Clutch is another one of those bands that I have always respected from afar, but for whatever reason never became a long time fan. I won't waste precious words speculating as to the deeper meaning behind this. Rather, I just want to tell you about Psychic Warfare, and how it rocked my world apart. To quote a portly wise man, it "rocked my f@#king socks off. And it is not lacking in the cowbell.
What else can I say? This is Clutch, and they put bluesy riffs into a distortion-filled stranglehold. From the first proper track, the single "X-Ray Vision," we are treated to infectious, wahwah-infused psychodelic rock riffs and catchy, poignant vocals that only Neil Fallon can bring to the table. His delivery on this track along with other personal favorite, "Your Love is Incarceration," without a doubt make these two of the most sing-along tracks I have heard all year. "UNGH!"
Now between the speaker blasts of "Noble Savage" and "Behold the Colossus," Clutch can still slow things down a bit. And quite well I might add. The instrumental "Doom Saloon" and following track "Our Lady of Electric Light" form a larger piece filled with sorrow, but no less soaked in Southern sentiment. The end result is a cross between the more sombre side of Skynyrd and The Animal's "House of the Risin Sun." It's a wonderful moment, and also helps break up the pacing of the album
I won't go on and on with this one. Like the music, I'll just keep it straight-forward and simply say this album rocks hard. I had yet to be impressed by any stoner or rock outing in particular in 2015, but now Psychic Warfare is here, and I can groove to the beat all the way to work this morning. If I could guess, even Henry Rollins is jamming out to this right now. It's that macho, testosterone-filled rock that manages to not cross the line fully into lunkhead territory. Buy it now wherever CD's are sold. I checked around and it's going to run you around $10 wherever you pick it up.
Edit: I was just jamming this in the office when someone pointed out a comparison I had never heard before. "It kind of reminds me of Jimmy Hendrix." Dude is my hero, so that is a bold statement, but the more I listened to the tone and cadence of Neil's voice (not on all tracks, but many of my faster favorites), as well as the choice of guitar effects, the more the parallel seemed valid. Anyways, just thought I would share.