Utilitarian (album)

Utilitarian
Studio album by Napalm Death
Released	27 February 2012 (2012-02-27)
Recorded	May–November 2011
Studio	Parlour (Kettering)
Genre	Grindcore death metal
Length	45:20
Label	Century Media
Producer	Russ Russell
Napalm Death chronology
Time Waits for No Slave (2009) Utilitarian (2012) Converge / Napalm Death (2012)
Singles from Utilitarian
"Analysis Paralysis" Released: 2 January 2012 [1]

Utilitarian is the fourteenth studio album by British grindcore band Napalm Death. It was released in the UK on 27 February 2012 and globally on 28 February 2012. ^[2]

The magazine Loudwire named it as second best metal album of 2012. Loudwire also put "The Wolf I feed" at the 64 spot on their best metal songs of the 2010s list.

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[4]
Allmusic	[5]
Blabbermouth.net	8.5/10 [6]
The Guardian	Favourable [7]
Metal Forces	8.5/10 [8]
MetalReviews	95/100 [9]
Metal Sucks	[10]
Popmatters	8/10 [11]
Spin	8/10 [12]
This Is Not a Scene	9/10 [13]

Background

Utilitarian was recorded in 2011. A 7-inch vinyl single for "Analysis Paralysis" was released in January 2012. ^[14] When asked, vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway 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." ^[15]

When the recording sessions for the then-untitled album had already finished, Napalm Death extended their worldwide contract with Century Media 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." ^[16]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Circumspect" (Instrumental)		2:17
2.	"Errors in the Signals"	Mark Greenway, Mitch Harris	3:02
3.	"Everyday Pox"	Greenway, Shane Embury	2:12
4.	"Protection Racket"	Greenway, Embury	4:00
5.	"The Wolf I Feed"	Harris	2:57
6.	"Quarantined"	Greenway, Harris	2:47
7.	"Fall on Their Swords"	Greenway, Embury	3:57
8.	"Collision Course"	Embury	3:14
9.	"Orders of Magnitude"	Harris	3:21
10.	"Think Tank Trials"	Greenway, Harris	2:27
11.	"Blank Look About Face"	Greenway, Harris	3:12
12.	"Leper Colony"	Greenway, Embury	3:23
13.	"Nom de Guerre"	Greenway, Embury	1:07
14.	"Analysis Paralysis"	Harris, Embury	3:23
15.	"Opposites Repellent"	Greenway, Embury	1:22
16.	"A Gag Reflex"	Greenway, Harris	3:30

Limited edition CD track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Circumspect" (Instrumental)		2:17
2.	"Errors in the Signals"	Mark Greenway, Mitch Harris	3:02
3.	"Everyday Pox"	Greenway, Shane Embury	2:12
4.	"Protection Racket"	Greenway, Embury	4:00
5.	"The Wolf I Feed"	Harris	2:57
6.	"Quarantined"	Greenway, Harris	2:47
7.	"Fall on Their Swords"	Greenway, Embury	3:57
8.	"Collision Course"	Embury	3:14
9.	"Orders of Magnitude"	Harris	3:21
10.	"Think Tank Trials"	Greenway, Harris	2:27
11.	"Blank Look About Face"	Greenway, Harris	3:12
12.	"Leper Colony"	Greenway, Embury	3:23
13.	"Aim Without an Aim" (bonus track)	Greenway, Harris	3:06
14.	"Everything in Mono" (bonus track)	Greenway, Harris	2:49

LP track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Circumspect" (Instrumental)		2:17
2.	"Errors in the Signals"	Mark Greenway, Mitch Harris	3:02
3.	"Everyday Pox"	Greenway, Shane Embury	2:12
4.	"Protection Racket"	Greenway, Embury	4:00
5.	"The Wolf I Feed"	Harris	2:57
6.	"Quarantined"	Greenway, Harris	2:47
7.	"Fall on Their Swords"	Greenway, Embury	3:57
8.	"Collision Course"	Embury	3:14
9.	"Orders of Magnitude"	Harris	3:21
10.	"Think Tank Trials"	Greenway, Harris	2:27
11.	"Blank Look About Face"	Greenway, Harris	3:12
12.	"Leper Colony"	Greenway, Embury	3:23
13.	"Aim Without an Aim" (bonus track)	Greenway, Harris	3:06
14.	"Everything in Mono" (bonus track)	Greenway, Harris	2:49
15.	"Nom de Guerre"	Greenway, Embury	1:07
16.	"Analysis Paralysis"	Harris, Embury	3:23
17.	"Opposites Repellent"	Greenway, Embury	1:22
18.	"A Gag Reflex"	Greenway, Harris	3:30
19.	"Standardization" (bonus track)		2:45
Total length:			45:20

Japanese track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Circumspect" (Instrumental)		2:17
2.	"Errors in the Signals"	Mark Greenway, Mitch Harris	3:02
3.	"Everyday Pox"	Greenway, Shane Embury	2:12
4.	"Protection Racket"	Greenway, Embury	4:00
5.	"The Wolf I Feed"	Harris	2:57
6.	"Quarantined"	Greenway, Harris	2:47
7.	"Fall on Their Swords"	Greenway, Embury	3:57
8.	"Collision Course"	Embury	3:14
9.	"Orders of Magnitude"	Harris	3:21
10.	"Think Tank Trials"	Greenway, Harris	2:27
11.	"Blank Look About Face"	Greenway, Harris	3:12
12.	"Leper Colony"	Greenway, Embury	3:23
13.	"Aim Without an Aim" (bonus track)	Greenway, Harris	3:06
14.	"Everything in Mono" (bonus track)	Greenway, Harris	2:49
15.	"Nom de Guerre"	Greenway, Embury	1:07
16.	"Analysis Paralysis"	Harris, Embury	3:23
17.	"Opposites Repellent"	Greenway, Embury	1:22
18.	"A Gag Reflex"	Greenway, Harris	3:30
19.	"It Failed to Explode" (bonus track)		3:39

Personnel

Napalm Death

• Barney Greenway – lead vocals
• Mitch Harris – guitars, vocals
• Shane Embury – bass
• Danny Herrera – drums

Additional personnel

• John Zorn – saxophone ("Everyday Pox")
• Russ Russell – production, mixing, engineering, recording, mastering
• Marc Urselli – engineering ("Everyday Pox")
• Frode Sylthe – artwork, layout
• Cindy Frey – band photos

Chart positions

Chart (2012)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [17]	84
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [18]	25
French Albums (SNEP) [19]	80
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [20]	74
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [21]	88
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [22]	22
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [23]	14
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [24]	43
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [25]	25

References

1. "Napalm Death: Analysis Paralysis (7-inch EP)". Century Media . Dortmund. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
2. "Napalm Death: New Album Title, Cover Artwork Unveiled". Blabbermouth.net . 4 November 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
3. "Utilitarian – Napalm Death". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
4. Jervis, Marcus. "Napalm Death – Utilitarian Review". About.com . Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
5. O'Brien, Jon. Napalm Death: Utilitarian > Overview at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
6. Alisoglu, Scott (4 March 2012). "Napalm Death 'Utilitarian'". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved 18 October 2014.
7. Lawson, Dom (26 January 2012). "Napalm Death: playing fast and furious". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
8. Not, Neil (2012). "Napalm Death: Utilitarian". Metal Forces . Stevenage: Rockzone Publications. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
9. Charles. "Napalm Death – Utilitarian". MetalReviews. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
10. O'Hagar, Sammy (21 February 2012). "Napalm Death's Utilitarian: A Case for Consistency". Metal Sucks . Retrieved 6 January 2014.
11. Hayes, Craig (18 March 2012). "Napalm Death: Utilitarian". PopMatters . Retrieved 6 January 2014.
12. Grow, Kory (4 March 2012). "Napalm Death, 'Utilitarian'". Spin . New York. ISSN   0886-3032 . Retrieved 4 July 2015.
13. Westland, Raymond (12 February 2012). "Napalm Death – Utilitarian". This is Not a Scene. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
14. "Napalm Death: New Album Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net . 25 January 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
15. Greenway, Mark (18 October 2012). "Interview: Napalm Death". RockRevolt Magazine (Interview). Interviewed by Connor Williams. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
16. Allen, Rost (25 September 2011). "Napalm Death Re-Sign Worldwide Deal With Century Media Records!". This is Not a Scene. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
17. "Ultratop.be – Napalm Death – Utilitarian" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
18. "Napalm Death: Utilitarian" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
19. "Lescharts.com – Napalm Death – Utilitarian". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
20. "Napalm Death – Utilitarian". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Germany. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Napalm Death – Utilitarian". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
22. "Napalm Death Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
23. "Napalm Death Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
24. "Napalm Death Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
25. "Napalm Death Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2014.