Album #14 from blues rock vets Clutch is officially on the horizon. That record has been christened “Wasted Lands” and will be meeting a January 27th release date through the band’s own Weathermaker Music. That record finds the group reteamed with producer Machine (Vision Of Disorder, The Amity Affliction), who in the past oversaw a number of fan favorite albums from the group, including “Blast Tyrant“, “Earth Rocker” and “Psychic Warfare“.
The title track is now available in music video form for your perusal below. Vocalist/guitarist Neil Fallon unpacked a bit about what lyrically inspired him through the sessions for this track, stating:
“The inspiration for the lyrics in Wasted Lands came about when it was brought to my attention that someone had been dragging my name on FaceBook (weird, right?). Apparently, I had reneged on a free t-shirt and dinner. I think it was a prize in a pay to play contest. Not to overstate the obvious, but it was a load of horse hockey. Many people tried to explain to this person that it was not me and that they had been hustled. But they simply would not believe it. So I thought, screw it, no half-measures. You want a monster? Let’s give you one.”
Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster also reflected on the recording process and some of his input during the sessions, offering:
“There’s a part where Neil says, ‘Vegetable, mineral, man, or beast. ‘And I put a bass drum on, ‘man or beast, ‘ and Machine thought that was kind of weird. He was like, ‘Man, you’re covering up the vocal!’ And I said, ‘No, that bass drum is gonna make the crowd go nuts, I guarantee it. ‘ And it does, because there’s nothing more exciting than having a big bass drum slam through a PA, and Neil singing a vocal on top of it. I mean, I get goosebumps from that, you know?”
Banjo has also made its way onto the album for the first time on a Clutch release, with a rough demo played by Fallon winning out against subsequent takes to recapture the magic of that in initial session falling short. That inclusion will appear on “Beware The Fever“.
Summing up the album collectively, Clutch went on to share:
“Exploded monuments, haunted coal towns, robber barons, time cops, a chestburster, fifteen tons of antimatter and a creature called Neil Patrick Fallon. Wasted Lands came from one clear intention: write a great rock record that will make fans go nuts when they hear these songs live, while leaving enough space in the creative process to follow the unexpected turns that keep Clutch exciting to us and our fans after thirty-five years together.”
The track listing for “Wasted Lands” runs as follows:
01 – “The Drifter Returns“
02 – “Stage Fright“
03 – “Loaf ‘N Jug“
04 – “High Class Action Lawsuit“
05 – “Chestburster“
06 – “Beware The Fever“
07 – “Wound Collector“
08 – “Colorado Fuel And Iron“
09 – “Streets Are His“
10 – “The Green Skull“
11 – “Wasted Lands“
12 – “The Message Is Clear“
If you’re looking to snag a pre-order for the effort, head over to clutchmerch.com.
