CLUTCH

Stoner Rock / Stoner Metal / Hard Rock / Non-Metal • United States
MetalMusicArchives.com — the ultimate metal music online community, from the creators of progarchives.com
CLUTCH picture
Clutch are an American stoner rock/hard rock band formed in 1991. The band incorporates many stoner metal, blues, and southern rock elements into their overall sound. The band started as a more stoner metal/hardcore oriented band, but shifted their sound to a more bluesy stoner rock approach on their self-titled album. (though still retaining their metal influences for the next few albums)

In 2008, the band founded their own record label, Weathermaker Music. Full Fathom Five: Audio Field Recordings was the band's first release on their label.
Thanks to Time Signature for the addition and Unitron for the updates

CLUTCH Online Videos

See all CLUTCH videos

Buy CLUTCH music

More places to buy metal & CLUTCH music

CLUTCH Discography

CLUTCH albums / top albums

CLUTCH Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, and Undeniable Truths album cover 3.82 | 9 ratings
Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, and Undeniable Truths
Stoner Metal 1993
CLUTCH Clutch album cover 4.17 | 17 ratings
Clutch
Stoner Rock 1995
CLUTCH The Elephant Riders album cover 4.15 | 12 ratings
The Elephant Riders
Stoner Rock 1998
CLUTCH Jam Room album cover 3.50 | 6 ratings
Jam Room
Hard Rock 1999
CLUTCH Pure Rock Fury album cover 4.28 | 12 ratings
Pure Rock Fury
Stoner Rock 2001
CLUTCH Blast Tyrant album cover 4.74 | 11 ratings
Blast Tyrant
Stoner Rock 2004
CLUTCH Robot Hive / Exodus album cover 4.69 | 9 ratings
Robot Hive / Exodus
Stoner Rock 2005
CLUTCH From Beale Street to Oblivion album cover 4.26 | 11 ratings
From Beale Street to Oblivion
Stoner Rock 2007
CLUTCH Strange Cousins From the West album cover 4.33 | 10 ratings
Strange Cousins From the West
Stoner Rock 2009
CLUTCH Earth Rocker album cover 4.53 | 12 ratings
Earth Rocker
Stoner Rock 2013
CLUTCH Psychic Warfare album cover 4.81 | 12 ratings
Psychic Warfare
Stoner Rock 2015
CLUTCH Book Of Bad Decision album cover 3.67 | 5 ratings
Book Of Bad Decision
Stoner Rock 2018
CLUTCH Sunrise On Slaughter Beach album cover 4.50 | 3 ratings
Sunrise On Slaughter Beach
Stoner Rock 2022

CLUTCH EPs & splits

CLUTCH Pitchfork album cover 3.75 | 4 ratings
Pitchfork
Stoner Metal 1991
CLUTCH Passive Restraints album cover 4.12 | 4 ratings
Passive Restraints
Stoner Metal 1992
CLUTCH Impetus EP album cover 4.33 | 3 ratings
Impetus EP
Hard Rock 1997

CLUTCH live albums

CLUTCH Live at the Googolplex album cover 4.00 | 1 ratings
Live at the Googolplex
Stoner Rock 2002
CLUTCH Live in Flint, Michigan album cover 4.79 | 3 ratings
Live in Flint, Michigan
Stoner Rock 2004
CLUTCH Heard It All Before: Live at the Hifi Bar album cover 3.50 | 1 ratings
Heard It All Before: Live at the Hifi Bar
Stoner Rock 2007
CLUTCH Full Fathom Five: Audio Field Recordings 2007/2008 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Full Fathom Five: Audio Field Recordings 2007/2008
Stoner Rock 2008
CLUTCH Live at the Corner Hotel album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Live at the Corner Hotel
Stoner Rock 2008
CLUTCH Clutch Live at the Prince Bandroom album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Clutch Live at the Prince Bandroom
Stoner Rock 2010
CLUTCH Clutch: Live at the 9:30 album cover 5.00 | 1 ratings
Clutch: Live at the 9:30
Stoner Rock 2010

CLUTCH demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

CLUTCH A Promo Named Marcus album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
A Promo Named Marcus
Stoner Metal 1993
CLUTCH Careful With That EP album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Careful With That EP
Stoner Rock 2001

CLUTCH re-issues & compilations

CLUTCH Slow Hole to China: Rare and Rereleased album cover 4.12 | 4 ratings
Slow Hole to China: Rare and Rereleased
Stoner Rock 2003
CLUTCH Pitchfork & Lost Needles album cover 3.56 | 4 ratings
Pitchfork & Lost Needles
Stoner Rock 2005

CLUTCH singles (8)

.. Album Cover
5.00 | 1 ratings
12 Ounce Epilogue
Stoner Metal 1993
.. Album Cover
4.50 | 1 ratings
El Jefe Speaks / Binge and Purge
Stoner Metal 1993
.. Album Cover
5.00 | 1 ratings
Spacegrass
Stoner Metal 1995
.. Album Cover
5.00 | 1 ratings
Big News
Stoner Rock 1995
.. Album Cover
5.00 | 1 ratings
Escape From the Prison Planet
Stoner Metal 1995
.. Album Cover
5.00 | 1 ratings
Tight Like That
Stoner Rock 1995
.. Album Cover
5.00 | 1 ratings
Immortal
Stoner Rock 2001
.. Album Cover
5.00 | 1 ratings
Pigtown Blues
Non-Metal 2012

CLUTCH movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

CLUTCH Reviews

CLUTCH Sunrise On Slaughter Beach

Album · 2022 · Stoner Rock
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Kingcrimsonprog
Clutch are one of the most consistent and hard working bands in rock and roll. The Maryland Stoner Rock outfit released their thirteenth full-length studio album, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach, in 2022. It was produced by Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Royal Blood, Pixies) and released on the band’s own Weathermaker Music.

I think its fair to say Clutch have never made a bad album, and although some albums are more popular than others, if you like Clutch you are probably in for the long haul, enjoying something off of each of their varied but always distinctly Clutch-sounding albums. Sunrise On Slaughter Beach is a great album. I mean, of course it is, it’s a Clutch album, that almost goes without saying, you know you are going to get a couple of songs you’ll remember for the rest of your life, a load of clever quirky memorable lyrics, some cool guitar/bass lines that get stuck in your head for weeks and exceptional drumming beyond all of their peers… but even for a Clutch album, and the inherent high standards that implies, this is a strong outing.

The first two singles from the record, “Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)” and “We Strive For Excellence” were so ridiculously strong, so profoundly catchy, so superbly satisfying and intensely memorable that I was convinced this would be in the top their of their discography before it was even released. For weeks (or is it months, my memory is failing) I’ve been listening to those songs multiple times daily, and got into a ritual of not getting out of bed until I’d heard them. With songs this strong, I was guaranteed to love the album, and sort of envisioned another Earth Rocker / Psychic Warfare style all killer, no filler, heads down, hyper focused hard rocking affair.

Their previous album, The Book Of Bad Decisions, was also excellent, but if there was one criticism to be laid at it, this would be that it was perhaps a bit too long and one or two songs could be cut to make it more streamlined. ‘Slaughter Beach seems aware of this, and clocks in at barely half an hour long, with songs that are concise, succinct and have not an ounce of fat on them. Contrary to my initial expectations however, it isn’t the heads don’t pedal to the metal rager I thought it would be, but rather is arguably their most diverse and exploratory album in a decade and a half, although crucially, having learned the lessons from their focused period, this is not bloated, self indulgent or superfluous experimentation the way some critics of the second halves of their longer records might previously have accused them of, the album is a best of both worlds, allowing the band to stretch their wings and broaden their horizons without sacrificing the flow of the album, the efficiency of the song writing or the patience of the more sober listeners. There are some really cool touches, such as soul singer backing vocals, theremin, vibraphone. However, its still just half an hour of the utmost, cleverly crafted, high-quality bangers, rather than the loosey-goosey jamming of say, Jam Room.

There are only nine songs, so its hard to sit here and pick out highlights, as there isn’t a single one I wouldn’t want to hear live or have in a compilation (in fact, on a recent livestream at time of writing, they played every single song from it live, amongst classics from various eras of the band’s history, and it all fit so well), but if forced to pick some stand-out tracks to recommend to new commers, the first three singles are all utterly essential for all new Clutch fans forevermore. A clever blade-runner and pandemic-conspiracy inspired utter fist pumping banger, a truly triumphant tale of young kids building a bike ramp that sounds like the very best moments of the first three QOTSA albums filtered through Fu Manchu’s most catchy moments and Pure Rock Fury’s personality (the bass groove when the cowbell kicks in makes me grin like a schoolboy every time), and a groovey as hell Sabbathy stoner anthem title-track that educated me about horse-shoe crabs having blue blood overused by the pharmaceutical industry to the point of threatening extinction on the species.

Tales of D&D twelve-sided die and chaotic evil, or being accosted in space by an unknown menace to rumbling drums and expansive sounds almost match this for quality, as do ghost and witchcraft stories that are more moody and diverse, but the other real highlight for me is the enormously catchy “Three Golden Horns” with its almost Thin-Lizzy-esque lyrical story telling and super catchy “Jazz Music Corrupts The Youth” chorus. The album ends on a more sombre note, about previous heroes/legends being cast aside as criminals/tyrants by future generations that seems to subtly reference recent turning in political tides towards previously lauded forefathers who are now viewed less favourably due to their problematic deeds, with an almost folky slow drum beat and ghostly guitar lines that sound like the emotional climax of a movie.

This is an album I’ve been listening to on repeat, listening to every day since its release at time of writing, and which I will absolutely rinse for the next few years, if not forever. I couldn’t recommend it enough. Just put it on, get into the vibe, and repeat until in love with it. More highly recommended than water or oxygen!

CLUTCH The Elephant Riders

Album · 1998 · Stoner Rock
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
UMUR
"The Elephant Riders" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US hard/stoner rock act Clutch. The album was released through Columbia Records in April 1998. It´s the successor to the eponymously titled album from 1995. While Clutch started out as a hardcore band, and their debut album "Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, and Undeniable Truths (1993)" still featured quite a few hardcore traits, by the time of the eponymously titled 1995 album, Clutch had changed their style towards a hard rock/stoner rock sound.

That style is more or less continued on "The Elephant Riders". Hard rocking riffs and organic rhythms, and Neil Fallon´s commanding powerful voice on top. The band experiment a little with the use of trombone on "Muchas Veces" and "Crackerjack" (...and to great effect on especially the latter), but most of the tracks are relatively simple vers/chorus structured blues based hard rockers. Some more memorable than others, but all tracks are well written and entertaining while they play.

"The Elephant Riders" features a warm, organic, and well sounding production job, which suits the material well. Upon conclusion it´s a quality release in most departments, but the songwriting could have been more memorable, as I don´t remember that many tracks when the album has finished playing. Of course it helps the more spins it gets, but to truly shine all tracks on an album in this style should in my book be more or less instantly memorable, and about half of the 10 tracks on the 51:05 minutes long album aren´t. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

CLUTCH The Elephant Riders

Album · 1998 · Stoner Rock
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Unitron
"Could'a been a ladybug on a windchime, but she was born a Dragonfly"

It has always been difficult for me to talk in writing about albums I love dearly, and communicating how much something connects with me on an emotional and personal level. Especially an album that isn't just a favorite album, but the all time favorite. For years my all time favorite album was Helstar's Burning Star, an album that I still love a whole lot and is still among my favorites, but not the top. I never thought it'd ever be topped, I was sure it would always remain. The passion and songwriting on that album is fantastic, but The Elephant Riders kept climbing and climbing as time went on and speaks to me in so many different ways.

I've always really liked The Elephant Riders since I first heard it, but I didn't know how much I would come to love it and how much it would inspire me directly as a songwriter and completely change my idea of what lyricism and songwriting mean.

The Elephant Riders has this very homey production, warm and inviting like a nice fireplace on a brisk day. It brings out Dan Maines's fittingly warm and fuzzy basslines to their fullest, and Tim Sult's guitar tones are simultaneously massive like the elephants they're riding and clean like freshly fallen leaves. Jean-Paul Gaster's drums ignite the total groove that all instruments thrive in. Clutch perfects a blend of southern blues and metal that was almost lost when the stupid idea that blues can't make metal came about. These riffs curbstomp that idea. I used to be more closed-minded and didn't like brass instruments, but the horns in Muchas Veces, hidden track 05, and especially instrumental Crackerjack completely changed that with the trombone adding a lot to these already fantastic songs and helped me start to appreciate these great instruments.

This whole album and band brings me nothing but pure joy, but vocalist Neil Fallon inspires me like no other musician has. He can sing beautifully melodic like the 70's blues and metal vocalists that probably influenced him, and also forceful and rough like his grungy and sludgy contemporaries. His lyrics and songwriting though, that's where he has no equal. Abstract, but not in the philosophical sense, this is passionate poetry. These are words and phrases that work and flow perfectly together, even if they don't make any sense. The vocals become another instrument, and as a songwriter myself, taking that approach to lyrics is incredibly fun and rewarding. The lyrics that open this review, from the closing The Dragonfly, are among my favorites on display, but the whole album is a treasure trove of fantastic rhymes and storytelling.

I've rambled enough, art doesn't get any better than this.

CLUTCH Clutch

Album · 1995 · Stoner Rock
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Unitron
Clutch's self-titled album is a fantastic album and great transition from the aggressive sludge metal of their debut to the southern blues metal of The Elephant Riders, mixing both sounds and perfecting both. There's also psychedelic vibes and some great funky rhythms, it basically uses all elements of what Clutch's music has done and would do. Neil Fallon's vocals are still raw and gravelly, yet will sing melodic lines with those vocals as well sometimes a hip hop lyrical flow (Not quite rapping, but it's easy to hear the influence on a song like Texan Book of the Dead). The abstract lyrics are more easily heard, and are just as fantastic as the debut.

Songs like Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw, the bursting with energy Texan Book of the Dead, Escape from the Prison Planet, psychedelic Spacegrass, awesomely titled I Have the Body of John Wilkes Booth, the funky and bluesy swagger of Tight Like That, and sludgy Animal Farm are all absolute favorite Clutch tracks of mine and show off how varied the album is.

CLUTCH Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, and Undeniable Truths

Album · 1993 · Stoner Metal
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Unitron
Before becoming the fun loving blues metal/hard rock poets that Clutch has made themselves, they were a lot sludgier and aggressive, but the band's lengthy titled debut of Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, and Undeniable Truths is still 100% Clutch.

This is some of the most intense and exuberant sludgy sounding metal I've ever heard, with songs like A Shogun Named Marcus and Rats screaming with aggression, speed, and personality. Binge and Purge takes a more doom quality, before having an explosive climax with lines of "Come on motherfucker, come on motherfucker, let's throw down" which may be the most angry the band's ever been. (Though the delivery of "RRRAAAAATTTS" in the aforementioned Rats is pretty balls-out crushing too) Some songs take a more post-hardcore sounding sludge sound, like Earthworm and Heirloom 13, these sound like nothing else the band's done, but fit in well and it's cool hearing Clutch master such a different style.

Clutch are already masters of personality and songwriting, and Neil Fallon already a lyrical wordsmith. He's said in interviews that he writes lyrics for a song and a melody, rather for them to really have to mean anything beyond being a part of the song. Underworld does similar in the techno world, and I love both bands doing it. It brings some of the best and most creative lyrics and songwriting out there. A rampaging opener like A Shogun Named Marcus is made both relentlessly aggressive with the music and a lot of fun with an infectious chorus. The grungy groove of Walking in the Great Shining Path of Monster Trucks is made even better with fantastic lines like "Well I crashed a Cadillac through the Gates Of Hell and returned with a Fistful Of Dollars" and "Jesse James couldn't even handle it, started looking at me like I was Sanskrit". They're a huge inspiration to me as a lyricist.

Despite being different musically and overall more intense, Clutch's debut is still completely a Clutch album. It would just take a bit of a switch in sound to arrive to where they are now, because the band's personality and pure songwriting talent is all here.

CLUTCH Movies Reviews

No CLUTCH movie reviews posted yet.

CLUTCH Shouts

Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Etiquette Hardcore Punk
HELLGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Baring Teeth In A Famine Sludge Metal
SERAC
Buy this album from MMA partners
Nullpunkt Death-Doom Metal
COLDSPINE
Buy this album from MMA partners
IV Death Metal
BLACK DREGS
Buy this album from MMA partners
III Death Metal
BLACK DREGS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Risen From Ashes - I Am (LYRIC VIDEO)
RISEN FROM ASHES
Bosh66· 2 hours ago
GYILKOS - Almost Lost It
GYILKOS
Bosh66· 10 hours ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us