Utilitarian

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Utilitarian
Studio album by Napalm Death

Publication
(s)

February 24, 2012

admission

February to October 2011

Label (s) Century Media

Format (s)

CD , double LP , download

Genre (s)

Grindcore

Title (number)

16 + 2

occupation

production

Russ Russell

Studio (s)

Parlor Studios, Kettering , England

chronology
Time Waits for No Slave
(2009)
Utilitarian -

Utilitarian is the 15th studio album by British grindcore band Napalm Death . It was released by Century Media on February 24, 2012 . Parallel to the album, the band started the Occupy Napalm campaign on Facebook , calling for support for the Occupy movement .

Emergence

The song ideas come mainly from Shane Embury and Mitch Harris, while the album concept is largely based on the lyrics of singer Barney Greenway. While Shane Embury's influences are traditional US hardcore and early death metal , Mitch Harris brings in more modern ideas. The recording began in February 2011 at Parlor Studios, Kettering , England , and lasted with interruptions until October 2011. It was produced by Russ Russell, the final mix was completed in November 2011. John Zorn can be heard as a guest musician in Everyday Pox , where he recorded the saxophone parts.

Conception

The album concept relates to the core sentence of utilitarianism "Act in such a way that the greatest possible degree of happiness arises!" However, the band is critical of utilitarianism itself, the approach of the album is to get people to think and their own conclusions from the teachings of utilitarianism. The album cover comes from the Danish artist Frode Sylthe and its design is based on the cover of Napalm Death's debut album Scum . It shows a person lying on the ground in the middle, symbolizing utilitarianism. Around him there are several people in dark suits who step on those lying on the ground, they are supposed to symbolize the state authority, which beats the positive and ethical values ​​out of him. Although the album follows a basic idea, it is not a concept album . The texts contain political statements on various topics. Errors in the Signals is about society's pressure on individuals to behave in conformity with the masses , Orders of Magnitute (text by Mitch Harris) thematizes plans to manipulate the climate, and A Gag Reflex (Eng: 'nausea') is directed against it the aversion of some people to homosexuals .

Reviews and success

Volkmar Weber from Rock Hard thinks that Utilitarian is not easily digestible food, rather the album is a "grind-break hate chunk". Michael Edele from the online magazine laut.de calls Utilitarian a "highlight in the extreme area". The album offers a lot of variety with the saxophone playing of John Zorn, which takes getting used to, the newly added choirs, the influences from Thrash Metal and the Voivod- like clear vocals. Edele praises this diversity, but says that for some fans of the band it could be "too much of a good thing". Jon O'Brien from Allmusic calls the album "brutal, unrestrained and wild" and it shows that the band is not yet old.

Utilitarian reached the official sales charts in Germany and Switzerland and is the first Napalm Death album to make it into the US album charts. In the week of March 17, 2012, it debuted at number 14 on the Top Heatseekers album . The German magazine Visions had the album in their list of the 66 + 6 best metal albums of the third millennium in spring 2017.

Track list

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Utilitarian
  DE 74 03/09/2012 (1 week)
  CH 88 03/11/2012 (1 week)
  1. Circumspect - 2:09
  2. Errors in the Signals - 3:00
  3. Everyday Pox - 2:10
  4. Protection Racket - 3:52
  5. The Wolf I Feed - 2:50
  6. Quarantined - 2:46
  7. Fall on Their Swords - 3:55
  8. Collision Course - 3:12
  9. Orders of Magnitude - 3:19
  10. Think Tank Trials - 2:25
  11. Blank Look About Face - 3:09
  12. Leper Colony - 3:20
  13. Aim Without an Aim - 3:06
  14. Everything in Mono - 2:49
  15. Nom de guerre - 1:05
  16. Analysis Paralysis - 3:20
  17. Opposites repellent - 1:21
  18. A Gag Reflex - 3:27
Note
  1. a b bonus track

Remarks

  1. ^ Occupy Napalm on Facebook , accessed March 10, 2012.
  2. ^ Matthias Salomon: Napalm Death - Barney on Utilitarian, Copyright and SOPA. Bloodchamber.de, February 24, 2012, accessed March 10, 2012 .
  3. ^ A b c Jan Jaedike: Napalm Death: Enemy is listening . In: Rock Hard . No. 298 , March 2012, p. 32 f .
  4. ^ A b c Justin M. Norton: Album Preview: Napalm Death - Utilitarian. Invisible Oranges, February 9, 2012, accessed March 10, 2012 .
  5. ^ Graphic Design: Napalm Death. friktion.com, accessed March 10, 2012 .
  6. Volkmar Weber: Napalm Death - Utilitarian . In: Rock Hard . No. 298 , March 2012, p. 106 f .
  7. Michael Edele: "Utilitarian" by Napalm Death. laut.de, accessed on March 10, 2012 .
  8. Jon O'Brien: Napalm Death - Utilitarian. Allmusic , accessed on March 10, 2012 .
  9. Top Heatseekers Album , billboard.com, accessed March 14, 2012.
  10. oA: The 66 + 6 best metal albums of the millennium . In: Visions, issue 289, pages 52–66
  11. Sources for chart placements: DE / CH , accessed on March 10, 2012.