ALBUM REVIEW
UTILIZE THE REMAINS - Meaningless Existence
Groove-driven slam death metal, brutally consistent.
Emerging from New Zealand’s underground scene, UTILIZE THE REMAINS make a very clear choice with their second full-length, "Meaningless Existence", following their 2023 debut "Psychotic Abyss": rather than alter the formula, they apply it as tightly as possible within slam death metal’s already narrow playing field. Across ten tracks spanning 36 minutes, the guitars are built around groove, while the drums—particularly through their use of double bass and hard-hitting attack—continually emphasize the physical impact of the riffs. The vocals, meanwhile, function less as a separate layer laid over the music than as a natural extension of its dense rhythmic framework.
The album’s most notable compositional achievement is its ability to distinguish the songs from one another within a genre where repetition can easily turn into monotony. Tracks such as 'Devouring Neuropathy' and 'Biochemical Emptiness' develop their main riffs into different variations, showing that the material is not simply being revolved around a single pattern. Instrumental 'Encoded Within' lays bare how the guitar, bass, and drums construct this framework, while the heavy double-bass work on 'Vicious Redemption' once again brings the album’s rhythmic side to the forefront. 'Flesh Ripped from Bone', 'Sadistic Manipulation', and 'Into Eternal Oblivion', meanwhile, rank among the album’s most memorable moments thanks to their massive grooves.
At the same time, UTILIZE THE REMAINS’ deliberate choice is also the album’s fundamental limitation. "Meaningless Existence" makes almost no attempt to break away from slam death metal’s established templates or push them in unexpected directions. Opening tracks such as 'Sealed Fate' and 'Necrotic Chambers of Decay' are gradually overshadowed by the stronger moments that emerge later in the album, while some riffs opt for the safe route despite offering opportunities for more distinctive rhythmic or structural turns. This does not make the album unsuccessful; on the contrary, it allows the band to meet the genre’s core expectations with remarkable consistency. Yet considering the musicians’ potential, even a few small structural deviations could have significantly increased the album’s creative value.
"Meaningless Existence" is not a slam record in search of innovation. Its value lies in how controlled, balanced, and physically effective its use of the genre’s limited tools can be. Rather than proposing a new formula, UTILIZE THE REMAINS turn the existing one into a well-functioning machine; the result is more reliable than surprising, but when it comes to the direct and crushing impact this genre demands, it hits its target with ease.
