[rating=3.00]
Just as we all age and mature and become less “hardcore," so has Clutch. From Beale Street to Oblivion finds the band continuing their recent trend of moving away from their heavy/ hardcore roots to a blues-based sound that borders on the edge of classic outlaw southern-rock. As lead singer Neil Fallon says, “This record has a few more bluesy elements than has been the case in the past, but nothing so blatant that it could be called alien to what we do.”
From start to finish, From Beale Street to Oblivion is the sound of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Gary Rossington fighting in a dark back alley after a long night of drinking. Clutch delivers the goods with a swagger that makes each song a prolific punch in the face. It is a truly a lost art (an art that recalls those classic bands of the 70’s) to be able to construct an album that echoes the long history of the blues, yet still be able to layer it beneath a barrage of heavy hitting riffs that can leave you smiling as your bang you head…Clutch has, and you will too.
