With a reputation for regular releases, Neil Fallon and his group of Maryland veterans are right on schedule. Striding through the nineties with a unique fusion of rockmetalfunkblues, Clutch’s pedal-to-the-floor attitude to touring and their consistently hard-hitting catalogue have earned them a loyal legion of fans and a reputation for innovation. This new album is the first record to be released through their own label and it affirms their talent with practiced ease. The first single ‘50,000 Unstoppable Watts’ is sure to be a mosh-pit favourite at this years Download where the band are headlining, whilst Fallon tackles Spanish lyrics with growling assurance on ‘Algo Ha Cambiado’. Strange Cousins From The West pulses with stripped back, killer-riff fret work, gut-ripping vocals and a dexterous energy that nonchalantly shames younger, anaemic contemporaries. After two decades of refined assault, Clutch are enduringly consistent, and miles ahead.

Charlotte Richardson Andrews