Clutch—The Weathermaker Vault Series, Vol. 1

Clutch fans have another reason to fuel their addiction.

Clutch
The Weathermaker Vault Series, Volume 1
Weathermaker Music

Link: Official Site

The summer of 2019 saw a deeper level of fan outreach from the Maryland heavy hitters as they launched a new music series titled The Weathermaker Vault Series. Every six or so weeks, the group released digital-only Clutch covers and re-recorded songs from the vault in order to get a steady stream of music out to their fans. The series grew in popularity and depth only to find the band with an amalgamation of solid material that could serve as its own statement.

The band culminated ten tracks out of the roster and converted it into a physical release aptly titled The Weathermaker Vault Series, Volume 1.

“Spacegrass” was the song that initially got me listening to Clutch. It’s a dive into psychedelic multi-dimensional hard rock that blurs the line between the past and the future. Yet, I’m torn on the re-recording in The Vault series. One one hand, the amplification of this song places this Clutch classic on a massive three-dimensional level. But I prefer Fallon’s vocals on the original. There, his voice is lives in a raw and youthful state as one part of the whole experience. On the re-recording, Fallon’s loud gritty rasp stands out from the rest of the music and places this song in the same vein as From Beale Street to Oblivion. Speaking of Beale Street, the band offers a re-imagined version of “Electric Worry,” and it is incredible! Tim Sault’s guitars are furiously fused in with the power of Dan Maines and Jean-Paul Gaster’s low-end pulse.

What could make this album better? Re-recording “Passive Restraints” and adding Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe as guest vocals. Shedding new light on travelled terrain is not about Clutch trying to make things right. It’s about Clutch trying to gain new perspective of the familiar.

The takeaway from Vol. 1 is that Clutch is as comfortable ripping through a rendition of “Fortunate Son” as they are covering the Argentinian punk song, “Algo Ha Cambiado,” the album’s unreleased track.

Beyond that, the highlight of the album is “Willie Nelson.” It’s a mid-level rocker that serves as a well-rounded jam, philosophically driven that the only thing that is certain beyond death and taxes is that “Willie Nelson smokes killer weed.”

You can bet The Weathermaker Vault Series, Volume 1 goes beyond simple b-side extractions and gives us a great rock and roll statement.

Clutch – Passive Restraints

Tracklisting:

1. Passive Restraints
2. Electric Worry
3. Run, John Barleycorn, Run
4. Evil (Is Going On)
5. Fortunate Son
6. Algo Ha Cambiado
7. Spacegrass
8. Precious and Grace
9. Smoke Banshee
10. Wille Nelson