Here in the HQ, we've been fans of Clutch for a long time. "A Shogun Named Marcus"-long. As a fan, it's never been much wonder that the band didn't hit it big or draw some sort of huge mainstream appeal. Neil Fallon's staccato growl and barking mad lyrical stylings were not the sort of thing that radio likes to hear. And despite the popular advance of acts like Korn, there's only so much chunky hard rock guitar that most people can stand. Add to this a stack of album releases that got essentially zero publicity in any of the major outlets, and you have the recipe for a true underground sensation, not an MTV favorite.

When three years passed between Pure Rock Fury and last year's Blast Tyrant, I began to fear that the band was beginning the inexorable slide towards oblivion. Delays between releases, distraction by side projects, and ultimately, no more Clutch. It was all the more painful a suspicion for the level of sheer badassness that Blast Tyrant brought. It showed the band was, if anything, getting even better as time went on (though I still feel nothing has quite equalled their eponymous second album, a record that makes a mockery of the idea that all bands suffer a "sophomore slump"). Imagine my surprise to find out they were releasing yet another album, hot on the heels of Tyrant. I figured I was going to wait at least two years before another one, and if things went sour, that one would be a greatest hits collection and the last release.

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