Review by Tobias on May 27, 2004.

There's probably only one voice in the world that could put hair on Martha Stewart's chest after 30 seconds of audio exposure, and it belongs to Clutch's Neil Fallon. All that yellin' and bellowin' is carried to your ears courtesy of the heavy blues-rock guitar train conducted by riffer Tim Sult who just might be a disguised younger and louder cousin of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page.

With their latest album, Blast Tyrant, Clutch return with a high energy deliverance of surreal lyrical imagery, rhythms that range from stoner-metal to funk-rock, spatterings of experimental flavor and a chin-up, snarlin' attitude that has become the musical bicep that Clutch is today.

While I find it hard to believe that I'm comparing anyone to the greatest guitarist in history, the simple yet vulpine songwriting by Sult definitely makes you think of the mighty Page. The tight but fluid architecture provided by Jean-Paul Gaster and Dan Maines likely triples that effect. So now what, am I saying that Gaster and Maines should be compared to John Bonham and John Paul Jones? Not really, but goddamn if the boys can't move you.

Each song on this album, with the possible exception of the instrumental 'English Pounds' that brings in the tail end of the album, has rhythmic hooks to light a fire under the ass of anyone who appreciates that which is heavy in rock. Even though many would be hard pressed to consider Clutch a metal band, they can stir up a pit quicker than your mom can drop her pants. Take 'Regulator' as a prime example, where the band takes you from a mellow opening in the vein of Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter' and quickly spins off into Fallon's raging demands and back again.

Whether the band likes it or not, this album is going to top the lists of stoner-metal fans everywhere supplanting the more extreme acts such as High On Fire and tour-mates Superjoint Ritual. I almost broke my neck drinking beer and rocking out to this album in my living room, I hope you can avoid injury as well.

Musicianship: 8
Originality: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Overall: 10

Rating: 8.6 of 10