IN REVIEW: Clutch - "Psychic Warfare"

Sometimes, when reviewing an album, you have to take your time. Usually, I can form a pretty solid opinion on a record given two or three spins, and within a few hours of the music meeting my ears for the first time, you're reading my thoughts on it. Not the case with Clutch, whose formidable discography and consistent quality demand the increased scrutiny that comes along with increased respect. Given a steady diet of Psychic Warfare over the course of a week and a half, I'm happy to be just getting around to this now; had I published a review a week earlier, I may have offered a version of the review that felt incomplete.

That review would have also been less favorable; my knee jerk reaction to the album was that it offered a bit too much in the way of repetition in comparison to 2013's Earth Rocker. Not to say it outright cribs from any kind of formula (and really, to accuse Clutch of adhering to a formula is a fool's errand), but a few moments on Psychic Warfare trigger memories of moments on Earth Rocker. For instance, the cowbell breakdown in A Quick Death in Texas draws a fairly close comparison to the one from D.C. Sound Attack.

After a good dozen listens, though, the nitpicking fell by the wayside and I looked at the record from a more reasonable state of mind; any band that's been together for a quarter century is bound to build up a signature framework by the time they hit their eleventh album. In fact, most bands in Clutch's position would have been treading water years ago. That this band is releasing such quality product at this stage in their career and my biggest beef with it is that it sort of reminds me of their last record is a testament to just what level they've reached.

So no, in relation to what came before, there aren't a lot of surprises on Psychic Warfare; that said, it's no mere carbon copy either. The bluesy influences that entered their portfolio post-Blast Tyrant are back in greater capacity than on the relatively stripped down Earth Rocker, a likely by-product of recording taking place in Texas. This influence is felt most abundantly on the aforementioned A Quick Death in Texas, with Neil Fallon pleading "please forgive me, Mr. Gibbons" as a tribute to the ZZ Top axeman. As derivative as Fallon may feel it to be, though, it's got a refreshing familiarity that elevates the track past any perceived imitation and marking it a true album highlight. Ditto the dirty southern fried riff fest Your Love Is Incarceration, which boasts one of the record's stickiest choruses and a swagger that commands bobbing heads and tapping feet.

Elsewhere, there seems to be a focus on leanness; there are very few tunes that are stretched out beyond their base intentions. Even when they do run long, they're presented in chunks. Take the mid-album highlight Our Lady of Electric Light, which has its instrumental lead-in Doom Saloon presented as a separate track rather than stretching the tune out to over five minutes; even the epic closing track, the beastly slow burner Son of Virginia, dips out at just over six minutes. The majority of the remainder are sharp, focused songs that aren't concerned with expansive instrumental passages or long buildups.

The lion's share of Psychic Warfare is really only concerned with kicking ass, which Clutch have made a fine art out of over their many years together. A cynical point of view would suggest that an assured, effortless-sounding song like X-Ray Visions is the kind of hard rock boogie Clutch can write in their sleep. That's a hard sell, though; even if this band should be winding it down by now, they've shown no interest in phoning it in or otherwise cutting corners in their approach to the songs. If anything, X-Ray Visions suggests a purity to the craft in that Clutch have by and large eschewed outside influence as well as the foreboding sense of tedium that bands this deep into a career can't camouflage when they're making new music.

There's certainly nothing tedious about Firebirds!, Sucker for the Witch and Noble Savage, three of the record's most energetic numbers. The latter of which speaks to perhaps the mindset of not just the band, but for its fans as well (at least I know it speaks for me): the song's refrain finds Fallon deeming himself an "unapologetic lifer for rock and roll". It's a strong statement, but also a soothing one, as it says in no uncertain terms that we haven't come close to hearing the last of this band yet.

To be sure, Clutch do not seem tired, bored or jaded on Psychic Warfare, instead emitting a sort of ageless confidence that translates into yet another in a long line of great albums. In doing so, even without the exposure that comes from popularity (Clutch are masters of not only kicking ass, but also in doing so under the radar), it begs the conversation of where they rank among the greatest hard rock bands. While a slew of other groups have fallen off, slowed down and/or lost their bite over time, Clutch have stayed relevant, maintained their energy and are still bringing the thunder.

Even at my most cynical I have to admit that they haven't released a lackluster album since Pure Rock Fury in 2001 (which still has some jaw-droppingly fantastic tunes; isn't that right, Drink to the Dead?) and, while I can't call each and every one of them amazing, their string of five records from 2004's Blast Tyrant to 2013's Earth Rocker marks one of the best decades of work I've ever heard from a band. By extending that hot streak with Psychic Warfare, Clutch prove that they're not just one of rock's most dependable bands, but also beyond the shadow of a doubt one of the best.

October 2, 2015 • Weathermaker
Highlights X-Ray Visions • Firebirds! • A Quick Death in Texas