THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Clutch scrapped two full batches of songs because they felt too built for the studio and not enough for the stage, then went back and made album fourteen *. *Wasted Lands* lands January 22, 2027 on Weathermaker Music, and the title track exists because someone on Facebook wouldn't stop accusing Neil Fallon of stiffing them on a free t-shirt *†§. "You want a monster? Let's give you one," Fallon said *.
THE DETAILS
- Twelve songs, opening with "The Drifter Returns" and closing with "The Message Is Clear," title track sitting at eleven *§.
- Written and recorded at the Doom Saloon in Frederick, Maryland, with Gene "Machine" Freeman producing — his first Clutch record since 2015's *Psychic Warfare* *§.
- "Beware The Fever" features banjo for the first time on a Clutch record, using a rough Fallon demo take *.
- Jean-Paul Gaster buried a bass drum hit under "man or beast" over Machine's objection, betting the crowd reaction was worth it *†.
- Pre-orders cover black vinyl, cassette, standard CD, retailer-exclusive colored variants and a red CD *.
- First full-length since 2022's *Sunrise On Slaughter Beach* *.
SUPPORT
Slomosa and Blood Vulture on the 16-date US run; Corrosion Of Conformity on the Australian dates *.
WHY IT MATTERS
COMEBACK: Machine is back behind the desk after ten years, and Clutch threw away two albums' worth of material to get there. Bands at thirty-five years in don't usually admit they trashed the work — most just ship it.
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