Clutch shares more in common with The Grateful Dead, Rush, and the Allman Brothers than their heavy riffs and heady twists-of-phrase might suggest. Because like those bands, the supporters who adore Clutch are there for the experience, community, and authentic connection. To love Clutch is to feel a sense of ownership, membership, and belonging.
Seneca Valley High School classmates Neil Fallon (vocals), Tim Sult (guitar), Dan Maines (bass), and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums) share an unshakeable musical and personal bond now three decades strong. Shaped by the same region which birthed Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Rites Of Spring, Clutch crafts hyper-literate and libertine jams informed by hardcore fury and fuzzy, athletic, stoner rock.
Today, those classmates announce Sunrise On Slaughter Beach, the band’s thirteenth studio album – a slamming summary of everything that makes the band great and another giant leap forward into career longevity.
New bangers like “Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone),” “Nosferatu Madre,” “Skeletons on Mars,” “Jackhammer Our Names,” and “Mercy Brown” take their rightful place alongside Clutch classics. Sunrise On Slaughter Beach is the natural culmination of what Clutch began as teenagers in the early ‘90s.
Recorded at The Magpie Cage Recording Studio, Baltimore, MD, the album was produced and mixed by Grammy nominated Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Royal Blood, Pixies) with additional engineering by J Robbins (Jawbreaker, Against Me!, The Sword).
Track Listing:
Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)
Slaughter Beach
Mountain Of Bone
Nosferatu Madre
Mercy Brown
We Strive For Excellence
Skeletons On Mars
Three Golden Horns
Jackhammer Our Names
Clutch have shared two new songs with fans so far. The first single, “Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)”, was released in April to much acclaim from fans and critics alike. The track has notched 415k streams on Spotify alone with the official music video clocking up 384k YouTube views. Last month, the group unveiled “We Strive For Excellence” which is closing in fast on 250k Spotify streams already. The track is available digitally from all DSPs here.
Jean-Paul Gaster initially thought album thirteen would be an opposite reaction to the polarisation and uncertainty of the pandemic years. Perhaps something more upbeat, in the vein of 2013’s Earth Rocker. “The more the songs took shape, the less I saw that kind of an album. Something different took shape. The record we ended up with is, in some ways, the most different record we’ve made in a long time.”
Sunrise On Slaughter Beach introduces some “firsts” into the Clutch canon: vibraphone (from Gaster), theremin (J. Robbins), and female backup vocals from singers Deborah Bond and Frenchie Davis. The album’s nine songs are a diverse ride, destined to please long-time fans and intrigue newcomers alike. It’s a new chapter in an ever-unfolding story which means as much to the fans as it does to the band.
Clutch have extensive tour plans to support the new album, including a set of US headline dates this Autumn. Joining them on that 26-date run will be Helmet and Quicksand who will be rotating the main support slot nightly and special guest JD Pinkus. Ticket for the tour are on sale now from ClutchOnTour.com.
Sep 13 – Toronto, ON @ Rebel
Sep 15 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
Sep 16 – New York, NY @ Palladium Times Square
Sep 17 – Baltimore, MD @ Hammerjacks
Sep 18 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
Sep 20 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
Sep 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
Sep 23 – Louisville, KY @ Louder than Life*
Sep 24 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
Sep 25 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
Sep 27 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
Sep 29 – Houston TX @ Warehouse Live
Sep 30 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
Oct 01 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
Oct 02 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
Oct 04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren
Oct 05 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
Oct 07 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock*
Oct 08 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory Concert House
Oct 09 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
Oct 10 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
Oct 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ the Depot
Oct 13 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
Oct 14 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
Oct 15 – West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
Oct 16 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
*Clutch only
The band have an equally packed touring schedule outside of North America, including summer festivals, further headline dates, and a return to Europe.
European fans can find them at the following dates:
Nov 11 – Glasgow, UK – 02 Academy
Nov 12 – Newcastle, UK – 02 City Hall
Nov 13 – Leeds, UK – 02 Academy
Nov 15 – Exeter, UK – Great Hall
Nov 16 – Brighton, UK – Brighton Dome
Nov 18 – Hannover, GER – Capitol
Nov 20 – Hamburg, GER – Markthalle
Nov 22 – Berlin, GER – Huxley’s Neue Welt
Nov 23 – Munich, GER – Neue Theaterfabrik
Nov 24 – Wien, AT – Arena
Nov 25 – Zagreb, CRO – Culture Factory
Nov 26 – Milan, IT – Fabrique
Dec 2 – Toulouse, FR – Le Bikini
Dec 3 – Lyon, FR – Le Transbordeur
Dec 5 – Zurich, CH – X-TRA
Dec 6 – Stuttgart, GER – LKA Longhorn
Dec 7 – Frankfurt, GER – Batschkapp
Dec 9 – Cologne, GER – Live Music Hall
Dec 10 – Paris, FR – Bataclan
Dec 13 – Bristol, UK – 02 Academy
Dec 14 – Birmingham, UK – 02 Academy
Dec 15 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy
Dec 16 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City
Dec 17 – London, UK – The Roundhouse
For the most up to date list of shows worldwide and to buy tickets, click here.
ABOUT CLUTCH
“There’s no question that Clutch etched themselves a name in the pantheon of great rock bands,” Lambgoat wrote in 2004. Classic Rock counted 2013’s Earth Rocker and 2015’s Psychic Warfare among the 50 Best Rock Albums of the 2010s. Rolling Stone described 2018’s Book of Bad Decisions as “bathed in the grit and liberal fuzz tone that have made their live shows legendary.” The global accolades across their acclaimed catalogue are numerous.
Live shows over the years include tours with Slayer and System Of A Down and more recent co-headlining treks with Dropkick Murphys, Killswitch Engage, and Mastodon. Like Slayer or Iron Maiden, Clutch outlasted rock bands anchored to “hit songs” and the pressure of replicating them. The foursome from Germantown, Maryland, isn’t bound by trends. Across thirteen studio albums and assorted releases since 1991, they’ve earned a reputation as one of the best around.
Neil Fallon likens Clutch’s longevity to the story of The Three Little Pigs. “You can quickly build a house with sticks, but it falls apart. It takes a lot longer to build it out of stone. I feel like that’s what we’ve done. This has been a marathon. It took a long time to build, but it’s gonna be here for a long time.”
Neil Fallon – Vocals
Tim Sult – Guitar
Dan Maines – Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums
PHOTO: DAN WINTERS