Review Summary: In A World Of Pure Imagination
Since their conception, Maryland rockers Clutch have been hiding in plain sight. The brew of funky grooves, bluesy riffs, heavy metal bravado tinged with a pure rock fury should have launched them to a popularity level equal to the likes of Coheed And Cambria, Melvins or even Mastodon. Instead they have been pumping their music with a cool content in smaller venues across the globe. Nevertheless, the moment they play to a bigger crowd; folk from front to back and left to right will be dancing around like an Indian War Dance then they’ll just swagger off stage confident that they've effortlessly blown any band out of the water.
There comes a time in everyone’s life when you must admit that you’ll never be as cool as Neil Fallon. His presence on Psychic Warfare is purely monstrous. He has a knack for story telling which is featured in songs such as ‘Your Love Is Incarceration’ and the juvenile ‘Decapitation Blues’ whereby a first person point of view is used as a narrative to the songs; the latter describing that he has a dead man’s bones in his neck- true story. His barking voice is a constant hook as it sounds like no other front-man however it is particularly captivating in ‘X-Ray Visions’ which showcases Clutch’s ability to create an infectious chorus in a mere 6 words of “Telekinetic dynamite! Psychic warfare is real”. ‘Behold The Colossus’ is a standout which showcases Neil’s bizarre lyrical imagery including some vengeful mythological creatures from Greece.
The springy guitar antics from Tim Sult are equally as centralised as the vocals on "Psychic Warfare". The rock anthem ‘Noble Savage’ drives at full throttle down a road of classic rock that shows no sign of slowing. For the majority of the album the general groove bounces around in some sort of funky boogie like on ‘Firebirds!’ however he can adjust the tone of guitar to match a certain mood that is illustrated by his band members. After setting a shimmering atmosphere in the instrumental ‘Doom Saloon’, ‘Our Lady Of Electric Light’ follows with a comforting nature that compliments Neil Fallon’s singing: when the vocalist gains confidence, the guitars become more animated that even creates a wall of sound whereas more recluse tones sway along to sombre singing after.
Clutch wisely chose Machine (Lamb Of God, Crobot) to produce their eleventh album. By harmonizing the guitars and voice down slightly on tracks such as ‘Sucker For The Witch’, Dan Maines is able to take the lead on bass that gives the song an extra boost of gambolling grooves. Similarly, Jean-Paul Gaster’s jolly percussion style is showcased on ‘Quick Death In Texas’ even using the shameless cowbell with effective fashion.
2013’s Earth Rocker was an absolute gem of a record. The general reaction of most people after hearing it was: ‘how did no one think of this already?’ Straightforward grooves, infectious hooks and otherworldly lyrics on Earth Rocker would have been overlooked by other bands for being too obvious but Clutch took ‘em and ***ing ran. And they’re still running on “Psychic Warfare”. This is a unique band and these songs simply would not feel right being played by other artists.
