Gallantly Streaming: Dropkick Murphys' Bloody Good Time, Clutch's Pummelling New Song

Stream Dropkick Murphys' eighth effort here, courtesy the good folks at purevolume.com

When it comes to a rollicking good time, few bands are as dependable as Dropkick Murphys. While Signed And Sealed In Blood doesn't match some of their past efforts in terms of sheer volume, their punk-infused pub rock spirit is well intact. Check out opener The Boys Are Back, sure to be a frequent set opener on Dropkicks shows henceforth for the proof. Burn ups the tempo while Jimmy Collins' Wake and lead single Rose Tattoo bring a higher than normal level of maturity to the proceedings. End Of The Night is a nice closer, a roaring blast of a ballad that will inspire countless drunken singalongs.

All in all, you pretty much know what to expect from the Dropkicks, and Signed And Sealed In Blood delivers despite being no match for Going Out In Style; but honestly, that album is so good I doubt they'll ever top it.

Signed And Sealed In Blood is out today.

Closing out proceedings today is the studio version of the title track from Clutch's forthcoming Earth Rocker.

Their first album in four years and first to be produced by Machine since 2004's high water mark Blast Tyrant, Earth Rocker promises to strip back the blues influences heard on recent Clutch recordings in favour of faster tempos and meatier riffs. To say the title track delivers on those promises is a gross understatement.

Earth Rocker will be released in March.

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