Clutch - Psychic Warfare album review

Clutch has been around for over 20 years but have never really made it big in the mainstream. They had their biggest hit in 2013 with Earth Rocker and are back in 2015 with Psychic Warfare; and there's no reason why it can't be massive!



For the fourth time - previously on albums Pure Rock Fury, Blast Tyrant and Earth Rocker - the boys from Clutch are working with producer Machine (aka Gene Freeman), and you can tell from the sound. It's crisp, well engineered but most importantly, organic and raw. The sound you hear on the album is the sound that was in the studio on the day of recording and that's something I really enjoy. To get the most out of the sound of this album, I would really recommend listening to it on vinyl, it'll really improve your experience!

To find out more about their recording process on Psychic Warfare, you can check out this YouTube video about the production of the album - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6jaPniwW6c

The album opens with a very short interlude in which lead singer Neil Fallon is speaking and to open the second track says, "Let's start at the beginning".

The second track is the single from the album; X-ray Visions. If you're not used to Clutch's style prior to listening to the song, you sure will be after. It explodes into the ears and delivers bold blues rock and riff-age from start to finish.

Firebirds comes next in much the same vein as X-ray Visions with two notable exceptions. Fallon's vocals are definitely tested in this one, especially when he screams the title during the chorus, but boy does he knock it for six! I would describe Fallon's vocals as similar to that of Lemmy's in that he's either shouting or not shouting - the difference here is Fallon sounds a lot better when he does.

There's not much to say on A Quick Death In Texas except Clutch turn on the blues even more and it's just incredible to listen to. With groove, swagger and solo to match, it takes on a life of it's own and is a joy to absorb.

Sucker For The Witch probably has the coolest riff on Psychic Warfare, starting as a bass intro from Dan Maines and then joined by the guitar, it rises and drops and rolls producing a seriously sexy rhythm. The chorus riff fits in perfectly too before Sult produces yet another tremendous solo that leaves you in true wonderment of this brilliant piece of song writing.

Track three may have a familiar feel to fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as the verse has a sound resembling Give It Away. After the verse though it's straight back to Clutch and once again we get a riff-tastic chorus and blistering solo from Sult (to be honest I don't think he knows how not to do a blistering solo!).

Doom Saloon is an instrumental interlude and has a very wild west feel to it, with a single strumming guitar that is joined by a distorted, echoing guitar over the top which follows directly into Our Lady Of Electric Light.

Our Lady Of Electric Light is step back from the band. Not as frantic or heavy as the previous tracks but just as riffy and could be called an adventure into the psychedelic side of the blues. The lead guitar sound is quite reminiscent of Link Wray's, Rumble, as the sound shimmers and echoes around Fallon's slow, plodding lyrics.

Track nine, Noble Savage, is a revisit to what Clutch do best after a couple of slower tunes; heavy, riffed up blues with Fallon in good old shouting form on the mic. At barely two minutes 50 seconds, this is a real barnstormer of a song and is 100mph all the way through, giving drummer Jean-Paul Gaster and bassist Maines a proper workout!

Behold The Colossus really lives up to it's name. It's a properly heavy, banging, noisey track with a good amount of Gibson Les Paul thunder and symbol crashing thrown in for good measure. We get a brief reprieve towards the end before it all comes crashing in yet again. By all means listen to it loud but your ears won't thank you!

You don't get a rest after Behold The Colossus though. Decapitation Blues is a song that again lives up to it's name and is a constant bombardment of blues rock and heavy riffs. It's fantastic and is the reason I love Clutch!

The twelfth and final track on Psychic Warfare is a real side step to what we're used to from Clutch. We've heard glimpses of southern rock on previous albums but nothing as 'deep south' as Son Of Virginia (although the name should give you a clue). Not only is it a side step in terms of music style but also in terms of track length. The longest track in the previous eleven isn't even four minutes long and now we get a six minute marathon. And it's not like it gets lost in it's own length either. It paces itself with a slow verse and only increases the pace in the chorus, when the music really comes alive and gives us a heavy dose of rattling drums and crunchy guitars.

Verdict - 9/10
I really, really love this album. It's got everything you want from a blues rock band and more besides. The only thing I feel is missing is more minutes. It's only 39 minutes long, including the interludes at the beginning and end, and for me it needs to be longer. More tracks could be the answer but with 12 already on there I would say it's more a fact of extending the songs a bit more. Sure they're all brilliantly written and recorded tracks but three minutes just feels a little bit short for some of them - notably Noble Savage. I won't let that take too much away from this album though, as otherwise it's all pretty much flawless, and give it a really high 9/10.