Utilitarian – Stay Angry – EP Review

It’s a perverse notion but metal is never better than when the world has flushed itself down the nearest shit-spattered toilet. Metal thrives on indignation and there’s much about the world to be indignant about right now! Which neatly brings us to the latest bunch of anarcho tracks from UK activists Utilitarian.

Stay Angry is, unsurprisingly, very angry. Fuckin’ livid in fact as Amara Wears (Guitar), Jon Addams (Bass) and Jon Crowder (vox) aim their combined vitriol at everything from Police brutality (a cover of Doom’s “Police Bastard” is pretty self-explanatory and fits the concept perfectly) to political and social corruption over 5 short, concise tracks of seething rage.

With Stay Angry swiftly following up their thunderous full length album Fight War, Not Wars, Utilitarian are clearly frothing like mad dogs at the morally bankrupt, materialistic, oppressive, voiceless, bullshit-factory that currently passes as ‘civilised society’ and they have ideas in abundance; hence the rapid-fire follow-up to their aforementioned album which only arrived back in May of this year.

There is order but there is no justice and Utilitarian’s high-octane blasts of grinding hardcore noise attempts to address this imbalance. Frenetic and feral, dirty and ugly, anarchy as freedom is the name of the game and this game is being fought on the dirty streets. In fact, the experience of listening to Stay Angry is akin to being attacked with rubber bullets and high-powered water cannons as you attempt to be heard amidst the mass throng of protest.

In other words, Stay Angry hurts. But pain is sometimes necessary and these are painful times.

Utilitarian have even roped in a few special guests to give them extra clout, with Bolt Thrower/Memoriam drummer Andy Whale and De Profundis/Formicarius guitarist Paul Nazarkardeh joining in on the incendiary “Anarchy (Justice Without Order)”.

Stay angry, keep fighting. We need Utilitarian right now. 7/10

Utilitarian’s Stay Angry is due for release on November 6, 2020. Nip over to bandcamp and pre-order a copy!

As with all Utilitarian releases, every single penny made from the sale of Stay Angry will be donated to charity – in this case Inquest, the only charity providing expertise on state related deaths and their investigation to bereaved people, lawyers, advice and support agencies, the media and parliamentarians.