Review Summary: Clutch manage to deliver yet another splendid rock record, staying true to the promise of pure rock fury made all those years ago...
Clutch have built up quite a fan base by now. They've been touring relentlessly for almost 25 years and they've released a plethora of amazing albums. They never seem to tread the same musical ground, always experimentng with new ideas and genres. They've released an album for just about every rock fan's taste, including the punk influenced Pure Rock Fury, the stoner rock classic that is their self-titled album and the blues rock ladened From Beale Street to Oblivion.
Psychic Warfare is a straight-forward rock record. It is not reinventing the wheel or anything like that, nor does it try to do so. The album is a simple back to basics rock record. High energy riffs and rythms are abundant, with the occasional song being more bluesy. To quote Anthony Fantano of theneedledrop: "This record is so rock it could ***ing beat scissors".
The riffs are simle but effective. Each is a perfect fit for the song it is featured in. The rhytm section really shines on this album. Psychic Warfare can boast an abundance of memorable bass lines and drumbeats, many of which have a distinct jazzy touch, most ceratinly because of Jean-Paul Gaster's deep love and appreciation of the genre.
As on every
Clutch album, the lyrics are as bewilderingly confusing as they are clever. Neil Fallon is most certainly one of the best lyricists modern rock has to offer. No matter what he is tackling, whether it be the topic of his neck injuries caused by head banging and the subsequent surgery in Decapitation Blues or his preoccupation with powerful females in Sucker for the Witch, he does so in his uniquely weird way. While his lyrics are praiseworthy, his vocal performance should not be ignored. His singing style is very personal. You feel as though he is getting right in your face when you listen to him singing, especially on tracks like X-Ray Visions and Firebirds!.
This album could have been amazing even if all of the songs were high-energy fast-tempo rockers, but
Clutch made the decision of adding a few bluesier cuts aswell. Our Lady of Electric Light and Doom Saloon, the song's minimalistic intro, are easily among the best mellow and slow songs the band has ever written. The album ends on another high note (if there is such a thing as a high note on an album which has no bad songs), that note being Son of Virginia. The song is the longest on the album, clocking in at 7:15. Not a single second of the song is wasted. It starts as a blues number, but steadily becomes heavier and heavier, ending with Neil Fallon yelling:
I was thrown to the ground as my world broke asunder
Truly we are living in an age of wonder
I wept like a child as the son rose above her
Truly we are living in an age of wonder.
All in all,
Clutch have not disapointed. Far from it, this is easily their best record in years, perhaps even the best in their entire discography.
