Release Date: Jul 14, 2009
Genre(s): Rock, Alternative, Metal
Record label: Weathermaker
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They’ve metamorphosed from stoner rock weirdos to practitioners of a mighty cool blend of blues, rock, and metal, developing a reputation as one of the most consistent heavy rock bands in America. But for all the hard-earned success, despite the devoted, live bootleg-trading fans who follow them obsessively, one thing Clutch never had was a record label that treated them with any respect. After a brief flirtation with major labels in the late-‘90s and early this decade, it wasn’t until the Maryland band signed to DRT Records that Clutch started to truly come into its own: Blast Tyrant, Robot Hive/Exodus, and From Beale Street to Oblivion formed a superb trifecta between 2004 and 2007.
The first Clutch studio release in over two years, Strange Cousins from the West is their ninth studio effort; their second recorded with producer J. Robbins at his Magpie Cage Studio in Baltimore, MD; and their first original studio release on their self-owned label, Weathermaker Music. If you're familiar with Clutch at this point in the band's career (after almost 20 years), there aren't too many surprises; it's another album filled with greasy, bluesy, down-home stoner rock.
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