“Rock is dead” is one of those phrases that gets repeated quite often by people who never had any interest in rock music in the first place and/or people who will listen to only the sickest new Hip-Hop or electronic mix tape. They think the guitar is unfashionable and almost treat it with disdain.

Whilst hipster attitudes might make you think you’re ubercool, there’s a huge downside. You’re neglecting some brilliant guitar music that will most likely kick your arse. It doesn’t care if it’s cool, it just goes for the jugular.

So, here we are in 2013 with Clutch releasing an album that makes you stuff any “Rock is dead” comments right were they belong. This is 45 minutes of sheer unadulterated hard rock which is a joy to listen to. It’s not cliché, and sounds like more aggressive stoner rock with a huge dollop of the blues. It’s an album that feels like it’s going back to the roots of rock ‘n roll yet sounds completely fresh even today. There is simply not a bad track on here, even the slower songs absolutely nail it. There’s no irritating cheesy token ballad that the record company told them to write, it just all kills.

Another album I don’t feel like I can say a lot about, just listen to it. Everybody needs a little bit of top-notch rock in their life and that’s a fact.

Personal Fave Track: “Crucial Velocity”