In Utero

My first interaction with Nirvana was via a hoody. I was 11 or 12, early into my first year of secondary school and for the first time rubbing up against a subculture with a dress code that wasn’t just “the latest Manchester United kit”. Soon after that I got hold of Nevermind, which was hidden in the bottom of my parents’ wardrobe for a month waiting for Christmas. And then, after Nevermind, it was everything I could get my hands on. The next year or two a frenzy to acquire as much Nirvana – albums, bootlegs, both respectable and entirely unofficial biographies about Kurt, the band, whatever; greeting “You know you’re right” and the journals like a second coming (rather than an invasion of privacy) – as I could carry home from the record fair, the HMV, the shops that stank of incense, wherever. It feels significant to me – and not just because I can still imagine the burning hot shame of being accused, accurately, of wearing a Nirvana hoody without knowing any of their songs; the spotlight that lingers over those preteen and early adolescent years becomes an X-ray in the decades that follow – that Nirvana has always been a puzzle for me. It wasn’t that big a jump in time between working out the identity of the band represented by that cool smiley face thing I liked wearing, to trying to work out why someone who could write songs and lyrics that stuck in my psyche like gravel sticks in the waffle soles of skate shoes would choose to ever stop doing that (“Heavier than Heaven”, another six months later, got me to understand how little a role “choice” played in all of it). A gap of maybe a month between overhauling my identity in reaction to a clothing trend, and reflecting on the real existential jeopardy that might break cover at any moment. “In Utero” sits right in the centre of my Nirvana puzzle. Let alone the fact I didn’t know what a “Radio friendly unit shifter” might be (I suspected something mechanical, which I guess was sort of right) and struggled to fully get across most of the album’s themes, the primordial soup of angst, anger and antipathy from which “Scentless Apprentice”, “Tourettes”, “Rape me”, “Very ape”, “Milk it” and even “Heart shaped box” emerged was a swamp I was willing to get bogged in. As the years rolled on, I found that “In Utero” jagged and caught on my loose threads in a way that Nevermind didn’t. I’d come back to find “Serve the servants” – for me arguably grunge’s greatest song - had clicked, or suddenly with a start realise that “Frances Farmer…” had a story with energy and intensity to match its bombastic middle-8 freak out. I’d listen to “All apologies” bleed into “You know you’re right” on DIY playlists and pretend they’re part of the same breath. I’d discover Leonard Cohen entirely because “Pennyroyal Tea” told me to. Throughout all this – 20 plus years of my life – there sat at either end of “In Utero”’s emotional polarity “Dumb” and “RFUS” – the first a song that lets itself be “just happy” and the other a song that demands to know “what is wrong with me?” Two totally contrasting attitudes to life, incompatible to the point of mutual annihilation – fittingly, completely sonically distinct (vale Steve Albini) from one other too. “Dumb” is dipped oneiric syrup and conjures pastel shades of diaphanous colours; it weighs you down while it lifts you up. “RFUS” is noise as geometry, wave forms crashing atop one another; an exhibition in art punk overseen by a mumbling, desperate, anxious, aggressive, defeated curator. Poles apart in almost every possible sense, then – but here’s where we come back to the puzzle. Because for a thinking, feeling person the idea that the contrasting perspectives of “Dumb” and “RFUS” ought be mutually incompatible will make logical sense, but also won’t ring true in the slightest. We’re all in moments one or the other, sure, but we’re all also often both. 23 years after I first heard “In Utero” I know that. I know that ambivalence is a fact of life; I even suspect that learning to self-regulate might be the whole point of it. Kurt perhaps didn’t, and certainly never had the chance to offer himself that kind of grace. It’s a puzzle, all this.

My favourite Nirvana album

Hacía tiempo que no escuchaba el disco! Una verdadera maravilla volver a oirlo. Ruido y melodía a partes iguales

It's hard to pick a favorite Nirvana album. But Serve the Servants is among my favorite Kurt Cobain lyrics (Teenage angst has paid off well; now I'm old and bored. I tried so hard to have a father; but instead I had a dad.) Scentless Apprentice is among my favorite Dave Grohl drum parts. The oft underrated Krist Novoselic does a lot of heavy lifting, especially on Pennyroyal Tea. And the whole album represents Kurts best guitar sounds, achieved with the help of engineer/producer, Steve Albini. In Utero sound is decidedly abrasive, its lyrics are dark; and as such, it had the bare minimum number of songs that could have gotten regular play on the radio. But it remains among the band's best work.

To say that I listened to this a lot in my teenage years is an understatement.. I may have been about a decade late to Nirvana, but I still wore the knees out of my jeans and wore flannel in the humid Upstate NY summers of the late 90s/early 00s. I was very much looking forward to giving this a listen for the first time in years. Would I enjoy this if I hadn't gone through a grunge phase? Dunno, but I'm enjoying it now. To this day, on the rare occasion that I get to sit at a drum kit, I inevitably bang out the Scentless Apprentice intro.

Final albums are often a chance to cement a legacy. Few stick the landing as perfectly as Nirvana. An album that perfectly encapsulates the darker sides of the human emotional spectrum that concludes with one of the best album closers in any genre, made all the more tragic by Kurt Cobain's suicide 7 months after the release of the album. Best track: All Apologies

It's a shame that Kurt couldn't get the help he needed, but as far as final albums, this one is pretty hard to beat.

Fuck it, 5 stars. I was too young but I get it, ya know? This one, I get it.

Exceptional

Just class

Resonates more in 2025 than it did when it came out. Brilliant album.

Good

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 👼🫀🌱 Production: 🥩😊👌 Music: 🥀🤬🆘 Rating: ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹/5

I think this is my favorite Nirvana album. Something about the emotion in Kurt's voice always gets me. Makes me feel all kinds of ways. Easy 5 stars for me.

Not my favorite album of theirs but still an easy 5.

There's a line I remember about this album — and don't ask me where I got this line from, but the way I remember it going is, basically, "IN UTERO was made with the purpose and intent of losing every fan Nirvana had made with NEVERMIND." Whether or not that's exactly true, it's always been the lens through which I've understood this album. It's not an entirely unreasonable assumption. You listen to the noisiest tracks off of NEVERMIND and there's a level of polish present in them so that they won't scare off people who bought the CD for "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The guitars are heavy, and the drums can do machine gun fills, but none of it's mixed to be too loud or abrasive. Meanwhile, you contrast that with a lot of the songs on this album, with its whining feedback, up-to-eleven fuzz and distortion, confrontationally descending riffs... Goodness, just how Kurt screams a lot of the lyrics. There's hardly any concessions to mainstream appeal beyond, like, one or two songs — and you could argue that they're only there because the album couldn't be 100% noise. They're not The Jesus & Mary Chain, after all. But, I mean, even the big lead single, "Heart-Shaped Box", doesn't strike me as exactly the friendliest sound for radio. Honestly, listening to NEVERMIND directly after IN UTERO, I can really understand why some people in my group said pretty quickly after the album was revealed that it was Nirvana's best. NEVERMIND, despite how good the material is and how important it is to popularizing grunge, can sound like a compromise when placed next to how raw and punk IN UTERO is. It can feel like NEVERMIND is only considered Nirvana's best album because it has the big pop hits, overshadowing the true genius found in songs on IN UTERO like "Milk It", "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle" and "Radio-Friendly Unit Shifter". For my money... I will say, I actually am inclined to agree with that to an extent, although I would still say NEVERMIND is my favorite. See, I'm someone who likes polish and big pop hits. "In Bloom" and "On A Plain" might not have that raw punk sensibility of abrasive noise, but damn it, they're killer songs with great hooks. NEVERMIND isn't as acclaimed as it is for nothing, after all, and I can't front: polish and hooks are more often than not I'm gonna return to first over anything else. I mean, I don't think it's not nothing that besides the songs that were released as singles, the track I return to the most from IN UTERO is "Dumb", an outlier in the track listing for being a mellower song with a cello. The rest, let's be real, can blend into the mush of "noise." But as for IN UTERO as Nirvana's best album, meanwhile — y'know, I wanna start off by making something clear about my perspective. When I say that this album was made to lose all of the fans they'd gotten with NEVERMIND, there's sometimes a part me that subliminally extrapolates that to their **entire** fanbase. As if this album was supposed to be their equivalent of Eminem's ENCORE or Bob Dylan's SELF PORTRAIT; just a giant middle finger to the fans, the critics, the label, the expectations, everything and everyone. Clearly, though, they did still want people to **like** this album; I don't think you'd have the mellower songs like "Pennyroyal Tea", "Dumb" and "All Apologies", and I don't think they would've left off songs like "I Hate Myself And Want To Die" if that were the case. What it's more about is that this album was designed, from its conception, to be the kind of album the band would like to buy. So, y'know, y'still got your share of pop-ish moments (Kurt **did** love MEET THE BEATLES!, after all), but it's louder and way more unrestrained. And if we're to view this album, then, as the band's "true sound," unchained from concessions... Yeah, in that sense, absolutely, it's the best thing they ever made. So, despite my small reservation about this album falling into "noise for noise's sake," I can't give it any less than a 5 like I gave their other two albums on this list. It's incredible, from Kurt, Dave and Krist's performances, down to Steve Albini's decision to get out of the band's way and let them make the sound they wanted to. I don't reach for it as often as NEVERMIND, but I don't hafta in order to recognize its greatness. All in all, that's all it is. Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) Steve Albini (1962-2024)

Kurt was a once in a generation kind of artist, and this album shows it in spades. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 – I’ll have to talk my brain one way or the other. This is my first time listening to In Utero in full – much like Nevermind, I knew the bigger hits, but everything in between was a mystery to me. Granted, some of it was on the MTV Unplugged album we got around 350 days ago, but it’s been a while, you know? When I finished Nevermind, I thought I had a real sense of clarity about the hype behind Nirvana, and specifically, what Kurt Cobain really and truly meant to a rabid generation waiting for their sort of musical messiah that would inspire people and lead a counterculture revolution of sorts. Obviously, I’m exaggerating a bit, but from the way he’s still held up as this sort of mythical figure in the 27 Club and all that, it’s hard to not perceive him as something at least close to that. In a way, I’m very glad that this album is all about trying to deconstruct that image as much as possible – this is not the radio friendly unit shifter that Nevermind was. This is Nirvana, as a group, led by Kurt Cobain (but not defined by him), openly rejecting the MTV-driven movement that made Nevermind a monster smash success. This is riding the wave of what grunge would soon become, and what would soon be picked up on by Alice in Chains, the Smashing Pumpkins, and others – fuck the refinement of it all & make something raw that speaks to the soul and comes from the heart. There’s not anything like Smells Like Teen Spirit or Something in The Way on here, and it’s honestly kind of welcome. That’s not to say that the Nevermind style goes away; the tracks that do lean back into that style are fantastic, and the highlights of this album for me. However, this album still shines rather bright whenever it accepts its grungier, heavier, more gritty, and less polished sound. At its core, this is a raw album, and while Kurt Cobain’s lyrics tell the stories of each track, his presence feels less notable here than on Nevermind from a vocal perspective. Let me put it this way – imagine if Freddie Mercury just stopped belting, and just sort of… sang, without any of the showmanship that made him famous. It wouldn’t sound bad, but it would be noticed, and it would certainly feel different. That’s what Kurt does here – gone is the extreme polish, and in comes a man battered and wounded by the effects of global fame. Don’t get me wrong, his voice still has great standout moments, and his presence is unmistakably there, but it’s tinged with a combative tone, and that combative tone spread to the rest of the band, and arguably, to the rest of the genre following his suicide. That’s all preamble about Kurt – what do I think of the actual attempt, musically, to shift away from Nevermind’s style and introduce a grittier, more “raw” Nirvana that would still sound fresh and innovative? Well, I’d say it worked – I really do like the unpolished feel of this album. Dave Grohl’s drumming is still fantastic, but the overall feel of each track is looser, more reminiscent of the garage punk bands that inspired Kurt in the 80s. “Serve the Servants” is a great opener, and the album doesn’t really slow down from there, though it falters a little – stuff like “Rape Me” and “Milk It” didn’t quite mesh well with my tastes but they’re still solid tracks. I bounced totally off of “Radio Friendly Unit Shifters” & “tourette’s”, though I didn’t hate them – just a little too out there for me, even for Nirvana. Ultimately, while I don’t think it lends itself to the same knockout consistency of Nevermind, I also don’t think they wanted to achieve that at all. As far as how it translates into a full album, that’s where I’m stuck between a 4 and a 5, because I can’t really get a grasp on how much I liked the album for itself, and how much I liked it for the attempt to reclaim their own image. I don’t think it’s as good as Nevermind, but it’s still Nirvana, and some of my favorite songs from them (Heart-Shaped Box, Dumb, All Apologies) are on this album. I think, just based on the strength of those tracks (and most of the others), as well as the (mostly) successful attempt to disavow the idea of Kurt Cobain as a musical savior, that I’m gonna bump this up to a 5. God bless Kurt, though, man. Gone too soon.

Probably their best.

Listened to the album. Think I’m just happy.

Couple of stinkers but a couple of greatest evers

Sonic storm of lost love, pain, and wanting to be oneself. Fabulous work of art.

I was an angsty teenager who loved grunge, of course this album gets 5 stars. Amazingly I remember all the lyrics despite not listening to this album in years. The big thing with this list is figuring out which of the 5 star Nirvana albums is my favorite.

Serve the Servants - 9.0/10 Scentless Apprentice- 8.7/10 Heart Shaped Box - 9.7/10 Rape Me - 9.2/10 Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle - 9.4/10 Dumb - 9.3/10 Very Ape - 9.1/10 Milk It - 8.4/10 Pennyroyal Tea - 9.5/10 Radio Friendly Unit Shifter - 8.6/10 Tourette’s - 8.5/10 All Apologies- 10/10 OVERALL - 9.1/10

I was debating this one. It's my least favorite Nirvana Album. The highs are great but I find some of the songs to be just Okay. Really what I think happened is that I've heard the best songs on the album too many times. This album is great and it's no one's fault that I can't listen to it with fresh ears again. It's a 5 star album. What Nirvana did was revolutionary.

I’m not sure I like this album more than Nevermind but I do still enjoy it quite a bit. The sound is the tiniest bit more evolved as is the songwriting and performance. There’s still plenty of raw anger (Scentless Apprentice, Pennyroyal Tea, Milk It) and nearly every song has the quiet-loud-quiet-real loud dynamic but for whatever reason the songs sound musically more advanced than previously. It’s still very much a Nirvana album but judging on the pure amount of “I have to listen to this again” songs I think Nevermind edges it out. That said I’m comparing a great album to another great album. I like all of it. Its awesome. It’s the slightly more sophisticated side of them and it makes me sad that we’ll never hear what would’ve come after.

Nirvana's third album is great. While still having the formula that made them famous they seem to do all they can to make it less popular. It feels less produced and speaks less to the band being the front of teenage rebellion and more like they are old and wizened and jaded from their 2 years of fame. The singles are standouts as could probably be expected but the b sides are all solid. I like Nevermind better.

Scentless apprentice was too loud for me. The rest of the album is like really good.

Nirvana is another one of those bands where there’s not a whole lot I can say that hasn’t been said. Great album

Their best album, for me. The choice to return to Steve Albini for production really paid off here because this doesn’t sound like a band that hit the mainstream at all. It’s raw and it is gorgeous.

9.5/10

Massive album. A couple of my favorite Nirvana tracks are on this one. If you weren't around when this was released, internet search 'Waif Me' to see how much controversy this album caused.

Big sound, consistent, dynamic. Poppy, heavy. No filler.

This album felt like a test for those ‘new fans’ that got caught up in the wave of popularity from Nevermind. I absolutely loved (and still love) the comparitively harsh and punk elements of the album. Distortion, feedback and eye-widening lyrics. There’s still smatteings of the softer poppy side of Nirvana. The simple and haunting guitar intro and riffs on ‘All Apologies’ is just stunning. This is a 5 star all day long. No debate needed.

This was the best way to stick two fingers up at the corporate music industry. You hire one of the most scary of sound engineers to record the follow up to what is probably one of the biggest rock albums of all time, those Geffen Execs must have been shitting themselves when the name Albini was mentioned. For good reason, the influences are all there, hardcore Big Black with ‘Scentless Apprentice’, what a track! I remember buying ‘Heart Shaped Box’ and playing it stupidly loud about 12 times in a row (how my parents must have loved that), it’s probably the only Nirvana song I cannot get bored of. Plenty of loud/quiet Pixies influenced stuff. But the big middle finger to the millions of Nirvana fans who have never heard of Mudhoney, etc, is ‘Radio Friendly Unit Shifter’, not exactly what it says on the tin. What a follow up to the shiny Nevermind, the masses lapped it up, but I have no idea why. It’s not your average rock album is it? Musically it is a complete smack round the head, I can imagine it made the average listener think they were really cool, without really understanding they were being mocked. Bless them all and I wonder if they still own or even play it? It’s a massive 5.

4.8 - Pretty stunning album tbh. Loved the grittiness of it

It's more up my alley than Nevermind is, as much as I like that album too. This is noisy and abrasive, shoutout to Albini on the production, rest in peace.

im not a nirvana megafan, kurt tbh took an embarrassingly long time to fully grow on me as a songwriter, but im glad i eventually got there! this clicked semi-recently for me as a viscerally enjoyable piece of music, and now having settled into that i actually started to rly dig my paws into the emotional experience and general Mystique here...only for me to tbh have nothing to say that would be appropriate for a public forum. im sure u understand. there are probably a couple parts here that count as a tiny bit of a psychohazard for me, and ill mind that in the future. on a lighter note then, love the production here as much as anyone, but im starting to wonder if nevermind actually has the cooler and more unique sound...theres a lot of distinctive touches on there esp as far as instrument balance goes that makes it unlike almost anything ive ever heard, and while i dig steve albini i already kinda Know What An Albini Joint Sounds Like every single time yaknow hgjsdhgs. wonderful wonderful record, and despite its inevitable retrofitting as a self-conscious swansong (i dont know how i feel ab that tbh it feels intrusive), it certainly suggests kurt and co had a lot more avenues to explore and offer if they ever had the chance. Moderate Rock.

Being able to read through Kurt's lyrics while listening to this album is a gamechanger. It's always been my favorite of theirs but now it's a lot more sad.

I've spun this album so, so many times. It's basically my mid-late teenage years distilled into music. It hits hard. It’s grungy and unpolished, raw and angsty, like a basement show that gets out of hand. It’s all heart and no cleanup.

It will forever be bookended and overshadowed by Nevermind and Kurt’s death, which is a shame considering this, for me, is Nirvana’s best record. A spiky, introspective record that manages to walk the almost impossible balance act between attacking the idea of making a record for a mass audience while also making a bunch of really catchy, unforgettable songs. A miracle.

Ciekawe, w którą stronę poszłaby Nirvana, gdyby nadal tworzyła… Ta płyta pokazuje, że jak w każdym z nas, w Nirvanie są dwa wilki. Jeden chce grać łagodne, może nawet popowe kawałki, a drugi wydzierać się jakby go obdzierano ze skóry. Ja kocham oba. Wychowałam się na tej muzyce nie mogę dać mniej niż 9/10

The worst thing I can say about this album is that it’s not Nevermind.

One of my favorite albums of all time - currently practicing "Heart-Shaped Box"

Just as good as Nevermind, if not better. Depends what you’re looking for. Great experience. Standouts: Everything but Rape Me, Fraces Farmer Will Have Her Revenge, and Tourette’s.

I love this album, me encuentro repitiendolo aún cuando ha terminado... Es poderoso, violento y suena sucio... Me fascina

Ein Album voller super Songs. Definitiv ein Meilenstein!

“Nevermind” may be the commercial breakthrough but this is THE essential Nirvana album. Not only does it cement Cobain as a one-of-a-kind talent, it also proves that Steve Albini is a one-of-a-kind producer/engineer. Rest in peace to both of them.

Rocking. Love everything about it. Drums, guitar, bass, vocals. All rocking. Not even my favourite Nirvana album (Unplugged just pips it) but still a rock solid 5 star classic.

Amazing! It’s crazy how good this is

Dude. What can I even say about this album? I had very high expectations going into In Utero. I already knew I loved Nirvana, so I definitely knew I would like In Utero as well. I actually relistened to Nevermind pretty recently, and loved it even more than the first time. So, how do I feel about its followup? Is it better or worse than Nevermind? I don't know. I genuinely don't know. Both albums are excellent, albeit in different ways. Of course, there are things that both albums have in common. Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic show off just as much musical talent in this album as they had in the past. If anything, there's even more talent here, especially from Kurt. His writing in this album is just excellent. I think the biggest think that makes In Utero stand out is the production. Steve Albini had a very different vision for this album in comparison to what Butch Vig had for Nevermind. This is a much rawer album in sound, but given the more personal nature of the writing, I think it works very well. Besides, it's not like the production's bad. It's still quite good, just in a different way. This album has some amazing songs. "Heart-Shaped Box" has always been one of my favorites. There's something about it that's just mesmerizing. Some songs really lean into the aggression like "Scentless Apprentice" and "Tourette's," while others are much more somber and personal like "Dumb" and "All Apologies." "Rape Me" is another standout track, largely for the lyrical matter. The song caught a bit of flack upon release, but Kurt made it clear that it's an anti-rape song, and I can definitely see that that's what he was going for. That song's pretty neat. Overall, In Utero is an outstanding album, and a great swansong for one of the most influential bands of all time... unless you count MTV Unplugged, but we'll get there when this website decides to give me that one. In Utero is amazing. 5/5.

yeah i love this

Zero complaints. Not just a great album but, with cultural touchstones, impossible to listen to and not find yourself contemplating history, what might have been, and what we gained or lost. Sort of like The Wall in that way but even more accessible. More every-day. Nirvana did such an impeccable job of never feeling sold out. Always feeling like the throes of a flu fever. My mother woke me up with breakfast the day Kurt topped himself. My brother and I are came to the kitchen table and then she handed us the paper and simply said: "guys, I'm sorry. I remember how I felt when Lennon died. It's ok to be really sad." We were.

The impossible task of a perfect follow up was achieved before tragedy set in and elevated it further.

A great album that I've always thought was not meant to be great.

The pinnacle of grunge and sadly the last LP by Nirvana. Cobain's raspy voice really adds to the grittines and raw quality of the songs. Short, yet poignant lyrics, at times enigmatic. The stark contrast in the dynamic amplifies the bipolarity of the album. Standout Tracks: Scentless Apprentice, Heart-Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies

Serve the Servants Scentless Apprentice Heart-Shaped Box Rape Me Dumb Pennyroyal Tea All Apologies

01) Serve the Servants - 8,0 02) Scentless Apprentice - 7,0 03) Heart-Shaped Box - 10,0 04) Rape Me - 10,0 05) Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle - 9,5 06) Dumb - 9,5 07) Very Ape - 9,5 08) Milk It - 9,0 09) Pennyroyal Tea - 9,5 10) Radio Friendly Unit Shifter - 9,0 11) Tourette's - 8,5 12) All Apologies - 10,0 TOTAL: 9,13 (91/100) Current ranking: 28/378 Hey, wait! I got a new complaint! Ljubljana is only two hours away from my home... I was 15 and a half years old on February 27th, 1994, when Nirvana played their second-to-last show at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Maybe I could have been at that show if things had been different back in 1994. But than again, maybe if things had been different, maybe Nirvana would have had more concerts since then. Some 25 years later, in a different two hours away city, I did see a Foo Fighters show, so that's at least some kind of consolation. Right? Oh, yeah, did I mention that the album is a solid A?

Ohhhh nostalgía. Frábær plata. Svo mikil angist. Ekki margt sem ég get sett út á. Svo gott production. Hrátt og in your face.

Alveg geggjuð plata. Snilldar pródúktjón þar sem hrár krafturinn og sálarangist Kurt ristir inn að beini. Nirvana eru indie pönk ekki grunge.

A juggernaut album that somehow balances a polished sound with utterly raw anger and emotion. Nirvana's clearly mastered their craft here and are confident enough to come out with guns blazing and hearts asleeve. It has an entirely different sound to its predecessor, Nevermind, despite being in the same genre and technically involving similar instrumentation and textures. These three guys create a huge sound over some truly great (and catchy) compositions, including Heart Shaped Box ("Hey! Wait! I got a new complaint"), Pennyroyal Tea ("I'm anemic royalty"), and the mature closer All Apologies ("All in all is all we are..."). I wish we'd gotten more from this band other than the three studio albums and the incredible MTV Unplugged live album, because this is some gritty stuff. Cobain's vocal is at its finest in this album. The drumming and guitarwork is maybe a little less radio-friendly than in the band's earlier catalogue, but it's played to perfection. There are a few tracks that could be considered smudges on the otherwise rock-solid setlist that is In Utero. Scentless Apprentice verges into death metal, which isn't everyone's cup of tea – it definitely isn't mine – and it's best to tune it out. The "token death metal track" of the previous album, "Endless, Nameless", is better placed at the end of the album, where it doesn't mar the listener's expectations essentially right from the get-go like Scentless Apprentice does. Tourette's is also a rough listen, though fortunately it's well under two minutes. Songs like Milk It and Radio Friendly Unit Shifter are maybe a little questionable, but all the remaining ones are excellent. And don't you forget it! 5/5 Key tracks: Heart Shaped Box, Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies

That kid on the drums is pretty good.

I completely reject the idea that Nirvana are only to revered today because Kurt Cobain died early, and this album is the reason why. Nirvana were a part of the grunge scene in the early to mid 90s, and like many "scene" genres, grunge was destined not to last. If you look at another grunge band like Pearl Jam for example, they are still going to this day and they have been stuck making the same album from a dead genre for 20 years because they never evolved their sound. But Nirvana were never going to fall into that cycle. Even though they had such a short run, they evolved their sound with every album. And with In Utero, they start to take influence from noise rock (a slightly more timeless genre), and mixed with their grunge roots it sounds amazing. It's a real shame that Kurt died so early, I would love to have seen what Nirvana managed to achieve after this.

Nirvana doesn't have a bad album. I'm a huge fan of Kurt Cobain and his songwriting and musical arrangements. It seems so trite to write that, but, Nirvana shaped and continues to shape my musical tastes - what I listen to, what I play, how I play it, etc. Heart Shaped Box, Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, and All Apologies are among my favorite songs.

Always felt Nevermind was the most front loaded album I've come across; then earlier this year I gave this one a proper listen. Perhaps it's the sequencing but I find this much better overall, even if it starts off a bit keen. The middle section (tracks 3 to 6) is incredible and the album ends beautifully. Ultimately the best thing they released is the lowest rated of their three entries on here.

Hard, edgy, brilliant

Fantastic

I'm dumb is my anthem

yay

Total

As close to a perfect album from the 90s as you can get and the soundtrack to my teenage years and beyond. A wall of energy- gritty and beautiful. The sound of a band at their peak and about to implode. Hearing the different mixes released a few years ago was interesting although I think the original sounds fantastic. I think that in the next 50 years, only a few 90s albums will still be played regularly and this is one of them. Has aged beautifully and gets all the kudos and recognition it deserves. The drop in Frances Farmer still makes me want yell out in joy jump into the pit.

I think it's their most refined album. All they're albums are great but this shows the artistic range of the band.

Awesome

On a hot streak of great albums. And this is one of them. Just incredible.

This is so raw and personal it’s uncomfortable.

This is #day71 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here we are now, entertain us! The first grunge entry on the list and Nirvana's first album featured as well. Among the Big 4 of Grunge, Alice In Chains takes the top spot for me, followed by Nirvana, with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden sharing a tie for third. Speaking of In Utero... it stands out as a raw, abrasive, gritty response to the polished sound of Nevermind. It’s meant to be blasted loud with a middle-finger-in-your-face attitude that contrasts noise and melody, screaming and singing, and rage and serenity. Well, grunge, you know... Songs like "Scentless Apprentice," "Milk It," "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter," and "Tourette's" hit hard, while others like "Heart-Shaped Box," "Dumb," and "All Apologies" reveal a more introspective side, though still straddle those extremes. This is a hands-down essential '90s alternative rock record you must listen to before you die. It's also an incredibly poignant one, knowing it was the band's last. It makes you reflect on what could have been... It's a 5 out of 5, of course. Looking forward to #day72.

A thrasher of a follow up to Nevermind.

Easy 5/5. Checks out all of the boxes I have for a strong 5: I like all of the songs, I will be coming back to it a lot (and already have in the past in this case) and it has had a huge impact. Amazing song writing skills from Kurt as always. The way he managed to juxtapose noise with beautiful poppy Melodie’s was what made the band timeless. Is it better than nevermind though?

definitely genre defining, really enjoyed it and it holds up!

An accomplishment verging on genius, raw and painful. Full points for interest, impact, importance. Personally, though, I'm not this raw and painful and would rather listen to Nevermind.

timeless

Superb.

Fantastic album, great use of noise and lyricism

A forever favorite.

Probably THE best grunge album ever. Loveed every single song and I want to listen to the super deluxe sometime

Fantastic that this should follow the Pixies

The rawer and more unhinged approach in comparison to nevermind. Objectively i would give it a 4.5 but I really love music from nirvana so it’s a 5 Star album in my books to be honest.

Another formative one. Albini's (RIP) production is on point. And man such lyrics and hooks, which with such a powerhouse rhythm section makes Nirvana stand out still, despite prior overexposures. Lot's of great lines, apparently lyrics were a bit of an afterthought for young boy, but man he came up with some memorable bits. Always in that sweet spot of relatable vs specific. And man, not my observation but the tortured screaming in Scentless hits harder than any nerd future subdivision of metal ever would. Come back as fire, burn all the liars

I'm completely biased as it's on of my formative albums as a teen. It's not perfect but it's damn close. Just a total peach.

An evergreen bottle of 90s angst and rage. Fuck you.

Wieder ein ikonisches Album. Klasse gealtert.

Great

Honestly, I didn’t even need to hear this again before rating, but I did because I love this album so much.

Released after the immense success of *Nevermind*, *In Utero* is the album where Kurt Cobain settles the score for once and for all, just as he displays the full scope of his songwriting genius. *Nevermind* had the punk-rock hits and the iconic grunge-pop earworms, sure. But *In Utero* is quite a different beast. Indeed, while still having its fair share of instantly catchy cuts, Nirvana's third album is also a much more interesting and, most of all, much more *intense* affair, where the whole is definitely more than the sum of its parts. Going from "Serve The Servants", a gnarled, knotty, tortured-yet-melodic opener all children of divorced parents will obviously relate to, to the tragic beauty of the cello-enhanced and delicate closer "All Apologies", Nirvana also explores apocalyptic post-metal turf oozing to the brim with molten lava ("Scentless Apprentice" and its massive rhythmical pattern suggested by Dave Grohl; "Milk It and its demented screams chilling you to the bone ; or the full noise attack -- yet also very driven -- "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter", whose title tells you everything you need to know about how Cobain envisioned his band's sudden commercial success). You also have a couple of essential snarling rockers. First the self-referential parody of "Rape Me", aping the band's former international hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with a perverse twist... But also the ominous feminist revenge fantasy of "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle", where a plume of smoke, ash and red-hot embers spurted forth by the St Helens volcano cover the titular city to punish it for having doomed the silent film star. Before all that, first single "Heart-Shaped Box" is a grunge ballad for the ages, where Kurt's admiration for the Beatles shines with a reddish glow that could only be his. "Dumb" picks up the folk-rock, valium-soaked thread left hanging by "Polly" and "Lithium" on the previous album. And "Pennyroyal Tea" is probably the most devastating song ever written by Cobain, which speaks volumes given his usual output and artistry. The deep, abrasive sound and uncompromising aesthetics provided by Steve Albini for the recording of the album haven't aged a day (contrary to parts of *Nevermind*), and the whole record serves as a tantalizing journey into the tormented mind of Kurt Cobain in the very last years of his life. His loss was tragic. But he left us with such a singular LP here, whose dark star will probably shine for decades and decades to come for fans of 100% authentic, devastatingly sincere music. Now that my review proper is done with, I must confess something: I've met Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl twice as a teenager, under circumstances I won't elaborate on here. Just know that I was a very lucky kid who had had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it simply changed my life. When I first met them, they had just finished recording *In Utero*, and sure, that personal memory does explain parts of my enthusiasm for this record, very much intact to this day. Was it not for them, I wouldn't be here using this app to explore albums from the last seventy years or so three decades later. Yet in spite of those very subjective memories, I do believe that, *objectively speaking*, Nirvana single-handedly changed the course of music history. And it's in *In Utero*, where they were at their rawest, most creative, and most emotional, that you can grasp the full scope of their eternal legacy. Number of albums left to review: 73 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 399 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 231 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 298

A classic for sure, fell in love with some Niravana songs i had forgotten about like Pennyroyal tea and radio friendly unit shifter

"In Utero" is the third and final album by American rock band Nirvana. The band hired Steve Albini as the producer seeking a more complex and abrasive sound. The song lyrics appear to draw heavy allusions to lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain's personal life and struggles although Cobain denied it. There was a struggle between their record label, DGC, Nirvana and Steve Albini on the finished product which resulted in smoothing over of several songs by Bob Ludwig and Scott Litt. The album had commercial success, #1 in the UK and US, and critical success with the raw and unconventional sounds and Cobain's lyricism. Drum sticks, an off-kilter guitar and we're off with "Serve the Servants." Drums forward. Cobain sounds resigned of the band's fame. Drums, a great guitar riff and "Scentless Apprentice" roars to a start. Hard rockin' and the band at their most most raw. Cobain's guitar climbing the scales resulting is his scream.....awesome. The song is based on Patrick Süskind's book "Perfume" about a killer who takes in his victim's scent, before he kills them, trying to make the ultimate perfume. Hey, I read that book: a great book and my favorite song on the album. The first single was "Heart-Shaped Box." A slower start. Bass in the forefront and melodic guitar. An edgy guitar and a bass that sounds like a buzzsaw. It's about kid with terminal cancer. A great outro with the drums and feedback. "Rape Me" has a guitar strumming sounding very much like their big song from their previous album. They use the soft-loud-soft dynamic. They'll use that a few more times. Cobain screaming "Rape Me" seemingly about his struggles with the media again. The last single with was released posthumously after Cobain's death was "Pennyroyal Tea." Cobain's strained vocals. Loud instruments. The title is a reference to a medicine used to induce an abortion and Cobain makes it seem like a place beyond depression. The album closes with "All Apologizes." A song that stays with its great melody and builds. Cobain says this was a happy song for his daughter but it's hard today not to think there were others reasons to apologize. I think one of the reasons that I like this album so much is its raw, edgy, guttural crunch in both the music and vocals. The lyrics all seem to deal with death and disease and appear very personal to Cobain. Some may find the lyrics tied to his suicide but I never really did and don't now. They do nail the soft-loud-soft dynamic. I do appreciate the details with the instruments and sounds. I will seek listening to the original Albini mix since the rawness is part of the reason this album is so good. A tremendous album and my favorite Nirvana.

So, so good and such a great example of grunge. Is this Nirvana's best album, no, but is it still straight fire? Absolutely. All of the songs on here help showcase and channel all the angst and snarl that was in Nevermind and then let it off the leash. "Dumb" remains one of my favorite Nirvana songs along with "Heart Shaped Box". Kurt does a really good job of channeling his emotions into each and every song and lyric which makes it even more tragic that his death wasn't prevented.

Despite how much I like the Nirvana songs I do know, I have never really checked their albums out. I really enjoyed this one. I can definitely understand why they are considered so great. Kurt Cobain's voice mixed in with the music and the imagery of the lyrics is magic.

Nirvana. Don’t need to say more.

Remarkable that this album follows nevermind. Usually the follow up to the breakthrough album gets softer, more commercial, or at least less angry. In Utero goes the other way but with the production and talent of the biggest band in the world. A testament to Cobain’s talent and maybe why there was never going to be a 4th album. I’ve never considered myself a nirvana fan but each time they’ve come up on this list I’ve found myself listening to and thinking about them for days afterward.

4.7 Is kinda crazy how an album like this can go and sell 15 million albums. I didn't know Steve Albini passed away this year, RIP.

Great album.

One of the best albums of the 90s

Less famous and flashy than its ‘91 sister, but packing no less of a wallop. Pure elegance in its quiet moments; pure elegance in its abject screaming. What I love most about this album is that, despite coming on the heels of a huge hit, it’s even less overblown and celebratory. It’s not the problems of sudden fame; it’s that nothing has changed at all, or ever will.

Often hated by nirvana purists, I honestly find In Utero to be my favorite album of theirs. Its a strange album, but man, its still raw and has some really screechy, head bangin rock that is still unique today. I could see how Cobains depression is laid out on the album - “teenage angst has paid off well, now im bored and old”.

I was 13 when this album was released. I've owned a copy ever since. I adore this record more now than I did then.

Forgot how great this album was. Don’t listen to it often enough. Hard to rate this objectively when it was such a huge part of my youth.

John Beck: "Annual reminder: In utero is not a good album." Dave Romano: "I love in utero, easily my favorite album of theirs." JB: "What’s your favorite part? The terrible melodies, lack of hooks, or the awful lyrics? DR: "All of the above! Really I love the artwork, the production, and the lyrics. Serve the servants, Dumb, Frances Farmer, All Apologies have great lyrics." There are so many things that John Beck has right and Dave Romano has wrong, but this take was not one of them.

Some of my favorite Nirvana songs on this album. So good!

this album helped shaped how i played with words, sounds and lines. could i write poetry to this? Y

No need for discussion here. It's a favorite of mine. Five stars, hands down.

Not my fav nirvana labum but still amazing

In Utero is not as polished as its more famous predecessor, but still an absolute masterpiece.

Raw, top listen for anyone. Long live Kurt

My favorite Nirvana album. Brutal, painful, and some kind of perfect. Highlights: Scentless Apprentice, Heart-Shaped Box, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle, Milk It, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies

Nirvana had the unenviable task of following Nevermind and created an album that stands alongside its predecessor. There's certainly a raggedness that Nevermind doesn't have, and some of the guitar riffs sound more metal than grunge as anger and disillusionment is expressed through the songs. They're combined with some of Cobain's rawest and most emotional lyrics; when you hear him sing things like go away, I think I'm dumb, I miss the comfort in being sad... you can't fail but directly observe a troubled artist's inner thoughts. A fascinating insight into one of music's most tragic stories, In Utero fucking rocks but it's a hard listen in context

Love it

"Of course, they want another Nevermind, but I'd rather die than do that. This is exactly the kind of record I would buy as a fan, that I would enjoy owning." Kurt Cobain Highlights: Serve The Servants, Heart Shaped Box, Rape Me, Frances Farmer Has Her Revenge On Seattle, Pennyroyal Tea, Tourette's. In a nutshell: rough and raw. Just the way the band wanted. Taking the "punk-ish" approach to recording and enlisting Steve Albini (vale you fucking legend) was the right decision. In Utero is a confronting and unintentionally personal album. I'm glad I was oblivious to grunge and Nirvana's fame as a youth (I was 10 when Kurt died) because I appreciate their music more now than I would have back then. In saying that, I prefer this album over Nevermind, as it feels more authentic. Overall: 9/10

A classic album really, every song is good and the high quality is obvious in every song.

Very close to being a perfect album. I'd take it over Nevermind any day, it's the much more adventurous album and has such a considerably larger impact on me - the guttural screams in the chorus of Scentless Apprentice, the dissonant chord that opens the album, immediately establishing itself as a noisy, angry powerhouse. Albini's production does such a huge service to the album (I'd also recommend listening to his original mix as well, it's somehow even more raw). Despite most of my favourite things about this album being the noisiness and rawness of it all, my two favourites here are arguably the most poppy songs - Heart-Shaped Box and All Apologies. There's a certain contrast between the melancholy atmosphere at the start of Heart-Shaped Box and the unassuming, almost uplifting riff on All Apologies, but they both start with just a guitar. These are two songs that, in my opinion, absolutely master the quiet-loud verse-chorus dynamic, Smells Like Teen Spirit is nothing compared to either of these. Considering the band's direction here, also hinted on You Know You're Right, "all in all is all we are" is unfortunately Nirvana's equivalent to "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". Kurt's passing does hang over this album in many places, certain moments feel like a means of expressing whatever pain he was going through in the form of music. It's almost difficult to listen to in those parts, not because of how visceral it is, necessarily. I listen to much harsher music casually, but it's just how expressive Kurt is on this album - it's almost like the anger unleashed on Converge's 2001 album Jane Doe, but with an almost defeated feel to it. R.I.P. Kurt Cobain and Steve Albini 9.5/10

This is not super accessible, but I think it is artistically better than Nevermind.

Like duh

What can I say, the final album that of the band that started the grunge revolution. Not many bands that stand on the same pedestal as Kurt and Dave, let alone Nirvana. There are some songs you could easily hate, you know what, I get it, fair enough. But the ones that hit are undeniable rock greats. I was gonna skip listening to this album another time but I thought, 24 carat baby, let’s go. Pennyroyal Tea All apologies Heart Shaped Box Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle Dumb

Alberto’s fav

I think this is a better album than never mind. But in 1001 albums do we need more then never mind. A lot of the love for nirvana is the potential that was never to be realised. Not all of it of course. He could write songs and the band was incendiary. But should it be here? Still, I think it a better album than nevermind. But never mind is the one. Gets five stars though.

Its breaks through your musical defences. Nirvana perfectly illustrates that abrasive sound, lean hoarse vocals with repellent themes can be transfixing. Intimate and comforting – and somehow moving, oddly relatable or catchy in a way you least expect. While 90’s grunge rock + poetical angst + troubled devotionals aren't going to happy, it is painfully, stunningly good art. I don't do album sized chunks of grunge. I wouldn’t call it a ‘pick me up’, but it rouses something. Perhaps our bestial bits. Nirvana did make uniquely arresting and memorable music; I literally stopped by the side of the road the first time I heard them, it was “Smell like teen spirit” and I needed to know what it was. “Heart shaped box” is another inimitable work in the grunge from – it taps some kind of magic formula, I suspect. Maybe a classical transcription reveals it. What a sound – like a pied piper who found the magic harsh note that calls to an angry teen. I think at least one Nirvana disc has to be here so people hear and feel what they do (and how unexpected that can be, no matter your taste in music, it works). A solid entry to the list for all the right reasons.

9.5

I was thirteen at the time In Utero got released, and this album truly was everything to me. It played such a huge part in my teenage years that I can't possibly be objective about it. As cliché as it is to say, it defined who I was at the time.

Kurt is really Grunge's golden boy. Not as flamboyant as Nevermind, but what a ride!

Nevermind is the commercial success, but In Utero is really what the grunge is to the very core : sad, pessimistic, noisy and raw, apathetic, destructive... and so on! A masterpiece of the genre.

Now we're talking! I was fearful that this album wouldn't hold up. I was afraid it would just make me nostalgic. It did make me nostalgic, but I also think these songs are still very good. I heard a message this time around, or maybe a bit of a theme? Maybe I'm just older and read into things nowadays

although i'm not as familiar with the "greater" nirvana discography, i have listened to 'nevermind' and some select works that dave grohl did afterwards. this was my first time listening to this album in full, and i have to say, i think i like it more than 'nevermind,' - which i'm not sure is a hot take or not. although obviously their breakthrough album is an incredibly important album for the evolution of popular music in the 20th century, i actually find this album more appealing with its more rough-around-the-edges sound and kurt cobain's more personal lyrics dealing with his experiences with fame. outside of the songs that i would consider "famous" from this album, my favorites were, 'serve the servants,' 'frances farmer will have her revenge on seattle,' and, 'radio friendly unit shifter.' to me, this album is one that takes the momentum of their first album and combines it with a more rough around the edges sound that works extremely well.

Nirvana's fury, documented by Steve Albini. Beautiful, imperfect, tender, raucous, hungry, cynical, emotional, viscerally sincere Nirvana. An abrasive caress. Kurt Cobain's true legacy. I need to rest after I listen to this.

A stone cold fucking classic that cemented Nirvana as one of the greatest bands of all time and not just a cultural phenomenon. Such an intense album. Huge respects to the band for releasing this emotional rollercoaster of a record in the middle of being the most popular band on the planet. Super strong 9/10.

The production on this is so unbelievable, credit to Steve Albini (RIP). I have been listening to a lot of Shellac this year and some of his other credits, and I’m so pleased that the sharp/abrasive percussion and morose but mathy guitar riffs carried over into this record by a band this massive, one that I’ve honestly taken for granted, I think. Born from a perfect moment, sort of, and obviously that much more tragic given the loss of Cobain soon after… kinda surprising myself here - and it’s maybe like a 4.5 - but this hit for me today/this year!

had me at moist vagina

I’m surprising myself with how much I have to say about this. Scattered thoughts follow. The good: -This rougher sound suits them better than the glossy production of Nevermind and over the years this has become my favorite album of theirs (some hipsters will say Bleach, but I don’t think the songwriting there was quite as consistent). -Kurt’s fascination with ailments, illness, sickness, and medicine is always so fascinating. Offers a glimpse of what he was going through even at his young age. -“There is nothing I could say / That I haven’t thought before” is chef’s kiss. -“scentless apprentice” is the drum part I worked the hardest at learning when I had a drum set. I could play the bass and snare part consistently but it was tough throwing in the hi hat too. Dave’s fills on “all apologies” are also great. The bad: -I hear “rape me” as a song about the pressures and trappings of fame. Musically, I love it. Lyrically, maybe choose a different metaphor. -Although I don’t hate it, I don’t think the album benefits from “Tourette’s.” Going in, I knew it would be between a 4 and a 5, and I probably am there still after listening. Essentially a 4.5. I was curious if it was on my ongoing “fav albums” playlist and it was, which felt like a tiebreaker. I’ll give it 5.

Nirvana at its rawest & finest

I love Kurt Cobain's opening line to Serve the Servants (from In Utero), after the enormous success of Smells Like Teen Spirit (from Nevermind): Teenage angst has paid off well Now I'm bored and old Self-appointed judges judge More than they have sold And then he's done with it. I don't spend a lot of my time comparing In Utero to Nevermind; to me, the two are quite a bit different. But if I had to pick, I'd say In Utero reflects the true spirit of Nirvana.

I listened

Moeilijk, maar fantastisch album. Zoveel geweldige nummers, een paar wat mindere doen daar niets aan af.

Amazing follow up to Nevermind, and every bit as good...maybe even better. Darker, edgier, more personal, at times primal. Everyone knows Heart Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, and All Apologies (maybe Nirvana's best track, along with Smells Like Teen Spirit)....but, hell, I didn't realized EVERY track on here is perfect. Do yourself a favor and listen to this while reading the lyrics and soak it all in. You will find Cobain baring his soul to us. Trapped, confined, and alienated in his newfound celebrity, angst-ridden and unable to reconcile his sudden success with his apparently self-loathing identity (this was his last release prior to his tragic suicide), it feels almost voyeuristic and intrusive to witness his raw emotion and honesty. Such a shame that he left us so soon...In Utero is proof that Nirvana was only beginning to hit its stride musically and had so much more to offer. What a loss! And what a moving experience!

Heavy, classic grunge feel. Can’t go wrong with Nirvana

I..I get it now

nirvana's last album, this one as dark, dreary and impactful as all the others in their discography. something about kurt's depressed and acceptant voice and lyrics tugs at the heartstrings. it's grimy, shocking, and it's possibly one of the greatest grunge albums out there.

An absolute BANGER of an album, but Nirvana never fail to disappoint. One of the best of the era and unfortunately we lost a legend too soon. It would have been very cool to see what direction the band/Kurt took after this. Based on the demos that have been released/leaked I have no doubt there was a lot of fanfare still left to come out. Sadly we'll never know. Focusing on this album however, we're immediately assaulted with noise from the beginning notes. The angsty in-your-face aggression assaults your senses and demands your attention. Betwen Grohl's heavy-handed drumming, Kurts screeching guitar and wailing vocals and Krists relentless bass, you're in for 41 mins and 27 seconds of pure rock. All Apologies leaves you on a more somber note and is a fitting bookend to a very raw, very abrasive rock album. One of the bests. Standout Tracks: Scentless Apprentice, Heart-Shaped Box, Dumb, All Apologies

nice

I may now be bored & old, but this still kicks a whole lot of ass. RIP Steve Albini.

Fire album. 1 questionable song but otherwise mostly great

Amazing and influential album

Brilliant album! Masterpiece!

Great

One of my favorite albums from the 90s. To me, this was Nirvana's best studio album, aided significantly by Steve Albini's (R.I.P.) production processes. In some sense, it's a marriage of the roughness of their debut, 'Bleach' with the commercial success of 'Nevermind'. Cobain thought of the album as using a handful of singles to grab the attention of mainstream kids who didn't have access, or just didn't know, about more experimental and abrasive music being made. They'd buy the album and be exposed to something that they never heard before. Well, it certainly worked on me. 'In Utero' opened up my musical horizons in a major way. It sounded fearless, emotive, and completely uncompromising, despite the occasional radio friendly song. I was so into this album that I remember hunting down the German import singles to get my hands on the b-sides (now all easily accessible on streaming services). Cobain claimed that there's nothing personal within the lyrics, but whether he knew it or not, the songs are seeped in his personal experience. The themes of birth, disease and death are unmissable and surely must have reflected the conflicted feelings of the birth of his daughter and the dark clouds gathering within his mind through his final year. The lyrics still manage to shock because Cobain was never trying to shock anyone. He was simply giving us a window into his mind. I was young when Kurt Cobain took his own life. It was the first time that I really thought about death seriously when I saw the news late night on MTV. I didn't really have a concept of depression yet, but it taught me a lot about mental health. 'In Utero' is in a sense a powerful reminder of that to me. In another universe, this album was also a signal of where the band may have gone next, if they'd had a chance. The other hint was their MTV Unplugged appearance, but I'll save that for the another review when the time comes.

10/10 I own it. I love it. 6-5-2024

With today's album, the notes are written quickly and in advance of listening to the whole thing. The album is great. I was belatedly excited about Nevermind at the time, the album was hard to get at my usual retailers. That's when In Utero fell into my hands. I was thrilled. And I still am. 5/5

Nirvana’s best album

Ωραία μουσική όχι ιδιαίτεροι στιχοι

Great album.

LIFE CHANGING

Great album

Heart-shaped box! Vet så lite om Nirvana men de är bra

5. Can't believe I hadn't heard this in full. Some songs are less abrasive than I expected, really interesting melodies. Can see myself listening to this as much as Doolittle by the pixies

One of the best albums of the 90s hands down. So raw, visceral, and emotional. There is also great production and songwriting to boot as well. This album is amazing.

Kyllä se vaan tämäkin Nirvanan lätty multa täydet saa.

Like a lot of people I loved Nevermind, then, probably like a lot of people was kind of surprised when the follow up In Utero had such a more raw sound. Turns out that is what Kurt wanted after not liking how polished Nevermind was and he gets that in the second track "Scentless Apprentice", "Milk it", "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and even the guitar solo to the radio hit "Heart-Shaped Box". Speaking of the raw sound, RIP Steve Albini. Oh, and yes, I love the album

Favorite Nirvana album, recorded famously and quickly in Minnesota by Steve Albini (RIP). There’s a grip it & rip it feel to some of the songs here, but All Apologies & Pennyroyal Tea showed they could also produce sweet melodies if they wanted. Kurt was gifted.

An all time great album. A band that found itself at the top of the world with a singer that didn’t really want it. It rails against everything, including itself. Beneath all the fuzz and anger, there are smart lyrics and brilliant hooks and melodies.

It's so relieving To know that you're leaving As soon as you get paid It's so relaxing To hear that you're asking Whenever you get your way It's so soothing To know that you'll sue me Starting to sound the same I miss the comfort in being sad Yeah, this is a pretty amazing album. 5/5

I'm so happy to get this album. Every song is good. One criticism. Maybe it's just me, but the drums sound muffled. I prefer Butch Vig's production on Nevermind. Grohl's drums sound so in your face on that album. Here, they sound like they're stuffed with 20 blankets. It's a minor criticism. Overall, it's a classic.

All Apologies but this album kicks ass

Day 1: An album I've already listened to before. But I've given myself more time to analyse it and really get into it. It's definitely better than Nevermind with each listen I give it.

I wonder what Nirvana would sound like today if they stayed a band. If they had, we might not have the Foo Fighters. Nevertheless, we are left with this album, which displays raw energy and talent it never gets old listening to this.

Great album

This album shows the depth of his pain and we all just watched it happen.

When I started dating Marianne, I told her I was a huge fan of Nirvana even though I never listened to it. To my surprise, it was one of the best thing I ever listened to and started my life long love for anti-consumerist music and low fidelity recordings.

Not as polished as nevermind, but in a way it makes it more of a proper grunge album. Tons of hits still, can't go wrong, 5 star

What a truly exceptional album. Had listened many times before but it had been some time. The lyrics, vocals, music... This is a top album.

I like the production, very raw compared to Nevermind but the songs are strong.

Not as good as Nevermind, but a stellar album none the less.

i loved this album - the combo of the grunge with almost a hardcore influence was superb.

I live next to Steve Albini. That is all.

Dude, I really really wish we had half star ratings. This is not technically a 5 star record, but its also not a 4 star record. It is the third best record by Nirvana and really highlighted the lyrical songwriting. By this time grunge was in full swing and everyone was on board.

The best album from the most i.portant band of the 90's. Steve Albini Jesus Lizard wall punching Keystone Light drinking music.

Du kan ikke fucke med et mesterværk!

Støjende, skramlet og råt. Men samtidig viser In Utero også at bag Nirvanas grunge/punk lyd er der en gudsbenåedet popsmed i Kurt Cobain. Albummet er det ene mesterværk af et nummer efter det andet. Hvis jeg presses vil jeg fremhæve Very Ape, Milk It og All Apologies. Men jeg kan ikke finde et nummer herpå jeg ikke knus elsker. Klart i top 3 af Nirvanas studie LPer 😜 Og kan vi så lige snakke lidt om de sange der ikke klarede cuttet. Der er så meget guld der. Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol…, I Hate Myself… og ikke mindst en af Nirvanas bedste sange overhovedet. Heldigvis kom Sappy med på 2013s 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition udgivelse

Maybe their best

This bloke needs therapy

Abrasive and darker than other Nirvana stuff and it holds up imo

one of my favorite songs by nirvana is only on the deluxe edition (marigold - demo). it's a classic.

Classic.

Not the best Nirvana album, but still solid.

Well If this isn't perfect. Gritty. The songs rip. So good.

As one of those who remember when Kurt Cobain walked with earthly feet (and witnessed the band fucking destroy Dayton's Hara Arena), the resonance of this now swan song is the old soul resignation of its poetry and the fury of the sound. If your songbook contains a line like "Give me Leonard Cohen afterworld/So I can sigb eternally" you have transcended space and time, the apotheosis artist to something new. Too bad, we would learn it would be the same old. And we are impoverished now. Not for the want of the Star, nor a Legend, nor a Generational Spokesperson (what we call those we draft to destroy) but some one poignantly telling us about the world.

#15 Nirvana - In Utero (1993) Grunge, Noise Rock Post-Hardcore, Noise Rock An album that just gets better and better the more I listen to it. The best combination of noise rock with mainstream music ever made. RIP Kurt. Favourite Tracks: Heart-Shaped Box, Dumb, All Apologies, Rape Me, Frances Farmer... Least Favourite Track: Milk It

Yes. Oh yes.

Incredible album.

I think this a perfect harder rock record from this period. Just perfectly encapsulates where alternative rock was, but also still being “popular music.” Just kind of crazy this, Nirvana, that is, was popular music, when you look at where the mainstream went from here.

Een paar bekende topnummers, een paar minder bekende ook topnummers en af en toe net wat teveel herrie. Volgens mij stak ome Kurt niet onder stoelen of banken dat ie fan was van Pixies en ik meen dat op dit album duidelijk te kunnen merken. Zo'n Pixies-achtige combinatie van schurend lelijk met vreemd catchy, zoals 'Tourettes'. Een aantal nummers die hier op staan zijn sonisch misschien wel de mooiste Nirvana nummers, zoals Dumb en Heart Shaped Box. Of het gitaartokkeltje en de strijkers op All Apologies. Nevermind is als geheel wat beter, misschien ook omdat het net wat vriendelijker is voor de oortjes. Ik kan echter ook deze voor m'n plezier meerdere keren per jaar luisteren, dus ga ik zonder schaamte op de 5 sterren drukken.

Fantastic. In my opinion it’s Nirvanas best work

yesss finally. some bangers on this one.

not nearly as immediately appealing as nevermind but still very good 6/7

Nirvana's last album is a love it or hate affair. Often harsh, at least compared to Nevermind. Kurt Cobain growls more than he howls which gives the album an uneasy feeling. Many of the songs seem designed to not only make a point, but to cause discomfort. Rape Me and Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle (about the actor who was forcibly given a lobotomy) can be hard to listen to. The album's only radio friendly song (to the extent any Nirvana song can be called radio friendly) was Heart Shaped Box. There is no Smells Like Teen Spirit on In Utero. Even the album cover can be described as disturbing. And yet... there is a lot to like. The pure expression of angst. The obvious pain that emanates from Cobain, with help from the rest of the band. These are not comfortable, but they make you feel. The silliness of some of the songs on Nevermind counterbalanced the anger. In Utero purposely doesn't do that. You are meant to feel the full weight of the anger and anguish of Cobain. This is not an album for lazy Sunday listening but listen to it you must. It is compelling.

5/5

I can't be picky with anything. Everything clicks. Nirvana have found the way of the 90's rocking. It's like they've achieved... nirvana...

Thoughts before listening: Huge album for me growing up. This came out when I was 12 and was just starting to pay attention to music. At one point I would have said this was Nirvana's best album, but it definitely is not as good as Nevermind. This is a darker, more punk rock album that unfortunately was Kurt Cobain's final studio recording. Review: Yeah this is great. I have a ton of nostalgia for Nirvana and these songs meant so much to me when I was a teenager. This would have definitely been one of the first albums I ever bought for myself. "Heart Shaped Box", "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", "Dumb", "Pennyroyal Tea", "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter", and "All Apologies" are favorites that are going on the playlist. 5-star album.

An old friend

Its a great album for Grunge rock

One of my favorite albums. Always makes me wonder what could’ve been. Teenage nostalgia

"I tried hard to have a father But instead I had a dad." The Michael Jordan of alternative/ rock. There will most likely never be another band within this genre that captures this kind of energy and feeling in a way that connected with a world audience.

considering I've listened to it thousands of times for the last ~25 years and I was still genuinely excited to give it a listen again today, this is forever a 5. the drumming is powerful, the lyrics and vocals, the signature grungey distorted guitar. "dumb" was my favorite for years, but "milk it" is the one I've kept going back to. honorable mention to "radio friendly unit shifter".

Not sure why they picked In Utero instead of Nevermind, but either way, it's good stuff.

I grew up listening to Nirvana, and this is another stellar album. Angsty, full of rage, sentimental, sad, Seattle grunge rock at its finest. Classic.

A really good album, and a great response to hitting the mainstream from the previous album. Heavy and abrasive, and excellent writing (for the most part; not a big fan of screaming "R*pe me"). The hits coming from this album are also deserving of their popularity.

Not as big as Nevermind, still amazing

My preference over Nevermind overall, which is saying something. It's not as accessible, because there's no Teen Spirit anthemic moment, unless you count Rape Me, which Kurt Cobain might have preferred. But it's tighter and more complete. The band sounds more in control of their sound, or they give the impression they clearly knew where they wanted to go. Do yourself a favor and listen to the 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe edition and listen to the many gems recorded during these sessions. This band had a lot more to give the world, at least something better than whatever the hell Dave Grohl kept trying to force upon us over the last 25 years.

Best drum album

heavy as hell, really good, no bad songs

Alltime Classic

own

Nirvana was one of the first alternative bands that my young ears were exposed to at 12 years old (starting with their MTV Unplugged album), so I may be a bit biased in my rating here. That said, after having sat with Nirvana's catalog for more than 27 years now, I consider In Utero to be the absolute best studio album that Nirvana ever recorded, without question. More than Nevermind. The production and musical choices across the entirety of In Utero are stunning, occasionally harsh but intentionally so, and there are so many amazing tracks on In Utero that still hold up today. Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea and All Apologies still hold my complete attention years after first hearing them on the unplugged album and then the studio version here. As we all know this was sadly the last album before Kurt's death in '94. It makes me wistful to think about what would have come next as the band came into their own even more as a popular group. Interesting facts from Wikipedia: *Cobain originally wanted to name the album I Hate Myself and I Want to Die, a phrase that had originated in his journals in mid-1992. At the time, he used the phrase as a response whenever someone asked him how he was doing. Cobain intended the album title as a joke; he stated he was "tired of taking this band so seriously and everyone else taking it so seriously". Novoselic convinced Cobain to change the title due to fear that it could potentially result in a lawsuit. The band then considered using Verse Chorus Verse—a title taken from its song "Verse Chorus Verse", and a (at the time current) working title of "Sappy"—before eventually settling on In Utero. The final title was taken from a poem written by Courtney Love. *The cover of the album is an image of a Transparent Anatomical Manikin, with angel wings superimposed. Cobain created the collage on the back cover, which he described as "Sex and woman and In Utero and vaginas and birth and death", that consists of model fetuses, a turtle shell and models of turtles, and body parts lying in a bed of orchids and lilies. The collage had been set up on the floor of Cobain's living room and was photographed by Charles Peterson after an unexpected call from Cobain. * "Pennyroyal Tea", planned as a single prior to Cobain's death, was released in 2014 and reached number one on the now-defunct Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. * Steve Albini (whom Nirvana chose to record In Utero with) originally dismissed Nirvana as "R.E.M. with a fuzzbox" and "an unremarkable version of the Seattle sound". However, he accepted the job because he felt sorry for them, perceiving them as "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with", at the mercy of their record company. * In February 1993, Nirvana traveled to Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota...The group stayed in a house on the studio grounds. (Nirvana bassist Krist) Novoselic compared the isolated conditions to a gulag; he said, "There was snow outside, we couldn't go anywhere. We just worked." Standouts: Serve the Servants, Scentless Apprentice, Heart-Shaped Box, Rape Me, Frances Farmer..., Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies

This album is gold. Even the screaming songs are melodic. It's impressive that Nirvana was able to put together multiple albums of this caliber.

Impossible to be objective. Too formative of an album. Glad to it holds up and continues to scorch earth.

Knowing 'Nevermind' is out there makes it hard to rate In Utero objectively. But this album is full on amazing on its own with very few misses (especially when you compare it to other 90s knock off dreck on this list like HMS Fable and Copper Blue). Frances Farmer is a stand out, but added many other tracks I knew less well to my rotation.

Amazing Legendary Album!

Honestamente lo odie la primera vez que lo escuché, le di una segunda oportunidad por ver que tan apasionados Vencent y Yopo eran por el álbum. Me senté, lo escuché, me enamoré de Nirvana. Una banda que ya conocía relativamente bien antes, y ahora me encuentro siendo un fanático y un crítico de los acontecimientos que sucedieron. Realmente trágico en varios aspectos lo que pasó y ni sabía. La autenticidad de este álbum es algo que no puedo procesar, hay casi que NADA DE PRODUCCIÓN POST EN ESTA MIERDA IRS SO RAW, just 3 people playing. Absolute banger, but say no to heroin please.

After giving In Utero a good listen, All i can say is "Wow". This is such an amazing album. I don't think there is one song that i did not find amazing on this album. The guitar work was absolutely amazing and Kurt's voice was the cherry on top. This is definitely one of the best albums I have looked at for this project. Best Song: Milk It Worst Song: Dumb

Though some songs were obviously meant to be off-putting they were still clever and interesting and the highs lift the rest to five stars

although i really like the rawness of this album in comparison with nevermind i just cant stand some of the screaming moments. i find myself liking the more pop songs on the album. guess im just a poser nirvana fan, because i like nevermind more. this is a 5 anyways for me.

Все хиты. Предпочитаю Nevermind, но есть поинт, что этот альбом чувствуется более как Альбом, и при этом более разноплановый, что вообще-то звучит контринтуитивно, но в самом деле ощущается именно так. Лучшая песня - Rape Me.

The grunge era, Nirvana as a band, and this record where really important to me in my early youth. Th shift in tone from Nevermind to this took me some time to like then, but as an adult I find this record as an album a lot more interesting. Gone are the multitracked vocals an super catchy song structures stolen from power pop. Instead there are angsty whispers and angry screams, and a piece of art that on one hand has mellow and calm songs like Dumb and All Apologies, and on the other hardcore blowouts like Tourettes. And still this is the most cohesive record, and one that I can play from start to finish without skippping, and then want to hear it again.

Goat

Although Nevermind is by far the more iconic album, everyone agrees that In Utero is better. It’s more streamlined, it has better lyrics, better hooks. I’ve always been amused that Kurt Cobain seemed to be a fan of Leonard Cohen. Artistically, they’re more similar than people would think, but as people they’ve got completely different energies

On of the greatest albums ever recorded. Nirvana has been my absolute favourite band for many years now. Heart shaped box is one of my all time favourites songs. Amazing screams from Kurt on Tourettes. 100/10

Being in high school in the 90's, I will never overcome a pro-Nirvana bias. But knowing what I know now about performance and production, how did this ever get made? - A lot of the guitar playing barely counts as guitar playing - You hear every sloppy note and squeal - Half the singing is screamed into a blown-out mic And IT'S AWESOME. Kudos to whoever had the sack to let Nirvana be Nirvana and put it on a record.

it was good, but I didn't realize I'm one of those people who only listens to popular Nirvana songs.

I've heard it before. One of my favorites.

Every song is emotional, this was my first time listening to this album and loved most of the tracks.

Messy, raw, and emotional. Fantastic album, maybe their best. Wonder if that drummer would ever be in another band?

5. It's perfect.

A última arfada do rock alternativo que sustenta a satisfação para querer sempre escutar mais e mais, rock. Reforça o ciclo de viver envolvido com a energia do rock.

One of my favorite bands. From my time of becoming

Nothing needs to be said, love this album.

If only heard Nevermind before this so obviously this had a stupid high bar to live up to, and it delivered imo. It’s like a polished grime, nasty in some places and beautiful in others. Exactly the kind of sound I love.

Their best album. Probably the closest they ever got to the sound in Kurt’s head. The album I bought with my own money as a kid.

A band trapped in time at their prime. I like Dumb and many of the others.

The boys knew what they were doing, eh? Fave tracks - "Heart Shaped Box", "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle", "Pennyroyal Tea", "All Apologies"

best album eva probably

Catching up on several albums in a row it’s easy to get distracted but this hits you like a freight train

Brilliant

1.1.24

One of the best of all time

Better album than remember it being. Very sad album.

What a banger. Might start listening to Nirvana a bit more.

NIrvana geht (fast) immer :-)

Nirvana is always a 5 star rating for me. This album is a pent-up release of poisonous hateful thoughts and raging frustration, but it's also a sardonic middle finger to the masses who gave Kurt exactly what he wanted, to breathe the rarified air that only those who attain superstar iconic fame do. As the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for 'cuz you just might get it. A lot of people feel Nirvana is overrated and overplayed, but to me, they will always be my musical nervous system; reaching into all areas of my form and able to elicit pleasure or pain depending on how it hits. Kurt was a troubled man, but a brilliant artist and musician. I will always respect that, and I often wonder to myself how the 2020's would have sounded to him were he still around and making music. If only he'd been able to evolve and get help for his painful personal shit. RIP, Kurt - you were a gift and I love you.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

It's really hard to separate nostalgia from reality on this one, as every song has some sort of personal meaning from various points in my life. So we're givin er the ole 5 stars, but you may feel differently.

Classic. One of my all time favorites since the day it came out. I love Kurt Cobain. It's raw, yet soft and comfortable to me. Feels so good.

Serve the servants - 4.9/5 a very very strong opener Scentless apprentice- 4.91/5 literally the best fucking drum intro ever Heart shaped box - 4.97/5 I cant possibly find any flaws Rape me - 4.91/5 i dont think mtv would let us play that Frances Farmer... - 4.63/5 Dumb - 4.87/5 maybe just happy Very Ape - 4.83/5 Wailing goes hard Milk It - 4.85/5 What a perfect capture of dissonance being musical Pennyroyal Tea - 4.89/5 the crazy echoflanger solo makes me want to spend $800 on my own Radio Friendly... - 4.65/5? Intro and feedback are over the top but "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?" 🗣️ 🗣️ Tourettes - 4.55/5 too short, HEYYY!! All apologies - 4.98/5 so precise and gentile yet so sharp. Cellist on this album was THE call I consider these from the later compilations of this album faithful: Gallons of Rubbing... - 3.8/5 I enjoyed the bonus song "Endless Nameless" from nevermind more but it was an anomaly to the style of the rest of the songs on the album. This one holds the style better, but strays a little too much with dissonance to be considered musical at times. Vocals are also definitely only one take and not mixed or recorded to the same standards Marigold - 4.1/5 it's a dave grohl demo, he wrote and performed everything but the bass so it's basically a foo fighters song. Not enough confidence/skill yet from him though Sappy - 4.92/5 Phenomenal "underground" song unless you bought this AIDS relief album or until the first box set. This guitar tone gives me chills and I would sell my first born to get it Moist Vagina - 4.3/5 almost too dissonant for my liking at times, barely before that line. Almost felt aimless too. I love the vocal fry thing he does I Hate Myself and Want to Die - 4.4/5 second most in utero sounding bonus song Overall in my top 3 favorite albums overall, and without glazing an easy 4.9/5. I really really enjoyed doing a full in depth review finally.

An amazing album. Raw, uncomprimising that grabs hold and shakes you around really never lets you go. 5 stars

Absolute masterpiece, rivals Nevermind with everyone of its songs

When I get was 13, an older boy made a fortune taping his copies of Nirvana albums and selling them for a pound to the younger kids. In Utero on one side and Nevermind on the other. I listened until the tape wore through. I'm not able to accurately judge this as it's wound through my teenage years like raisins in a Danish pastry.

While I do believe that Nevermind is Nirvana's magnum opus, I'm still quite shocked at the vast difference in rating between the two albums. Are you guys all hearing the same In Utero as I am? What are y'all docking points for? Perfect third album by one of the most iconic bands…

Great album of a Great band!

Easily their best album. Feels like this is what Nirvana was always intended to sound like but this only came together once due to budget and creative restraints. Classic.

Nothing ever was quite the same after Nirvana. In Utero sounds relevant today, but enough time has passed between 1993 and 2023 where it's revolutionary sound has come to dominate the alt rock charts and then become tired. It's irreverence has become cliched, albeit a loved cliche. I feel as if I've seen this sound live and it's electric. Heart-Shaped Box is still a bop, but it feels the most commercial of songs on the album. Rape Me probably wouldn't be able to made today, and I love it.

DET definerende Grunge bandet, med et tilnærmet likt perfekt album (om man liker slikt)

Ælsk Nirvana❤️

Heavy, melodisk, dypt, rått

Nevermind slightly better but still an absolutely incredible album

I LOVE nirvana!! i have listened to this album many times. its so good. nirvana is one of my favourites and in utero is so pretty.

Just great. I miss the comfort in being sad. All apologies

My first favorite alternative album

After the massive success of "Nevermind," igniting the grunge movement, Nirvana decided to actually make an album that sounded like grunge. Kurt Cobain sounds exhausted and this isn't the entire album of radio friendly songs that I am sure the record company thought they would get. "In Utero" isn't a rejection of grunge, but a full embrace of it and features Cobain screaming as much as possible. Even when this album came out, I remember thinking this album has the attitude of "You want grunge, here you go," as opposed to turning away from the sound that brought them fame, Nirvana essentially insisted "Nevermind" wasn't grunge and now this is what really is. The album starts off with two songs that are not what is to be expected and then it just goes from there. I really wish I knew what Nirvana would have done after this.

Best follow up to a classic album ever?

Amazing album. Possible to distinguish the time when it was made, but it also has aged well. Production is great, vocals are great, overall sound is great!

Formative in my teenage years

I love Nirvana, and this album is just so, so good. "All Apologies" is one of my favorite songs, and it's a great ending to this album. Every track is great, but "All Apologies," "Rape Me," "Heart Shaped Box," and "Dumb" are probably my favorites.

Perfect time to listen to this, as it is the 30th anniversary of this incredible album by one of my all-time favourite bands!

Amazing album, a classic

So angry, so much angst. Absolute banger of an album, Heart-Shaped Box and Rape Me are legendary IMO. All apologies is a perfect closing track. 9.5/10

NIRVANA is 🔥

Darn good album

Powerful, beautiful, dark, artistic, one of kind.

El último álbum de Nirvana ingeniado por Kurt Cobain. Con un claro cambio estético en comparación a su entrega anterior, In Utero propone un paisaje sonoro mucho más crudo y explosivo, con letras sombrías e interpretaciones sumamente furiosas. Sin embargo, la banda no pierde su sensibilidad pop, creando una mezcla perfecta de frecuencias que da vida al LP que probablemente, sepultó el concepto del Grunge.

Nirvana is awesome.

Really good, very Jim-ly

Great follow up to Nevermind. It's a shame will never know where this band would have gone. This album doesn't fall into the trap of trying to replicate past success. They continued on into the punk/heavy genre for most of the songs. This album definitely influenced future grunge acts, and rock acts to come

Amazing album, especially for it being Nirvana's 3rd album and released "on schedule." Punk elements, hard rock/metal, and the prototype for grunge. Every song feels unique and the whole album is highly digestible while feeling both raw and polished at the same time.

The best Nirvana album. Wonder did Frances farmer get revenge.

I’ve listened to this album countless times. It’s heavy. It’s gritty. It’s weird. I love it.

i don't even know why i'm SURPRISED that i loved this. this album was deliciously nastier and a lot punkier than other material i've heard from nirvana, which was absolutely lovely. (side note: "rape me" may be great, but the subject matter is. preventing me from putting it on my playlist)

It'sa bit hard to put my thoughts about this album into words. In some ways it's an improvement over Nevermind, it's certainly a "purer" Nirvana sound at least, but it's undoubtedly a much, much harder listen for most people. Hell, it's a step down from Nevermind in most people's minds, no doubt about that. But I am not most people. I am built different.

I just love it. Everyone loves Nirvana but my gosh there's a reason for it. Their sound is just so damn good I love it all. I really love these bands who came up with such a new, niche sound for the time and then became hugely popular. Bands that came up with new sounds and became the front of a whole genre are just great, imagine just being some dirty weirdos at school and doing something like that. Mad.

10/10 love love

Love this album. Obviously, it's not as coveted as Nevermind but still contains classics in Heart-Shaped Box, Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea and All Apologies. I am glad that this gave me a reason to listen to it through again, because it really is a great album. A true shame that Nirvana didn't see old age.

The culmination of Kurt’s short career. If Nevermind was a critique on society, In Utero was Kurt digging deeper in himself. A tragic final studio album that evoked everything that made Kurt Cobain who he was.

hard af. Sad undertone

Raw grunge. Such a clean break from the polished big hair/glam rock of the 80s.

hell yeah