By etching a deep-rooted, funky groove within a swirling maze of mesmerizing psychedelia, Clutch takes a tremendous leap from its former hardcore/thrash stylings on its follow-up to 1993's rabid, thunderously heavy Transnational Speedway League. Although this newfangled musical approach is quite different from Clutch's earlier material, the band's trademark wickedly heavy, grinding sludge and precise, pounding rhythms remain very much intact within the framework of each song. Sounding like a cross between Onyx, Monster Magnet and Black Sabbath, Clutch slams out one hell of a mean stomp on the churning "Escape From The Prison Planet," which rumbles through a tight mix of gruff, rapped vocals and circular chord jams, ending in a blaring, psychedelia-soaked cluster of riffs that lunges head-first into the expansive, futuristic "Space Grass"; this next song is marked by hesitant, robotic voices, low-end bass strums and a flurry of soft, sonic tones that escalate into angry, rough shouts. Whether it be one of humor, irony, religion, politics, fiction or fact, each song tells a unique and interesting story; the aggro-blasting "I Have The Body Of John Wilkes Booth" is about a fisherman who reels in a casket housing the body of John Wilkes Booth after fishing for 13 years without getting a single bite, while the rowdy, crunchy "Rock N Roll Outlaw" satirizes the stupid cliches of road life. Also check out the bloozy, hostile bite of "The House That Peter Built," the funky, hard-edged rap of "Tight Like That," the abrasive roar of "Animal Farm" and the free-flowing, heavy jam of "Tim Suit Vs. The Greys." - Jenni Glenn

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