Their albums are based around tight riffs, pounding drums and a groove worthy of anyone from Sabbath to Nebula, but over this the band throw the craziness of Frank Zappa and the twisted lyrics of Neil Fallon. The press release claims “verbs have been stretched, metaphors mangled and adjectives invented” to describe the band’s sound, but in fact I think that’s just the song writing. ‘The Mob Goes Wild’ is clearly a political statement of some sort, but what exactly the message is isn’t clear. (Unless it’s just “Everybody move to Canada and smoke lots-o-pot”). At least the vocal delivery sounds deeper here than previous releases, which seems to better suit the music, and eliminates annoying whining.

Once you work out what the songs are about – or more likely give up trying – it’s an intriguing album, serving up a veritable melting pot of diverse influences, without ever sounding derivative or plagiarising too much from one source. The kind of stew so rich with many flavours it rewards repeat listens, even if at times seeming a mess of too many ingredients. ‘Subtle Hustle’ sounds like Red Hot Chili Peppers playing stoner rock with a touch of their old funk. ‘Spleen Merchant’ is more reminiscent of Monster Magnet in an upbeat mood, while ‘The Swollen Goat’ provides a mellower contrast. Perhaps it’ll continue to be over-looked, but the fact Clutch have been honing some of these songs live for over a year is evident.

(4/5)

Release Date: 31 January 2005

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