Artist: Napalm Death
Title: Utilitarian
Genre: Grindcore/ Deathgrind
Release Date: 24th February 2012
Label: Century Media
Album Review
In 1987, NAPALM DEATH’s first album, ‘Scum’, took the metal scene by surprise and the band continued doing so for the next fourteen years. In 2009, they released ‘Time Waits For No Slave’ and confirmed that despite many years in the scene they had no intention of either slowing down or mellowing out. After three years of silence, we now get ‘Utilitarian’. And, oh boy, this is really something!
This album is political, or else, it is ethically involved. This is not surprising as NAPALM DEATH have always been touching on issues such as politics, war, ethics, and environment. In the interview with theageofmetal.com, while discussing ‘Utilitarian’ and the concept behind it, Mark “Barney” Greenway emphasized the importance of self-doubt and resistance when faced with today’s world. But what is utilitarianism? Philosophically speaking, contemporary utilitarianism tells us that the moral value of actions is determined by the outcome and in this respect it is opposite to ethical egoism that promotes satisfying one’s needs even at the expense of others. What’s important is that utilitarianism is concerned with happiness and treats it as something that is universal and therefore of the same importance to everyone. This leads to the principle of equal consideration of interests - everyone is equal and no arbitrary decisions should be made without consulting every person concerned.
Knowing this, we can easily identify the utilitarian on the album cover. At least in my humble opinion the poor guy surrounded by sharks in suits is the unfortunate follower of the philosophy of equality. It also makes it easier to figure out, who the line from the opening track (‘Circumspect’) We simply will not acknowledge what we willingly choose to ignore may belong to. There is a short video available on the Napalm Death’s official web site (napalmdeath.org), in which Greenway explains more about how he understands the concept of utilitarianism and how it fits in with his life philosophy.
‘Utilitarian’ is impeccable when it comes to sound and production. It is as pugnacious and savage as the band’s previous work, with Greenway’s powerful vocals adding to the overwhelming feeling of visceral carnival and rage. This album has been produced by Russ Russel, known for his cooperation with DIMMU BORGIR and THE BERZERKER (among others). His superior craftsmanship can be heard on ‘Utilitarian’ too. The balance between rage, hate and vengeful energy delivered by the band and neatness of the sound is indeed impressive. There is true chaos without a mess, if you know what I mean. I like how the band experiments with different guitar sounds and with vocals - occasionally you may even hear a genuinely rabid black metal howl in the background as well as a medieval chorus (‘Fall On Their Swords’). Believe me or not, on ‘Everyday Pox’ you will hear sax (played by the famous John Zorn)!
‘Orders of Magnitude’ is a good example of the balance between experiment and a steady basis. Its style varies from the early 1990s Grindcore-like style to somewhere very near more contemporary styles such as death/black (sic!). It is catchy but fleshy and totally nasty at the same time. Such combination seems to be the leitmotiv of this album. Napalm death have never been scared of experimenting with more or less success but with ‘Utilitarian’ they have hit the nail on the head. Frankly, I have never liked Grindcore but I absolutely adore ‘Utilitarian’. Mainly because it steers far away from the stereotypical Grindcore sound of a foamy-mouthed guy shouting obscenities and trying extremely hard to do it loud enough so that the drummer brutalising his kit stays well in the background. You can say many things about ‘Utilitarian’ but you cannot say that it’s simple, ordinary or boring! It will grab you by the balls!
Tracklist
01. Circumspect - (2:17)
02. Errors In The Signals - (3:02)
03. Everyday Pox - (2:12)
04. Protection Racket - (4:00)
05. The Wolf I Feed - (2:57)
06. Quarantined - (2:47)
07. Fall On Their Swords - (3:57)
08. Collision Course - (3:14)
09. Orders of Magnitude - (3:21)
10. Think Tank Trials - (2:27)
11. Blank Look About Face - (3:12)
12. Leper Colony - (3:23)
13. Nom De Guerre - (1:07)
14. Analysis Paralysis - (3:23)
15. Opposites Repellent - (1:22)
16. A Gag Reflex - (3:30)
Line-up
Mark “Barney” Greenway – vocals
Mitch Harris – guitars
Shane Embury – bass
Danny Herrera – drums
Website
http://www.napalmdeath.org / www.facebook.com/officialnapalmdeath / http://twitter.com/NAPALM_DEATH
Cover Picture
Rating
Sound: 10
Music: 10
Total: 10 / 10
Buy the limited edition here and the standard edition here!
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