The band's 13th record will contain recently shared groovers Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone) and We Strive for Excellence, and is out September 16 via Weathermaker Music
(Image credit: Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic via Getty)
Veteran hard-rock titans Clutch have announced the title of their 13th studio album, Sunrise on Slaughter Beach, which will arrive September 16 via Weathermaker.
When it drops, it will be Clutch’s first album in four years, following the release of Book of Bad Decisions in 2018.
Though the news of a forthcoming album hasn’t been accompanied by a new single, it has been confirmed that Clutch’s two recent single – Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone), which was written about the COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory, and We Strive For Excellence – will be making their way on to the tracklist.
A number of other tracks that have been previewed at Clutch’s live shows, such as Nosferatu Madre, will also be making the cut.
The nine-track record is said to be “a slamming summary of everything that makes the band great and another giant leap forward into career longevity”, while also serving as “the natural culmination of what Clutch began as teenagers in the early ‘90s”.
Sunrise on Slaughter Beach was recorded at The Magpie Cape Recording Studio in Baltimore, and was produced and mixed by Tom Dalgety, whose credits include Ghost, Royal Blood and Pixies. Additional engineering was provided by J Robbins, who has worked with Jawbreaker and The Sword.
In terms of instrumentation, the record will feature a number of firsts into the band's repertoire: a vibraphone, played by drummer Jean-Paul Gaster, made the cut, as did a theremin and backing vocals supplied by Deborah Bond and Frenchie Davis.
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“The more the songs took shape, the less I saw that kind of an album. Something different took shape,” said Gaster. “The record we ended up with is, in some ways, the most different record we’ve made in a long time.”
Though no other details surrounding the record have been shared at this time, drummer did tease the upcoming effort earlier this year, and discussed how they have been taking the opportunity to test new material in front of live audiences.
“So often, when we have new ideas and we put them in front of an audience, you can really tell right away if the song is the right tempo, [and] the riffs are where they need to be,” he told Metal Kaoz. “It's a testing ground.”
Check out the tracklist for Sunrise On Slaughter Beach below.
Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)
Slaughter Beach
Mountain of Bone
Nosferatu Madre
Mercy Brown
We Strive for Excellence
Skeletons on Mars
Three Golden Horns
Jackhammer Our Names
Sign up for early access to album preorders at Clutch's website.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
