If there ever was a soundtrack to what is happening in the world today then UK’s Utilitarian sum it up through 14 tracks of pervading sonic vehemence. Their last couple of releases were unrelenting and vitriolic tirades about the world and this second full length is no different, in fact it is even more nihilistic, more intense and intrinsically filled with hatred.
What you notice about Utilitarian is that they do not stick firmly to the grindcore template, you’ve only to realise that when you see the wildly varying song durations that veer from sub-one minute to epic monstrosities spanning six minutes or more. The wakeup call for this album is given to you via ‘Break Their Teeth’, 50 seconds of unparalleled annihilation that set this album up perfectly as it is followed by ‘Hateriarchy’ and sees the band swerve into death metal territory that reminded me of Benediction due to its catchy styling. The songs rarely stay on one path however, adjusting and morphing according to how the band wants the song to proceed as the caustic vocals are split between hardcore infused hatred and gut wrenching density.
‘Pride’ takes your head off with one clean cut as the blast beat violence is matched by some of the catchiest riffs you’re ever likely to hear in this genre. ‘Ethics’ goes back into a more punk fuelled crust ethos with the bass hook drilling into you as the song builds sequentially with ever increasing intensity. Whilst this has a grindcore stance overall it switches into a raft of other styles such as the purer hardcore strains of ‘They Fall’ to the sludge filled pulverising of the title track and everything in between. ‘Profit Warning’ is virtually crossover thrash, the speedy pernicious riffing allowing some warp speed hyper-blasting to intensify the songs intent.
Said title track practically sections the album in half and appears as two versions, the first being over six minutes and the reprised version hitting eight plus minutes. The first version is instilled with animosity, even the cleaner vocal style makes you shudder, as the song evolves with ever increasing enmity and rancour linking the vibe with a post-hardcore approach that saw Napalm Death do similar things on their last couple of albums. There are plenty of people in the ‘Idiot Legion’, you’ve only to look at our government to see the queue around the building for that, as the bands crust credentials rear up hugely offering a much catchier track but saturated in vocal venom as I couldn’t help but think the riff that started the tune was like Celtic Frost.
After a sample piece starts ‘Maralinga’, taken from the UK archives regarding the testing of nuclear devices by the British in multiple operation, but most likely a focus on Operation Buffalo that occurred in the South Australia I believe in the 1950s. The riff is immense as it punctures the tune with catchiness and blasting bedlam that is ridiculously addictive. Contrasting massively is ‘Gammon Fodder’ again laced with an opening narrative, almost poetic to a degree as the air raid siren packs the song with dread, foreshadowing the onslaught to be delivered. The bass riff opening is extremely like what you heard on Terrorizer’s ‘World Downfall’ album, primarily due to the tone as the song quickly switches to hardcore like terror using a slower pacing to carve deep sonic acrimonious gouges.
A slight change ensues on ‘Sugar Crash’ as the vocal spewing acts like a diatribe, hurling out spiteful anecdotes before the ‘The Weight’ offers a slower style yet packed with unhinged bitterness particularly vocally. The drum fill intro to ‘Be A Man’ again offers that sense of melody but married to the furious wrath-filled vocals as the songs metallic hardcore savagery drips corrosive intent leaving only the eight minute reprisal of the title track to conclude the release. The song’s core riff reappears and where the shorter version has a calm start the longer version feeds you a rampant riff revulsion, slower in tempo, adding horror filled atmospherics that sounds like the end of the world has happened and you are standing mouth agape in its aftermath, especially with the soundscape finale.
There is a despairing almost entrenched desolation to this album, the way the band weaves their excoriating view on the world today around destructive riffing leaves you in stunned silence.
(9/10 Martin Harris)
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