Napalm Death: Utilitarian

Who would have believed that Napalm Death would still be producing powerful albums after all these years? Aren't metal bands from the 80s supposed to burn out, break up, and fall apart, only later to discover their love of music, their fans, and their tour schedules? That's the plot many of us are used to, but Napalm Death doesn't really fit into any familiar story arcs. After all, they aren't the typical heavy metal band. For most fans, Napalm Death lies at the head of Grindcore, that punk-infused style of heavy metal that is still a creative and exciting musical movement. Sure, there aren't any founding members left in Napalm Death, but as long as the band exists and produces strong and uncompromising music, who cares? Utilitarian, their 15th release is unrelenting, aggressive, and disturbing--just what fans have come to expect. Even better, Utilitarian offers listeners 17 new tracks, none of which feel like throwaway tracks or filler. I've been listening to this album constantly over several days now and I like it more and more.

Utilitarian begins powerfully, with a fairly calm, yet gloomy, instrumental track called "Circumspect" that lays down the mood for the rest of the album. It serves up a strong drum line and a low-end guitar riff that hint at the punk-inspired riffs to come. After "Circumspect," things speed up and rarely slow down for the rest of the album. For me, the best songs on the album were in the first half, particularly "Errors in the Signals," "The Wolf I Feed," "Protection Racket," and "Fall on Their Swords." Check out the nearly Viking-metal sound of the chorus of male voices in "Fall on Their Swords." Is Napalm Death trying to sound epic? I doubt it, but the sound on this track is captivating and powerful. Even better, listeners should definitely listen to the tension the band creates on "The Wolf I Feed," a song that surely speaks to the old idea that our characters are formed by what "wolf" we feed through our actions. For this album, I think the point is supposed to be apocalyptic--the world is a violent, insane, place, one almost impossible to understand. Some wolves are always hungry.

I'm sure that one of the most talked-about parts of Utilitarian will be the saxophone solo by John Zorn on "Everyday Pox." The sound it creates is akin to a futile scream, a plea to be heard in a world of absolute chaos. The solo sounds improvised, but this isn't an attempt to create a hybrid of metal and jazz. No, this solo is about the brutal and terrifying, the hopeless and the downtrodden. "Collision Course" reminds us more than once that "death will take us all in the end." If you need further proof, check out the album's cover art where a team of corporate-looking guys are kicking a defenseless man. This is a record about such moments of helpless despair, a realization that life is sometimes brutal and desperate.

Track Listing:
1. Circumspect
2. Errors in the Signals
3. Everyday Pox
4. Protection Racket
5. The Wolf I Feed
6. Quarantined
7. Fall on their Swords
8. Collision Course
9. Orders of Magnitude
10. Think Tank Trials
11. Blank Look About Face
12. Leper Colony
13. Nom De Guerre
14. Analysis Paralysis
15. Opposites Repellent
16. A Gag Reflex
17. Everything in Mono

Added: April 13th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2864
Language: english

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