https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Friday Full-Length: Clutch, Blast Tyrant

Clutch, Blast Tyrant (2004)

Some records have the songs. Some the sound or the production. Some are pure performance. With Blast Tyrant, it’s everything. There simply wasn’t a level on which it didn’t work. The previous two Clutch albums, 2001’s Pure Rock Fury and 1998’s The Elephant Riders — yes, I know 1999’s Jam Room was between them; I’m trying to make a point — had run a gamut of presentation for the band’s signature heavy, funky grooves. The Elephant Riders was smoothed out, with a radio-ready sheen (sadly, radio was in the process of collapsing at the time) to its fuzz that both Jam Room and Pure Rock Fury answered back by being rawer affairs entirely. Blast Tyrant, which marked the first collaboration between Clutch — vocalist Neil Fallon, drummer Jean-Paul Gaster, bassist Dan Maines and guitarist Tim Sult — and producer Machine, as well as their first of three albums issued through DRT Entertainment, which was founded by, among others, Derek Shulman of classic prog rockers Gentle Giant.

That Blast Tyrant followed Pure Rock Fury is important, because at that point, and especially with the band’s departure from Atlantic Records, I don’t think anyone really knew what to expect from Clutch. They’d just gone from “The Soapmakers” to “American Sleep,” and somehow, they’d split the difference with songs like “Mercury,” “Profits of Doom” and “Cypress Grove.” Apart perhaps from their landmark 1995 self-titled, Blast Tyrant might be the most front-to-back album they’ve ever produced. Each song leads the listener into the next so perfectly, whether it’s “Mercury” at the outset or “Worm Drink” picking up from the more subdued vibe of “The Regulator” (still my favorite song to see them do live) and renewing the party atmosphere and momentum honed up to that point. Blast Tyrant wasn’t the moment Clutch came into their own, but it was the moment when, as a mature band both on stage and in the studio, they seemed to realize the full extent of their power. Clutch at Maxwell’s in Hoboken supporting Blast Tyrant? One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Hands down. Hands down.

And there’s no letup on Blast Tyrant. The album’s characters — “La Curandera,” “Worm Drink,” “Promoter (Of Earthbound Causes),” and so on — are hooks unto themselves, but “The Mob Goes Wild” made itself an immediate classic, and even later cuts like “Army of Bono,” “(In the Wake of) The Swollen Goat,” the quickie jam “Weathermaker” that would later become the name of Clutch‘s own label, Weathermaker Music, through which they’d start releasing albums with 2009’s Strange Cousins from the West, and the superfunk-heavy of “Subtle Hustle” — a hidden gem if ever there was one; one of the record’s most infectious hooks and they stuck it way down toward the end — or the acoustic-laced “Ghost.” Seriously, I feel like I could just go on naming tracks and let them simply argue for themselves — and they would, make no mistake. That’s the thing about Blast TyrantFallon had never been in such command as a frontman. His lyrics had always been a highlight of the band’s work, but lines like “Now who will toast our noble host who has this morning given up the ghost” seemed to show a new level of attention to detail. Likewise, Machine was able to capture a “bigger” Clutch sound than they’d ever had before, but it was still clear and nuanced. Each note from a Sult solo came through. The bounce in Maines‘ bass. Each pop in Gaster‘s snare. These things were treasures, both to established Clutch fans and those who came along to discover them later thanks to the band’s relentless touring.

It’s interesting that the second half of “(Notes from the Trial of) La Curandera” and jammy closer “Wysiwyg” — the latter more reminiscent of offshoot project The Bakerton Group — featured keys (as did others throughout), since by the time the band returned in 2005 with Robot Hive/Exodus (reissue review here), they’d have brought organist Mick Schauer on as a fifth member of the band, which he’d remain on the subsequent and likewise blues-informed From Beale Street to Oblivion in 2007, departing before Strange Cousins from the West. The three DRT albums — Blast TyrantRobot Hive/Exodus and From Beale Street to Oblivion — were re-released by Weathermaker in 2011, with Blast Tyrant receiving the special attention of including the Basket of Eggs collection of acoustic reinterpretations and demo tracks for songs like “Cypress Grove” and “La Curandera.” Obviously, given the legacy Blast Tyrant had earned on the part of fans in the intervening seven years, that was special attention well earned, and it’s noteworthy too that when Clutch were looking to head in a different direction after Strange Cousins from the West, they returned to work with Machine on 2013’s Earth Rocker (review here) and 2015’s Psychic Warfare.

And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Clutch have a new record coming out later this year produced by Vance Powell (Jack White, Red Fang, etc.). Once again, no idea what to expect. Once again, no doubt it will kick ass. That’s pretty much how it goes.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

It’s Friday, right? Probably should’ve asked that at the start.

Being that it’s Friday (I checked), I’m flying out to London tomorrow night. Not that that happens every weekend, just this one. I’m a week late for Desertfest, sadly, but I’m headed over because The Patient Mrs. is taking a group of undergrads on a study-abroad trip and The Pecan and I get to tag along. I’m already going to go see Elephant Tree at The Black Heart on the 16th — or, you know 16 May, as it were — but if anyone knows anything else I need to hit I’ll be there through the 22nd, so please drop a line.

So between baby and travel and baby and travel and baby and travel and baby and travel, I’m not sure how much posting I’ll be able to do each day. Of course I’ll make it as much as I possibly can, but even though I’ve been to London before, this is actually the first overseas airplane trip The Patient Mrs. and I have taken together since… (pauses to ask her)… at least nine. We’ve done more travel separate inside the US and out, but yeah, it’s been a while since we hopped a plane together and crossed the Atlantic. I think last time we were in London together, Blast Tyrant had just come out.

My notes for next week are pretty vague. More so than usual. But here’s what I’ve got so far:

Mon.: Amorphis review.
Tue.: Witch Mountain review.
Wed.: Six Dumb Questions with Bong.
Thu.: Elephant Tree live review.
Fri.: Mr. Bison album stream.

Alright y’all, time to start doing laundry so I don’t go to the plane both with-a-baby and a foul-smelling mess. At least pretend I have it together for a little bit. You know how it goes.

Some potential news coming as regards August. And no, I don’t mean Psycho Las Vegas. I’m going to that. I’ve already said so. Something else.

Thanks for reading and please have a great and safe weekend. More Monday. Forum and Radio.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

Tags: , , , , ,

Leave a Reply