2018 Best of Metal: #18 Clutch-Book of Bad Decisions

Release Date:  September 7, 2018

Personnel:  Neil Fallon-vocals, Tim Sult-guitar, Dan Maines-bass, Jean-Paul Gaster-drums

Origin:  Germantown, Maryland

They’ve done it again.  Clutch isn’t what I would quantify as the best or most talented band around.  But what they are good at, they do really, really well.  What they are good at is crafting really catchy songs set to vocalist Neil Fallon’s playful lyrics.  I’m generally not a big lyric guy, but Fallon is really one of the best at creating these little short stories and just selling them perfectly in his performance.  He’s really the closest thing we currently have to a Bon Scott type persona (minus the self-destructive streak) in rock/metal music today.  Cheers for being a bastion of consistency and reliablity.  Cheers also for giving us the lyrical phrase of the year in “Weaponized Funk!”

4 flip flops out of 5

The list so far:

18.  Clutch-Book of Bad Decisions
19.  Harakiri For The Sky-Arson
20.  Behemoth-I Loved You At Your Darkest