sharp-dressed revolutionary from Sweden," Brian Baker (@brianbakers) posted on Instagram Wednesday morning; of course, referring to Hampton, Temple, and Lyxzén, respectively. Again, it appears as though Schulz is a part-time members of Fake Names , having played live with the band in their early aughts, although, their newly-launched website adds, " Matt [Schulz] played the drums. No synthesizers," within, what appears to be, digital liner notes. Guitarists Brian Baker & Michael Hampton first started j...

"It's not a reunion anymore. This is one of the most radical things we've ever done, both musically and lyrically," Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzén quipped upon the sporadic release of the Swedish Hardcore Punk band's first single in some 17 years, "Elektra." "Nobody wanted us to f*ck with the image of the band who makes a great album and splits up," drummer David Sandström added. "Nobody wanted us to dilute it. That actually provoked us." While it should have arguably been one of the formative Punk Rock records I 'cut my teeth' on as an angsty teenager along with Black Flag , The Misfits, and Minor Threat/Fugazi , for whatever reasons, I hate to admit, I only first heard Refused's genre-shaping magnum opus, The Shape of Punk to Come just a few years ago; upon a first listen, "Elektra" follows in line with what Rolling Stone sums up as a seamless "fusion of Hardcore, Techno, Jazz , and Hip-Hop ,...