''Utilitarian'' is the fourteenth studio album by British

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

band

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...

. It was released in the UK on 27 February 2012 and globally on 28 February 2012. The magazine

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

named it as second best metal album of 2012.

Background

''Utilitarian'' was recorded in 2011. A 7" vinyl single for "Analysis Paralysis" was released in January 2012. When asked, vocalist

Mark "Barney" Greenway Mark Andrew "Barney" Greenway (born 13 July 1969) is a British extreme metal vocalist who is the current lead singer of Napalm Death and a former member of Extreme Noise Terror and Benediction. Greenway has stated his nickname "Barney" came fr ...

stated that he was quite proud of the new album, saying, "The thing you have to consider about Napalm Death is that no two albums sound the same, which is what makes this album unique. Whilst we stick to the same aggressive tone that fans are used to, we also have added other technical elements in it to make it stand out. It's still a rock album, but it's something we do to it to make it fresh." When the recording sessions for the then-untitled album had already finished, Napalm Death extended their worldwide contract with

Century Media A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

on a number of future albums. According to vocalist Mark Greenway, "it's the first time we've actually re-signed on a longer term deal with anybody since the days when we didn't strictly know that we could be digging ourselves a big hole with labels."

Track listing

Personnel

Napalm Death

Barney Greenway Mark Andrew "Barney" Greenway (born 13 July 1969) is a British extreme metal vocalist who is the current lead singer of Napalm Death and a former member of Extreme Noise Terror and Benediction. Greenway has stated his nickname "Barney" came fr ...

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

Mitch Harris Mitch Harris (born October 31, 1969) is an American guitarist. He started his career in the grindcore band Righteous Pigs. He did a side project with Mick Harris – then the drummer of grindcore band Napalm Death – called Defecation. Shortly ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s, backing vocals *

Shane Embury Shane Embury (born 27 November 1967) is a British bassist and a member of the grindcore and death metal band Napalm Death since 1987. Career Napalm Death While not a founding member, Embury is the longest standing member of the band, havin ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Danny Herrera –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Additional personnel

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

–

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

("Everyday Pox") *

Russ Russell Russ Russell is a British record producer, sound engineer, mixer, mastering engineer, musician and writer. He has worked all over the world and now is mostly based at Parlour Studios in the UK. He was also the guitarist in the psychedelic band ...

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, mixing,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, recording, mastering *Marc Urselli – engineering ("Everyday Pox") *Frode Sylthe – artwork, layout *Cindy Frey – band photos

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums Napalm Death albums Century Media Records albums