Nirvana: In Utero REVIEW by Ivaylo S.


Believe me, the absurdity of reviewing a Nirvana record in 2021 is not lost on me. And the fact that I ackowledge said absurdity does not make it any less pretentious. So then why are we raising Kurt's bones? What can yours truly possibly say that hasn't already been said about In Utero? It's a complete sonic departure from Nevermind? Check. It's the band's response to their success and a subsequent attempt to distance themselves from it? You know it. The answer, as with all musical landmarks, is simple. It hasn't been surpassed. 

The first half mirrors that of Nevermind where one can find all the ''hits'' such as Heart-Shaped Box and the moody acoustic trip of Dumb. Once this record is flipped over however, the noise invades your eardrums and refuses to ever leave. This is rage, this is pain, this is Nirvana at their best and most honest. Kurt's screams are destructive, yet soothing. You hope that he's let it all out only to be stunned by another flurry coupled with an earthshattering butchering of his guitar.

Returning to these records and passing them on to future generations is a paramount responsibility. Alternative rock will never reach this peak again and the immortalisation of In Utero as a result of that fact is quite poetic and bittersweet. This is a record of unquestionable, unrelenting power channeled through extreme vulnerabilty. The magnum opus of Nirvana's style of contrast firing on all cylinders. The production on this is ugly, gutteral, damning. Cobain's guitar, Novoselic's bass and Grohl's drums are all subjected to a cruel and unrelenting assault that traps the listener in a void of utter bewilderment at how legitimate all of this sounds. Someone once told me that the problem with In Utero is that it doesn't have a Smells Like Teen Spirit. They were wrong. The problem with Nevermind is that it doesn't have a song like Milk It.

Nirvana: In Utero, 30 years worth of reviews and critical acclaim/5



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