It’s 2013. The music industry has changed beyond recognition. It has mutated into something not so steady as one would hope; a jungle of illegal downloads, illicit album leaks and Internet trolls. Every thirty year old man still living with his Mum has an opinion nowadays, being allowed free reign to spew their obnoxious bile across almost any web page imaginable. The public has collectively become a greater critic than the press. Slayer will never surpass the glories of their 1986 opus ‘Reign In Blood’ in the eyes of your average thrashoholic. Metallica will never be let off the hook for providing the backdrop to the ‘Lulu’ project; James Hetfield’s unintentionally comedic cries of “I AM THE TABLE!” are sure to follow him to the grave. Guns N’ Roses will never be... Actually, I think it’s best if I just stop there. The point I’m trying to make is this: Bands are criticised if they stray from the path, yet are flogged with equal animosity if they continue to churn out the same stuff over and over again.
 Clutch, however, completely transcend the usual rules implemented by these swathes of moaning, insignificant toads. The reason behind this is simple; Clutch rock no matter what they do. Across their previous nine studio albums, the Maryland quartet has dabbled with everything from stoner rock to punk, from blues to funk. Their previous two releases, ‘From Beale Street To Oblivion’ and ‘Strange Cousins From The West’, have suggested that this latest effort could be a continued foray into blues-tinged territory. Is it? Not really.
The title track hits you like a sack full of spanners, boasting a shout-along chorus that was tailor made for the live environment. Frontman Neil Fallon is on stupidly perfect form throughout the album, utilising his gruff, whiskey-coated vocals to make huge choruses sound even more titanic. And that’s what’s instantly noticeable about this album more so than any other Clutch release; every song on here could be used as a single. From the oozing swag of ‘Mr. Freedom’ to the surprisingly heavy ‘Unto The Breach’, no song on here is lost after listening. The band has stated beforehand that this album was made in the same way that a live setlist would be created, and it reaps the rewards of this strategy to no end. Fallon’s cry of “Step on it!” before the ripping guitar solo during ‘Crucial Velocity’ embodies this ideology, honestly sounding like it was taken from a live album. It’s just bursting with juicy, hook-laden rock tunes; the momentum only being expertly stopped during album highlight ‘Gone Cold’, treating you to an acoustic dirge that makes you feel like necking a bottle of Jack Daniels and watching a Coen brothers film.
For those of you who are familiar with Clutch, you’ll already be able to wax lyrical about their obscenely high levels of musicianship and innovative wit. For those of you less acquainted to their unique brand of genius, I’ll have a go at explaining it with as little contextuality as possible. The riffs. Holy mother of Satan, the RIFFS. Tim Sult’s guitar lines sound like they were crafted in the depths of a brewery; these jams were made to raise your glass to. Of course, I’m not saying that they’re dumbed down or anything. They’re superb, memorably sculpted melodies that will worm their way into your helpless little brain, replaying themselves at the most inappropriate of times. For example, I found myself humming the tune to ‘Cyborg Bette’ the other day. In the library. The way in which he glides from playing riffs to bollock-shredding solos in a split second is made apparent mainly in this song and ‘Oh, Isabella’; it’s enough to make most budding guitarists give up and stick to their day job. Jean-Paul Gaster’s unorthodox percussion also makes for a splendid turn of events during a few ditties, with the unusual drum pattern used during the start of ‘Crucial Velocity’ catching listeners off guard for a few seconds, before somehow reeling everything back together as Fallon’s baritone croon dips in. But for the most part, drum-battering duties are handled in a gloriously upbeat rock and roll fashion, with Dan Maines’ thunderous bass rumble only further extenuating the unearthly racket.
Clutch have been labelled more times than a sofa in the DFS Sale. Part of this is due to their ever-changing musical output, but they’ve always retained that rock and roll edge. With ‘Earth Rocker’, the band has crushed these sub-genre labels into the ground. Clutch are a rock and roll band, and ‘Earth Rocker’ is a rock and roll album. Just imagine a whole CD full of songs like ‘The Mob Goes Wild’ from their 2004 masterpiece, ‘Blast Tyrant’. That’s what this album is; it’s just hit after hit. It’s possibly the most immediate album that Clutch have ever recorded, proving itself to be up there with the classics such as ‘Pure Rock Fury’ and ‘Robot Hive/Exodus’.
This could be your favourite Clutch album. Ever.
Clutch release 'Earth Rocker' in the UK on Monday 18th March.
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