Clutch's Blast Tyrant Blasts Big Time!

Here's one band I dig so much but one that's been left unnoticed for decades.

They are, for me, kind of like the Dave Matthews Band of hard rock. They are a no-frills type of band, no bullshit, never gave a dirty rat's ass about image but are real geniuses musically and lyrically. They have gone on relentless touring and have constantly put out one record after another since the early 90's. Sometimes they have even served as opening act for bands with lesser talent and flair. Yet they haven't really left the scene despite the sand dunes of music trends.

Maybe that's why they have forged such an ultimately loyal fan base. And its one that encompasses a wide array of genres, from Classic Rock fanatics to extreme metal practicioners.

Without having to resort to visual imagery or commercial packaging, they have painted a picture of a badass hard rock act through words and music only. By turning a blind eye to bigotry and imperialism, they proved it's alright to be a redneck at this day and age. They even made it cool to wear plain white t-shirts in rock again.



I can waste a year's worth of blog space here if I were to describe their brand of hard rock. And I'm sure as hell I won't even get close to defining their music. I do think though, that they shift along the lines of rock but the 'hues' change from one album to the next in their entire discography, which is one hell of a list by the way.

Blast Tyrant will probably be their most accessible record to date. It is chock-full of hard-hitting rhythms and intelligently woven lyrics, broad-ranging from life beyond the Ol' Mason-Dixon line to political jabs in comedic delivery. I have never been so lyrically amused for a long time.

This is also the record you get out when you throw in slabs of meat on the grill, smash bottles to the wall or just get plain stoned to. Almost every reviewer out there says this is a mix of stoner rock, blues and funk, and I must say to an extent it really is. What amazes me though is how homogeneous that mixture is to my ears. The mood it sets for being stoner music catches up real tight but in no way close to being Monster Magnet, it is funky without bending that much to Chili Peppers yet you can groove (but I won't) pretty fine with it. AND, get this: it is full-on Blues Rock without almost any blues soloing! There's really not much complex blues guitar licks you'd find in here but the songwriting is topnotch. Not even the real 'masters' of blues guitar have thought of taking the music to a level the way Clutch did in this record, riff-wise.

One thing I must add before you get this one is for you to clear a space, not just on your list of greatest rock records ever, but also one from your list of most gifted singers. Neil Fallon's voice may not have that much of  range, but hell, with that kind of power, who needs one in this sort of heavy rock?