NAPALM DEATH — Utopia Banished (review)

NAPALM DEATH — Utopia Banished album cover

Album · 1992 · Death Metal

4/5 · 2020-04-11
UMUR

"Utopia Banished" is the 4th full-length studio album by UK grindcore/death metal act Napalm Death. The album was released through Earache Records in June 1992. One lineup change has happened since the release of "Harmony Corruption (1990)" as drummer Mick Harris has been replaced by Danny Herrera. Mick Harris was the only member of the lineup who had appared on each of the first three albums, which means that "Utopia Banished" is the first Napalm Death album to not feature a single original (album releasing) member.

Stylistically there´s been a couple of changes since "Harmony Corruption (1990)" too, although the music is still unmistakably the sound of Napalm Death. The music style on "Harmony Corruption (1990)" was grind infuced death metal featuring a time typical Scott Burns created Morrisound Recording sound production, while "Utopia Banished" was recorded at The Windings in Wrexham, Wales with producer Colin Richardson, and stylistically features a grindcore style with some death metal leanings. So the scale has tipped back towards grindcore and away from death metal. Production wise there is also a major difference between the dark and ultra brutal sound of "Harmony Corruption (1990)" and the more raw, noisy, and organic sounding "Utopia Banished".

Most material on 15 track, 38:47 minutes long album are fast-paced grindcore tracks, but there is generally great rhythmic variation in the music, so there are often mid-paced brutal grooves and even hardcore punk oriented parts featured too. An example of a track with a memorable mid-paced groove is "The World Keeps Turning". The closing track "Contemptuous" shows a slow industrial tinged side of Napalm Death, which at the time was a new element to their sound. But as mentioned most tracks are furiously fast-paced grindcore with Mark "Barney" Greenway´s semi-growling intelligible barking raw vocals in front. His vocal style here is quite different from the brutal growling vocal style he used on "Harmony Corruption (1990)" (and in his Benediction days too), which again increases the grindcore connection and decreases the death metal ditto. For the first time guitarist Mitch Harris also contributes vocals to a Napalm Death release, as he occassionally delivers high pitched aggressive screams to compliment Greenway´s deeper shouting delivery ("Got Time to Kill" is an example of that).

Considering their relatively "primitive" grindcore past, it´s safe to say Napalm Death have grown as musicians on "Utopia Banished". It was already apparent that they had aquired a couple of new tricks on "Harmony Corruption (1990)", but "Utopia Banished" sets new standards in terms of musicianship. New drummer Danny Herrera plays with militant precision but also with a vital organic touch. Vital in the sense that it enhances rawness and grindcore/hardcore authenticity. The guitar riffs are adventurous for the style (and often pretty original too), and the heavy über distorted bass playing by Shane Embury is also pivotal for the sound of the album.

So "Utopia Banished" is a high quality release on all parameters. It´s very well produced, well played, and the material is powerful and creative in nature. There are a couple of tracks on the album, which don´t stand out as much as the most memorable material (highlights of the album include tracks like "I Abstain", "Dementia Access", "The World Keeps Turning", "Got Time to Kill", and "Contemptuous"), but often it has to do with the most memorable tracks featuring some catchy hooks or vocal phrases, because none of the material on the album is easily accessible. Even experienced extreme metal listeners can break their necks on Napalm Death, because of the relentlessly aggressive and abrasive nature of their music. Given enough time and spins "Utopia Banished" does become slightly more accessible and the tracks easier to tell apart, but it´s an album which requires something from its listener. To my ears it´s intelligent and quite sophisticated grindcore which fortunately never becomes pretentious and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.