Many people may not know about the band Clutch, but the ones that do are some of the most loyal music fans on the planet. As the band’s bio states, “Many have tried to define Clutch, and all of them have failed.” It would be near impossible to make a statement any more true than that, as I would be willing to attest.

The band has just released its sixth full length recording, Blast Tyrant. This album is said to be more similar in style to their 1999 release, which was their fourth album, Pure Rock Fury. The new album covers many styles, and some new ones with the acoustic stylings on songs like Ghost and The Regulator. The new album is definitely a musical journey for the ears and the mind!

Vocalist/guitarist Neil Fallon called in to Local Music Guide recently, and we discussed several different things about the band, their past, and more. When Fallon was asked about comparing the new disc to past efforts, Fallon was quick to note that this was the first disc recorded entirely in a digital format. “That allowed us the luxury in bringing in some new instrumentation as far as arrangements go”, he said. Fallon was fast to mention that he felt this record has a better sense of humor, “or at least better than Pure Rock Fury”.

Even the short, 40 second plus musical piece known as Weather Maker was discussed. Fallon felt that the groove of the song was worth recording, as he made sure to mention that just a list of songs can become a little redundant. He felt it was important to record something that just doesn’t normally fall into the typical classification of what a song is.

Ghost is probably one of the most standout songs on the disc. It contains acoustic guitar and biblical references, and leaves one in deep thought. When quizzed about the nature of the lyrics and their meaning, Fallon said, “A lot of times I don’t really know what they are exactly about myself. I just know that they sound good.” The topics of religion and politics are a touchy point of conversation with most people, as they are with Neil Fallon, so he tries not to get too wrapped up one way or the other in either. His reasoning was that his point of view changes so often he rarely tries to put himself in a position where he would have to support his case, so to speak.

The band has just started up another leg of the tour on Wednesday, July 28th, and Clutch will roll into Houston for a great show at the Engine Room on Saturday night, August 7th. The band has over 100 songs to pick and choose from for their career, and they are currently performing a good part of the Blast Tyrant album in their set. In fact, the band is using an organist on tour with them at this time, but he is still learning the library of songs.

As much as the album almost has a theme-like feel to it, Blast Tyrant is not conceptual, but some of the songs were written within the same time frame, so they do have a similar feel or vibe. The band parted ways with Atlantic Records after the album Pure Rock Fury, and they did a couple of records on their own. The band’s new record label, DRT Entertainment, approached them after they found out Clutch was doing a new studio album.

The band included multimedia extras along with the stuff from Elephant Riders, and they intended on doing so with Blast Tyrant. However, as Fallon unhappily mentioned, “There was a problem with the digital transfer of the video, so it could not be put on the cd in time.” The band decided to forego the extra footage as not to cause a delay in the release of their newest musical offering. “It’s unfortunate, but it is not the end of the damn world”, said Fallon.

When asked about the prospect of a future live recording for compact disc or DVD, Neil Fallon added that is exactly what the band was set to do in two consecutive nights in Flint, Michigan, on July 30th and July 31st. Fallon was hoping that if everything goes well, then the band will release it down the road.

If you think Neil Fallon has an odd way of writing or singing his lyrics, then one needs to look no further than his influences. Artists such as Tom Waites and Nick Cave have played a big part in that for him. Lyrically and musically, Clutch have few equals in the music industry. Now, it is just a matter of time as the rest of us wait for the majority of the music loving world to discover them too.

Remember, the Clutch show is in Houston on Saturday night, August 7th, at the Engine Room in downtown.