Maryland rockers Clutch are back with their 12th studio record ‘Book of Bad Decisions’, out September 7th, 2018 via their own Weathermaker Music label. It’s an album that has a familiar ring to it but with a few new elements to keep things moving forward and after the success of “Psychic Warfare” before it, this is as natural a follow-up as you would expect.
27 years on and Clutch are as good as they have always been with their new album “Book Of Bad Decisions‘ so it’s only fitting that the band open things up with ‘Gimme the Keys‘ which tells the story of the band’s first tour. Nostalgia has never been a thing with frontman Neil Fallon even though the music does invoke a sense of classicness but here we see the past and present collide in a fusion of energy filled hard rock at it’s best. Continuing with that theme, “Spirit of ’76‘ brings some melodic blues to the table in a fitting way with that signature Clutch sound stomping it’s way through. The title says it all really but the music plays to it well with it’s roots firmly in the ground.
The funky tunes are well placed and indispersed everywhere here on the album including the title track with it’s bass lines driving fuzzy guitar parts and some nice keyboard work dropped into the background for some extra ambience. Stoner blues rock at it’s best but the funk doesn’t stop here as shown in songs like the head bopping ‘Sonic Counselor‘ and the catchy ‘In Walks Barbarella‘, complete with horns section for that extra dimension.
‘Vision Quest‘ goes vintage with it’s Chuck Berry inspired sound, organic as hell with a timeless and effortless nod to rock n’ roll. ‘HB Is in Control‘ is a Hair Of The Dog inspired classic rocker making this one a highlight while ‘Hot Bottom Feeder‘ has a real southern flavor wrapped in this song chock full of swagger. The highlight reel is pretty full at this point as the album comes to a close and Clutch round things off in ‘Lorelei‘ which clocks in at under a modest 6 minutes where the paces bumps back a bit for a little more atmospheric mood and a darker tone but with a real gutsy feel overall.
It’s hard to fault Clutch at this point in their career, their consistent delivery of hard rockin’ tunes is undeniably fun to listen to and with ‘Book of Bad Decisions’, the band continue to excel at what they do best.
TRACKLIST
Gimme the Keys
Spirit of ’76
Book of Bad Decisions
How to Shake Hands
In Walks Barbarella
Vision Quest
Weird Times
Emily Dickinson
Sonic Counselor
A Good Fire
Ghoul Wrangler
HB Is in Control
Hot Bottom Feeder
Paper & Strife
Lorelei
