Clutch are awesome, and every time they
release a record (this is their eleventh) it’s a time for celebration. The ridiculous but perfectly judged lyrics,
wonderful riffs and sheer love of peddle-to-the-metal rock never fails, and Psychic
Warfare is definitely no exception. Having
said that, the slight disappointment here is that, after ten albums, their
previous record (2013’s Earth Rocker) rather surprisingly turned out to
be the best of their career. It too came
in at number 9 on my list in 2013, but since then has grown further into a huge
favourite that I still regularly play (if I did my albums of 2013 now it would
be top 5). So Psychic Warfare had
an extra expectation to deal with than most Clutch releases. It’s not in
the same league as Earth Rocker, sadly, but it is a commendable follow
up nonetheless. When it’s good, it’s
untouchable: ‘Quick Death in Texas’ grooves its way into the brain cave, and
lead single ‘X-Ray Visions’ is a fist-pumping joyride. The quality does dip on occasion, though:
‘Doom Saloon’, for example, is as morbidly ponderous as its name suggests. But overall it’s another super entry in
what’s becoming an imposing back catalogue.
Go get them all.
sample track: Quick Death in Texas
sample track: Quick Death in Texas
