Clutch: spirit of Rock recaptured

There are artists and bands galore out there and most of them are as far from innovation, experimentation and adventure as humanly possible. Clutch may not be on the cutting edge of out-there-ness but they know to amaze and, regularly, delight.

The 7th studio album by this reprobates contains 14 tracks of hard-hitting, rhythmic Rock. Its approach, as always, feels so analogue you almost not notice keyboards of a new member, Mick Schauer. It has simply added an extra dimension to their sound that’s been leaning towards epic, anyway.

Otherwise, it is a messed-up melange of funky alt.metal, super-sized southern Rock jams, primal blues and sci-fi weirdness that has morphed over time into a signature sound. While ‘Robot Hive/Exodus’ breaks hardly any new ground, it's an enjoyably familiar stroll through Clutch's strange swamp.

Opener ‘The Incomparable Mr. Flannery’ lumbers along on head-nodding grooves and chunky riffs while breathlessly name-checking REO Speedwagon and Dokken; ‘Mice And Gods’ [inspired by the ‘Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy’?] rocks like Queens Of The Stone Age at space dock and ‘Circus Maximus’ creates its own sub-genre - death-metal/jazz fusion. Furthermore we enter a cyber land: who else could get away with a chorus sung in binary code (‘10001110101’)? More appropriately, who else would care to try?

There is also a cover of blues legend Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Who’s Been Talking?’, bringing the curtain down on this 55 minute odyssey. Neil Fallon comments on album’s poetic style: “Lyrically, the record picks up where ‘Blast Tyrant’ left off and resolves in old blues.”

If Clutch didn't exist a team of redneck alien super-geniuses would have to clone them out of elements of Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, Robert Johnson, The Yardbirds, Vanilla Fudge [check ‘Small Upsetters’], Frank Zappa, jazz, jamming, BLUES!!!

Perpetual e-motion to make our [listening] world more of a ‘Land of Pleasant Living’…

8/10