"I miss the comfort in being sad," Kurt Cobain grovels harshly on the excellent mid-tempo rocker, "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle," a sparse and raw tune that typifies the overall sound of "In Utero." Cobain and company establish a rougher-edged sound right away on "In Utero," rawer than the previous

album, though not as raw as the band's debut,

, perhaps somewhere in between. The chorus to "Serve the Servants," the opening song, is as catchy as any previous Nirvana tune, just somewhat more plodding and low key. Inescapable from this great disc is the slower, thicker, even woodsy sound that may not grab a hold of listeners like the previous album so overwhelmingly did.

Future Foo Fighter Dave Grohl contributes the over-the-top Sabbath-like riff to "Scentless Apprentice," as Cobain howls the chorus meant to scare all his fans away. Needless to say, this is not a happy album. The lyrics are cynical, isolated and sad, though there are tiny moments of inspiration. The dark feel to "In Utero" was likely created in response to "Nevermind's" sparkling, rip-roaring introduction into the 1990s that sounds highly fan-friendly in comparison. The slow-paced "Dumb" from "In Utero" perhaps could have been a radio hit, but the lyrics are simply too depressing, probably best left for true Nirvana fans; the same holds true for the Pollyesque "PennyRoyal Tea."

On the faster side of things, "Very Ape" is a catchy and vibrant rocker that reveals Cobain's belief in reincarnation. "Milk It" possesses the incomparable formula that Cobain made famous and classic -- start soft and then knock listeners over later with a huge screaming chorus. No one else could properly replicate or match that formula, though too many bands tried. For my money, "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" is the album's top song; listening to Cobain grovel "What is wrong with me?" over and over seems to fit the tone of "In Utero." "Tourette's" is as quick and punk as it gets, a properly named ditty that comes and goes before you know what hit you.

Kurt Cobain was simply incapable of writing bad songs or screwing around with fluffy music. He left this world a winner, making "In Utero" on his own terms. It's truly a guitar, bass and drums rock album -- no extra frills like backup singers, keyboards, overly used strings or an extra rhythm guitar to mix with Cobain's lead. There are no trappings of the rich and famous rock band overdoing things in the studio. As far as the recording, Steve Albini did a great job getting the raw sound Cobain requested, with no extra juice to the vocals. Additionally, Dave Grohl's drums throughout the record are thumping and fantastic.

No disrespect meant, but Cobain was far from a man at peace with himself and the world. "In Utero" is not for the faint of heart or for people who want Nirvana spoon fed to them. Yet, if you want to hear truly genuine, no-nonsense music that is more riveting each time you sink your teeth into it, give "In Utero" a try.

"Find your place/speak the truth." -- Kurt Cobain on "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter"

Almost three weeks ago, it was ten years since the tragic death of Kurt Cobain. As a dedication, I'm here to write a review of "In Utero," Nirvana's greatest single musical accomplishment in their short lived career as the world's biggest and best rock band on the planet. In those ten years since Cobain committed suicide, the music scene is forever changing and Kurt's music is still as powerful and widely-received as it was in the early 1990's. Nirvana blazed fiercely as the most revolutionary and influential rock act since the Beatles, and before they knew what hit them, the band was over forever on April 5th 1994. The world came to realise this three days later.

"Nevermind" has made Nirvana the most famous rock band in the world. It was their second album and sold a staggering 18 million copies worldwide. Kurt was tired of the adulation and praise that he received in truckloads, and decided to go back into the studio in 1993 and make an album that would scare off all the cling-ons. Originally titled "I Hate Myself And I Want To Die," the album was released in September 1993 and was called In Utero. It topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and shifted some 6 million copies in America. Critics adored it and I have to agree, this is one of the finest albums of all time.

"Serve The Servants" opens the album in grand style with a loud and abrasive beat with a wonderful melody. The song's most striking line is, "I tried hard to have a father, but instead I had a dad." This deep-cutting line refers to Kurt's father who deserted him when he was a child. "Scentless Apprentice" builds the album's aggression up even more, in one of the hardest rocking anthems the band ever recorded. This was one of the first times the band all shared writing kudos on a song instead of just Kurt. However, Kurt completely steals the song with his tortured yelp, "Go away!" throughout the chorus. The disturbing and manic verses refer to a book that Kurt read on a murdering perfume psycho.

The album's lead single, "Heart-Shaped Box," is up next and easily towers as one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. The production and vocals are on to top form here, complete with a visually stunning video (based on Kurt's dreams, apparently) and some genius lyrics such as, "Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back." Perhaps the album's most controversial song, "Rape Me," follows. This is easily one of the best songs on the album in which Kurt sings of rape as a metaphor for his emotional torture. The violence contained within the song makes it a song you simply cannot ignore.

"Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle" is a fantastic song with a subdued intro that just rages out into a massive and loud assault on the ears. The lyrics, the arrangement, the vocals and the instruments are all superb - hell, even the title of the song is genius. "Dumb" is the first truly tranquil song on the album. There are no harsh vocals or lyrics here, everything is laid-back, but underneath lies disturbing images which can be seen through the lyrics, "My heart is broke, but I have some glue. Help me inhale, and mend it with you." The addition of the cello also makes this one of the most beautiful songs you are ever likely to hear, even if it was three years old at the time of this album's release.

"Very Ape" is perhaps the worst song on the album, but it doesn't even last two minutes so it doesn't really matter. It's still a good composition, however, but serves as more of an interlude. "Milk It" is one of the best songs on the album and has some amazing lyrics. I love the way Kurt screams his chorus, "Doll steak! Test meat!" which is then followed by "Look on the bright side is suicide. Lost eyesight I'm on your side. Angel left wing, right wing, broken wing. Lack of iron and/or sleeping." Here so much can be deciphered about Kurt's tumultuous state of mind at the time of writing and recording.

"Pennyroyal Tea" is an extremely heartbreaking song, not so much for the lyrical content, but in the way Kurt almost cries his chorus with so much emotion and the instrumental halfway through. A fantastic song, and an utter classic. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" is one of my favourite songs on the album, despite what others may think. I love the way it starts off, so loud and shocking, before breaking out with a twisted and head-banging beat that only gets better as the song continues. Kurt's vocals are so full of hate towards himself and the way he keep questioning "What is wrong with me?" is just almost unlistenable.

"Tourette's" is the funniest track on the album. The title of the song is a condition which causes people to suddenly blurt out any noise or cuss-word that comes to mind, and suddenly we have Kurt just screaming and babbling a load of nonsense, but of course, in the best way possible. And then the album finally closes with "All Apologies." One of Nirvana's finest ever songs, it represents a man so hard on himself it makes almost unbearable listening.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

So it's 10 years since the death of one of rock's biggest icons. Kurt Cobain became a legend upon his death, and why shouldn't he? He was a true genius who didn't realise his full potential before it was too late. Maybe we didn't realise his full potential. Who knows what he'd have gone on to do if he hadn't have been so stupid to commit suicide? Nevermind was awesome, this is ever better. Buy it now to realise just why. R.I.P. Kurt Cobain. 20th February 1967 - 5 April 1994.

Thus starts "Dumb." In a way, this one song represents perfectly not only Cobain, but the "outcast youth" he purportedly represented. It's not angry, narcissistic, ridiculously self-absorbed alienation (coughNineInchNailscough) - it's simply lonely, fragile and sad beyond belief. With its gentle cello and minor key, it is very well the most beautiful song the man ever wrote.

Oh yeah, there are eleven other songs here too. There's the wickedly acidic "Serve the Servants," "Very Ape" and "Frances Farmer...". The humor is black and biting - "It's so relieving to know that you're leaving as soon as you get paid." Ouchie. There's also the exquisite "Heart Shaped Box," a haunting portrayal of someone unable to stop loving even though he knows he's being used. There's "Pennyroyal Tea," which marries the words "I'm a liar and a thief" to an anthemic chorus. There's the melancholy "All Apologies," which now reads like a suicide note. There's "Rape Me," which uses the old "Teen Spirit" riff but inverts it to almost frightening effect. And there are a bunch of throwaway, almost unlistenable tracks ("Scentless Apprentice," "Milk It," "tourette's") that are deliberately placed right in between the best parts for maximum irritation.

The album is filled with a very marked disgust for human flesh. One can see this in the anatomic references of "Milk It," ("I own my own pet virus"? Yum.) the strange rants about perfumed skin in "Scentless Apprentice," the frighteningly cryptic lines of "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter," and of course, in the downright disturbing cover art. Cobain's lyrics are never very happy, ranging from sad to outright nihilistic, but he remains a musical genius and thus infuses the record with a multitude of hooks, which are so good that they aren't even negated by Albini's execrable production. In Utero is made a difficult record by its duality - loud screamfests go hand in hand here with some of the band's best melodies ever - but the brutal honesty with which Cobain examines himself and the sheer power of some of his lyrical imagery make it a masterpiece. And once again, "Dumb" is his best song ever, a song that at once shows why so much was made of this band and why it struck a chord with so many people. Rarely has there been a better band than Nirvana.

The music is hardcore rage. The songs are demoralizing and so replete with suicide references, I gotta wonder if this highly corrosive album didn't lead those close to Kurt Cobain to seek help for him. On the other hand, hindsight is 20/20 and you can never tell people what to think or how to feel. If you just wanna rock, IN UTERO delivers, but beneath the surface, Kurt has a few messages and a few complaints - many about himself.

The breakdown:

"Serve the Servants" - a steady, heavy rocker with the opening line declaring, "Teenage angst has paid off well/ Now I'm bored and old" and setting the stage for his cynicism. The honeymoon is definitely over.

"Scentless Apprentice" - is a spiralling scorcher. The bizarre, paranoid lyrics refer to a sort of sanitized death fantasy: "I lie in the soil and fertilize the mushrooms/ Leaking out gas fumes are made into perfume."

"Heart-Shaped Box" - With lines like "Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back," this is likely the most disturbing song to ever go into heavy rotation on alt-rock radio. It manages to be much more shocking and vulgar than any of the "no-no" words routinely edited from the air, and its dark poetry is utterly credible and compelling. Characteristics like its ominous tone and ticking time-bomb pacing make this songs one of Nirvana's best. I especially love the chorus with Kurt's string-bending guitar whine and Krist Novoselic's super-deformed bass. And, of course, Dave Grohl pounds his drums silly.

"Rape Me" - is similar to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in guitar style. It's a gut-wrenching blast from victim to abuser that, I'm sure, too many of us can relate to.

"Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle" - great, angry tune, another rage against a-holes. (an aside - the movie "Frances" is a great, quick way to learn about the tragic life of Frances Farmer)

"Dumb" - The mellowest song on the album and a great one. "I think I'm dumb." I understand lyrics from this song are printed on his tombstone. The song does illustrate how Kurt saw himself as different from most people.

"Very Ape" - totally rocks and simultaneously ridicules "been-there-done-that" snobs.

"Milk It" - very heavy song and very twisted in which the singer is his "own parasite." It contains a pretty obvious death wish: "Look at the bright side is suicide (sic)" (also refers to an "Obituary birthday" which reminds me he died on mine - April 5)

"Pennyroyal Tea" - is a gorgeous song even with its heavy guitar distortion delivery. "Give me Leonard Cohen afterworld/ So I can sigh eternally." The singer is portrayed as either elderly or very unhealthy in some way.

"Radio-Friendly Unit Shifter" - More great rock from their dense punk jungle. More raving against the world and himself - "What is wrong with me?" But he manages to urge us to find our place and "Speak the truth."

"tourettes" - is an awful disease, but this song is a very cool, frenzied blast of chaos.

"All Apologies" - is clearly a goodbye of sorts. It's very sad although it's not sung that way. This is another one whose popularity just amazes me. The lyrics almost sound like a suicide note. Some of the lyrics seem particularly indicting against "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Probably best not to discuss this further since everyone seems scared silly of her for whatever reason (and Amazon will delete reviews too critical of her). Anyway, I especially like how Kurt sings, "Everyone is gay." I'm straight, but I think everyone is born with a certain potential to be gay and our culture determines sexual morays and behaviors. Just look at ancient Greek society.

Incredible album but harsh both musically and lyrically. It's pretty telling that Kurt thought about naming it "I Hate Myself and Want to Die," but I guess someone talked him out of it (probably the record company). I wish someone had talked him out of actually doing it. Note: Like many, I am deeply troubled by the mysterious, questionable circumstances of Cobain's death and the shoddy police work, but no one can ignore the fact that IN UTERO by itself points to a troubled, suicidal mind.

An aquired taste helps alot when listening to this album. Geffen Records claimed before it's release that it was "Unlistenable to." The hard thrashes, the torturous screams, the heavy metal guitar sound, the vicious riffs and lyrics jump out at you like a bloody knife.

God, I love it.

Listen to it once, you'll hate it.

Listen to it twice, it's okay.

Listen to it three times, I guarantee, you'll love it.

1. Serve The Servants

2. Scentless Apprentice

3. Heart-Shaped Box

4. Rape Me

5. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle

6. Dumb

7. Very Ape

8. Milk It

9. Pennyroyal Tea

10. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter

11. Tourettes

12. All Apologies

I call In Utero the "Shakespear of Grunge"