Clutch - Psychic Warfare
It’s pretty outrageous to discover that Psychic Warfare is Clutch’s eleventh studio album. It’s hard-hitting, energetic and pumped to the eye lids with attitude and menace. From starting in the early nineties they’ve managed to maintain a stern and focused work ethic minus all the bullshit that associates itself with the rock n’ roll lifestyle. They are just here to play great shows and make great records. A band called Clutch may sound so achingly bland and insipid they could be mistaken for a dreary post-grunge band from the early 2000s, solely writing metaphorical songs about heroin abuse whilst exclusively shooting their music videos in the rain, but as you venture through the back catalogue you realise this band have practically zero competition in being heralded as one of the most dynamic and powerful American Rock n’ roll bands of the last 20 years. On the surface Clutch look like four slightly aggravated welders who occasionally play in a stoner-doom band together in-between jobs, but close your eyes and at times they sound like George Clinton & Parliament - Funkadelic with a hard-rock punch. The benchmark was set almost out of reach after the phenomenal Earth Rocker back in 2013, but it seems the band will not be content with relaxing after such a triumphant release, Psychic Warfare is real!
We start with Neil Fallon’s pretty admirable impression of Tommy Lee Jones - asking for some sort of explanation from the unknown protagonist - and before you can quite get your head around what’s going on, X-Ray Visions launches through your speakers and you start passionately playing air-guitar and forget everything else. The lead single is probably the most powerful, tenacious track the band have ever released and is already cemented as a Clutch classic with its anthemic chorus and addictive guitar riff. The band is individually introduced according to their respective star sign from the Zodiac (which has been researched and can all confirmed to be true. This writer has too much time on his hands and is stupidly concerned with tiny tedious matters). We also get one of those brilliantly amusing lyrics from Fallon about the angry spirits of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, probably the most comical line from the front-man since back in 2007 on From Beale Street To Oblivion’; “tell me why Dick Cheney underneath my bed? … Ah hell no that ain’t cool”.
The album is heaving with dazzling tracks, and you can’t really pick a sour spot on the whole record. The musicianship is more dynamic and slightly more matured than Earth Rocker; there’s slightly more room to breathe but it hits harder in places. More boogie-rock and funk elements are introduced more coherently than ever before, Your Love is Incarceration demonstrating this perfectly. You’ll find yourself often pathetically dancing on the spot like those terrified teenage girls side stage circa 1970s Top of the Pops, as they begin to be hypnotized by Jimmy Saviles’ satanic hand gestures he attained at the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Jean Paul Gaster on the drums extends his obsession with the shuffle- groove. You won’t hear a more fluid drum performance all year. He never over-plays, always trying to compliment the song and the vocals effectively and modestly (how does he get his snare drum to sound that good?). Both bass and lead guitars sound utterly monstrous in the mix, but yet again they are calmly and thoughtfully executed to sustain the driving power of all these lean and mean rock songs. However, check out Tim Sult’s guitar solo in Noble Savage as he goes totally gonzo and lays down possibly the most exciting solo of his career. Additionally, Neil Fallon’s vocals seem to have magically enhanced, the choruses are stronger and he delivers his scathing growl in an almost intimidating tone, the track Decapitation Blues encapsulates this as he beautifully yells “You’ve been banging your head like a teenage fool!”. Yes we have Neil, but it’s all your fault.
This latest offering is exciting and fresh, it demonstrates how consistent they are at releasing fun and powerful records, even over two decades down the line. Other highlights include A Quick Death in Texas and Sucker for the Witch, songs destined to become cherished favourites. They have naturally carried on from Earth Rocker with a similar aesthetic, but under the knowledgeable and passionate supervision of studio expert Machine, they add more dynamics and improved musicianship for a grandiose show case of heavy rock n’ roll. It’s so good we might have even licked the CD out of pure curiosity, to which we shockingly discovered it was delightful in flavour.