Clutch’s eleventh album, Psychic Warfare, was released on October 2. In the 22 years since their first record, the hard-rock band has managed to keep a consistent feel for all of their records and make each section of their discography seem like part of a larger vision.
Many bands, some having released significantly less music than Clutch has, run out of ideas for new ideas or disband due to lack of motivation. Sult pointed out just the opposite.
He noted that “we find inspirations by being music fans ourselves… and creating new art.”
Sult also said that “it feels like it’s easier for us now-a-days to come up with material than it was back in the old days.”
In the case of Clutch, he felt that “we have a lot more time these days to work on material.”
Sult notes that, for older records, Clutch would put out a record in around half the time that they work on a record now, and that newfound time fosters creativity.
Part of what may have helped the band is that in 2008 they opened their own record label, Weathermaker Music.
Though Sult felt like “we’ve always been able to do whatever we want as far as the music goes,” he did say that it’s helped their timeline.
The members of Clutch are all still making music togeether after twenty two years.
As opposed to major labels that may want an album ready by a specific release date, Sult said that now “it’s all just based on doing what we’re ready to do.”
Of course, even with their own label Clutch has noticed that there have been changes in the recording process that have affected the band.
Sult said in older albums, “we just went in and played as much as we could live…then just start putting tracks on top of it.”
With their newer albums the process comes off as “a bit more clinical, but, somehow, it turns out not sounding clinical.”
Sult seemed content with the changes, saying that “Psychic Warfare, to me, sounds like what we sound like live, more so than any other album we’ve ever done.”
In spite of all the changes, both for the industry and the band, that have occurred over the last twenty plus years, Clutch is still made up of the same four men that founded the band.
Sult said, “we’re always working on new material, moving forward and we always have something on the horizon.”
Even during a small stint when their vocalist, Neil Fallon, moved away from the rest of the band, the other members started a jazzy, solo-oriented side-project, The Bakerton Group, which eventually incorporated Fallon as well.
The fact that the members stay together at times when the band could not be particularly active proved Sult’s point that “it’s not like Clutch just stops, and all we have left is our old songs.”
He mentioned that the band has had “a slow-moving process over the last 23 years,” and stated that he’s “just very happy to be a part of it.”
Thanks to that slow, but consistent, forward movement, Clutch is currently the most commercially successful they’ve ever been. Psychic Warfare opened at #11 on the Billboard Top 200, the band’s best opening to date. Sult said the band will most likely start working on new music after they finish their current tour.
Psychic Warfare is now available via iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. Those interested in learning more about Clutch are encouraged to go to the band’s website, pro-rock.com.
