THE MOB GOES WILD BY CLUTCH

2001’S PURE ROCK Fury was a make-or-break moment for Clutch. And – at least so far as the music industry was concerned – they blew it. Unable to break the Top 100 on the US music charts, the record was regarded as another underperformer in an age where rock and metal bands were still regularly topping the charts. So the band were dropped by their label, Atlantic Records.

“There was a surplus of apprehension when we were dropped by Atlantic,” admits vocalist Neil Fallon. “We spent the next few years reflecting, thinking about getting back in the van and starting over. But once you’ve had the luxury of a tour bus and opened up for big bands, for all intents and purposes achieving what you set out to, you have to have those conversations about whether to continue or look at doing something else.”

Luckily for us all, they persevered. Having spent much and respectively) were put out via their own label, River Road Records, before they ultimately signed with DRT Entertainment to put out their sixth studio album. Now they just had to write it.