Review Summary: Nirvana's greatest devotion is their farewell album.
"Bleach" was a good, not perfect album, showing Nirvana's capabilities. "Nevermind" is undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, grunge album of all time. Many would also argue that it would be one of the best albums of all time, and they would certainly be right. It heightened the "Seattle sound" that was so popular in the 90s. However, "In Utero", Nirvana's final masterpiece, I believe was superior.
Rumours circulated that this album would be full of heavy metal, intolerable music, and Cobain had stated though that he would like to alter the sound to a huge degree. Steve Albini, a hardcore punk legend was enlisted for this album, raising some questions. Cobain had clearly wanted something different from the groups past two efforts. And, in some ways, this was. "Rape Me" was a prime example of the album. There were soft moments, and there were moments that were harder than Nirvana had ever been before. Cobain's raw vocals stood out on this track, along with the distorted guitar. The sound of this album was more raw and distorted than "Nevermind", which is where fans may be somewhat divided.
Grohl's drumming stood out on this album. It was simple, though nicely complemented Cobain's guitar. The instrumental side of things were vastly different from Nevermind, with no memorable guitar openings or riffs (with the exception of "Rape Me") and the only parts of songs to heavily incorporate the guitar were the choruses. Generally, the bass felt less noticeable in this album. Unlike "Nevermind" bass levels were lowered, and as a result, Cobain himself had said that two of the songs on the album were not "perfect", feeling the bass levels were too low.
The songs, lyrics, and even music videos stand out on some of the singles. "Heart-Shaped Box" is the epitome of the album. With a unique opening bass solo that continued throughout the song, this unique single was met with mixed reception from the public. The weird "Wizard of Oz" style video included a little girl in a Klu Klux Klan uniform, an old man crucifying himself and a women in an organ suit reaching for fetuses in a tree. Many have tried to interpret and analyse the meaning behind this video. Arguably Nirvana's best video nonetheless, the music video isn't the only positive aspect of the single. The lyrics themselves have a lot of depth to them, with the chorus heavier than the verses. It's a brilliant song. "All Apologies" was a slower-paced song to conclude the album. Cobain's poignant, if raspy vocals stood out on "All Apologies". The shorter tracks, for example "Dumb" and "tourette's" seemed to not lead to anything. Though they were good songs, their length (in particular, "tourette's" length of barely two minutes) seemed to make them not stand out as much as they could've.
Nirvana's final album is their greatest. It expanded their previous work to create a varied sound in comparison to their previous work. The two remaining members of Nirvana still honour Cobain by playing in bands today, with Grohl leading an increasingly successful career in Foo Fighters. The raw sound is unlike anything you'll hear now. Though Nirvana are no longer around, they made an huge impact on music.
