Well it’s hard to believe, but this is Clutch’s 12th studio album. They’ve been making records now for 25 years and they’re still going strong. Rebounding from the unevenness of their last record, this disc is a lot stronger with more groove and blues to be found. Opening track “Gimme the Keys” has great vocals from Neil Fallon, who seems to have only gotten better as a vocalist the older he gets. Do you know of another band that could make a song about a Maryland crab cake recipe and turn it into something cool? Well, Clutch did and the track, “Hot Bottom Feeder,” is one of the unusual highlights of this interesting disc. “Spirit Of ’76” is a slow burning track with lots of groove that makes for an unexpected treat.
There are more great tracks to be found here: “How To Shake Hands” is a great rocker that showcases the band’s never-ceasing amazement of musicianship. “In Walks Barbarella” showcases a different side of the band that I really haven’t heard in quite some time. It’s moodier and funkier. This sounds like a different type of band than the one that made classics like “Shogun Named Marcus” and “I Have the Body Of John Wilkes Booth,” but they still sound great. What’s happened now is they’ve slowed down the tempos and the music has gotten a little more bluesier, but Clutch is still one of the few no-frills, no extra songwriters rock bands left out there.
There are some catchy but unnecessary songs like “Ghoul Wrangler” present, and that’s what drags the disc down a bit. Overall, it feels like the release could’ve been trimmed by a few songs. Aside from that, it’s one of the more interesting rock records to come out this year and ultimately proves that Clutch aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.