CLUTCH shares more in common with The Grateful Dead, Rush, and the Allman Brothers than their heavy riffs and heady twists-of-phrase might suggest. Because like those bands, the supporters who adore CLUTCH are there for the experience, community, and authentic connection.

To love CLUTCH is to feel a sense of ownership, membership, and belonging.

Seneca Valley High School classmates Neil Fallon (vocals), Tim Sult (guitar), Dan Maines (bass), and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums) share an unshakeable musical and personal bond now three decades strong. Shaped by the same region which birthed Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Rites Of Spring, CLUTCH crafts hyper-literate and libertine jams informed by hardcore fury and fuzzy, athletic, stoner rock.

A worldwide cabal of fans and critics cherish the band’s dense and diverse catalog of underground classics, released through major labels, indies, and since 2009, Clutch’s own Weathermaker imprint. Sunrise On Slaughter Beach, the band’s thirteenth studio album, is a slamming summary of everything that makes the band great and another giant leap forward into career longevity.

“There’s no question that Clutch etched themselves a name in the pantheon of great rock bands,” Lambgoat wrote in 2004. Classic Rock Magazine counted 2013’s Earth Rocker and 2015’s Psychic Warfare among the 50 Best Rock Albums of the 2010s. Rolling Stone described 2018’s Book of Bad Decisions as “bathed in the grit and liberal fuzz tone that have made their live shows legendary.”

Those live shows over the years include tours with Slayer, System Of A Down, and Marilyn Manson, and more recent co-headlining treks with Dropkick Murphys, Killswitch Engage, and Mastodon. Like Slayer or Iron Maiden, CLUTCH outlasted rock bands anchored to “hit songs” and the pressure of replicating them. The foursome from Germantown, Maryland, isn’t bound by trends. Across 13 studio albums and assorted releases since 1991, they’ve earned a reputation as one of the best around.

Let’s face it: Much has gone down in the COC universe since their last album smacked us upside the head. Back in 2018, when No Cross No Crown dropped like a rock n’ roll atom bomb, the tried-and-true COC lineup of Pepper Keenan (vocals/guitar), Woody Weatherman (guitar), Reed Mullin (drums), and Mike Dean (bass) was still going strong. Four brothers united in a decades-long history kicked off by a roving pack of teenage punks in Raleigh, NC, circa 1982.

COC’s first four albums left a permanent mark on headbangers, longhairs, and street punks everywhere: Underground classics Eye for an Eye (1984) and Animosity (1985) followed by slightly more overground bangers Blind (1991) and Deliverance (1994). By the time COC carved off No Cross No Crown nearly a quarter century later, they were legends in their own time, revered by two generations of punk, metal, and rock fans.

Then tragedy struck: In January 2020, Reed Mullin left this earthly plane.

It was a devastating blow, both personally and professionally. How do you replace a brother? You can’t. All you can do is soldier on in his memory. Which is that the rest of COC did—until Covid shut down the globe. Then Mike Dean decided to go his own way. It was an amicable split, but it left Pepper and Woody to contemplate their next move. They hunkered down at Pepper’s place in Mississippi, listening to all the music they love. Discharge. ZZ Top. Motörhead. Neil Young. Black Sabbath. You know: The good stuff.

They started writing. They didn’t stop, not for a long time. Matter of fact, they wrote an honest-to-God double album. “As we went on, we had such a crazy plethora of songs, it was almost like two different directions,” Pepper says. “We knew we had to split it into two different albums. Then we came up with this concept.”

The concept happens to be the title of the record. It’s called Good God / Baad Man. “Our producer, Warren Riker, kept calling it Dark Side of the Doom,” Pepper says. “In my head, it’s a weird love letter to all things rock n’ roll. We used that for the freedom to go in different directions. Each album is its own tiny universe, has its own identity. Good God leans toward the heavier/pissed end of the spectrum. Baad Man is more on the throwdown rock scope. As we went along, it became clear which songs went on which album.”

They brought in drummer Stanton Moore, who played on COC’s 2005 album, In the Arms of God. They brought in bassist Bobby “Rock” Landgraf, who did time with Pepper in New Orleans heavyweights Down when he wasn’t terrorizing the locals in his own band, Honky.  “With a lot of these songs, we’re trying to make Reed Mullin proud,” Pepper says. “He was a badass, and a one-of-a-kind drummer. And the stakes were high.”

The first single is “Gimme Some Moore,” featuring backing vocals from Uncle Al Jourgensen of Ministry and Madonna guitarist Monte Pittman. The hook of the song is Struggle is worth the fight/Leather, chains and spikes.  “Me and Woody wanted to write a song as if we were 17 years old again,” Pepper explains. “We even made a seven-inch for it.”  Said seven-inch is an early ’80s punk throwback, complete with black & white photo collage and a Fear cover on the flipside. It’s a ripper.

“Lose Yourself” is a song the guys all wrote together. Propelled by a beefy groove, you just might hear echoes of COC’s 1996 heater, Wiseblood.  “It’s short and to the point,” Pepper says. “It’s kind of about not taking life too seriously. If things are getting in the way, just get away for a while, lose yourself, get your head straight.”

On the other side of the coin, Good God closer “Run For Your Life” is a powerful psychedelic dirge with heavier-than-heavy spoken word from an old friend who happens to be a US military combat veteran.

“Baad Man” opens the second album with a jive-talking dose of grand funk, straight from the grimy streets to your tender earholes. “It’s a weird ’70s rock stomper thing,” Pepper says. “It’s about a guy who thinks he’s a badass, but he really ain’t.”

The album’s final track, “Forever Amplified,” boasts guest vocals from Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph of the long-running New Orleans jazz-funk band Galactic, of which Stanton Moore is a founding member. “She grew up singing gospel in a Baptist church, and she nailed the hell out of the song,” Pepper enthuses. “It’s a dedication to all the people we’ve lost, including Reed.”

Produced by Grammy award winner Warren Riker (Fugees, Down, Cathedral) and featuring cover art by famed New Orleans artist Scott Guion, Good God / Baad Man was recorded at Blak Shak Studios in Riffissippi, USA, Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, and—get this—Bee Gee Barry Gibb’s home studio in Miami.

“His studio is a magical time warp,” Pepper says. “He was drinking Cuban coffee and hanging out with us while we were tracking guitars. I played Maurice Gibb’s Strat on ‘Baad Man.’ The whole experience was a game changer—big time.”

Bottom line? COC is back. In a big way. Born again for the last time, you might say. “Woody and I are guys who love music, period,” Pepper says. “We had open minds through this whole process. We love ZZ Top as much as we love Black Flag. With this record, we’ve got a whole new paint palette. We made a mess and went Maad.”

A Godfather figure is understood to be a purveyor of genre; a pioneer in a particular realm of creation. Perhaps more importantly, and after over 3 decades molding the Hardcore realm, AGNOSTIC FRONT have protected and nurtured Hardcore music in such a way that it still exists healthily & in its proper form, today. As a band that has cultivated their reputation with honesty, and that prioritizes affirming their social messages to the world, GET LOUD! is well suited as the title for their 12th, full length studio album. Although the sociopolitical climate has transformed considerably since the release of the  United Blood  EP in 1983, the basic concepts of political corruption and social unrest have only been enhanced, and with them the fuel on AGNOSTIC FRONT’s fire. “We’ve always had a voice; had a lot to say. We’re always screaming for a change” says frontman Roger Miret. “Speak up, get loud, say what you have to say. Be the change you want to see in the world. You can’t change the whole thing, but you can make little differences that will matter, eventually.”

For such a memorable album, the reappearance of Cause For Alarm artist Sean Taggart was vital in order to deliver a piece of art that perfectly combined the old school with the current state of the world. Bringing the CFA characters back to life in a new age, the artwork will be familiar to AGNOSTIC FRONT fans the world over, but still maintains a modern freshness. When CFA was initially released in 1986 it was a distinguished and prosperous time for the world of Hardcore, and it is that time, and that vibe, that this album aspires to reassert.

GET LOUD! is compiled of 14 tracks that are nothing short of classic, home grown, NewYork Hardcore, but still includes some thrashy and punky variety. The title track carries a common message for the entire album. It’s a moody and riveting version of “speak up, aren’t you sick of the same day to day routine? It’s time to make that change and stop climbing up that same exact wall. That’s what GET LOUD! is all about.” says Miret. Songs like “ I Remember ” are important glimpses into the lives of the men of AGNOSTIC FRONT and thus tie in strongly with their recent release of Ian McFarland’s Documentary: THE GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE (2017). Although it was written after the release of the film, the track serves almost as a theme song for the documentary in which Miret and founding guitarist Vinnie Stigma recall their pasts and their most groundbreaking records; even first meeting one another. Songs like “Conquer And Divide” speak to the current state of where we as humans are today. “It’s like all the government has ever wanted is to divide the people, and then come in and conquer. I see it happening today; social media is a huge let down in that way. Now everyone has a voice, and I get it, but I can’t believe how quickly some people are willing to jump headfirst into something that doesn’t care about them” Miret explains. “Power of expression, power of the mind, freedom of speech, live free or die, stand up and resist, gotta fight to exist, break down the walls that divide.”

The raw and emotional journey of “THE GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE” can be

credited as having some affect on the course of this record cycle. “It was nothing like I expected, it was mind blowing because it was SO US” Miret reflects. “It was pretty incredible to have that, for my family, the future of my family. Put something out there digitally, and it’s out there forever. I’m really happy we never did anything like this, that this is it. It will hold through the tests of time. It’s not just a movie about punk, or hardcore, or metal, it’s about humanity and it’s awesome.”

An old school band in a new era can be an adjustment, but there’s something to be said for the technological advances that have enabled AGNOSTIC FRONT to write this new album, even with distances between the core members of the band. Ideas, lyrics, and riffs were tossed around amongst the guys in a digital universe, and once solid skeletons were formed, the final portion of the writing, the finessing, and the recording began in person. Produced by Miret himself, longtime friend Paul Miner of Buzz Bomb Studios then tracked, recorded, mixed, and mastered the album. GET LOUD! is now arranged, groomed, and ready to make its debut to fans the world over.

“Something real. I think that’s the secret to our longevity. People see us, and they see something that’s real and genuine, and they want to be a part of that. Who wants to be a part of something that’s fake? If you feel a connection to something and it feels real, you wanna know about it and be a part of it.”

People discover Chuck Ragan in different ways. Some people know Ragan from the pioneering punk act Hot Water Music he’s co-fronted for the past three decades. Others are aware of his successful solo career or the Revival Tour, a collection of traveling troubadours that included his peers like Frank Turner and the Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon. Some folks may have even come across him from the successful fly fishing operation he runs out of Grass Valley, California. The one throughline through all this is the way that Ragan approaches everything with a level of honesty and integrity that can’t be faked—and that sentiment is undeniable on Love And Lore, his first solo collection in ten years and one that’s being released as Hot Water Music take a well-deserved victory lap for their breakout album Vows, which came out earlier this year.

In some ways, it’s a miracle that Love And Lore even exists. The album was first conceptualized by Ragan in 2016, studio time was booked in 2019 and right before the recording was set to take place, COVID happened and all of Ragan’s musical projects had to be put on hold so he could focus on his fishing operation to provide for his family. “We got serious about making this album again in 2022, but I didn’t have a ton of time to devote to it between being physically exhausted and having a toddler,” he admits. “It was just chaos.” (This also includes a tree falling on guitarist/pedal steel/multi-instrumentalist Todd Beene’s house.) Eventually Love And Lore was recorded in early 2023 and the result is an album that showcases Ragan further transcending the “folk” label to create a collection of songs that see him stretching out as a songwriter to fearlessly explore new sonic territory.

“I’m always trying to do something different because I feel like if we’re not searching, we’re not learning,” he says. “My writing approach seems to be whatever the song needs or wherever the song takes you, just let it breathe.” This sentiment is evident in songs like “Echo The Halls” which sees Ragan shaping his road-worn voice into something more melodic and measured over a backdrop of chiming pianos and phaser-friendly guitars. “Some of these songs are 15 years old and every once in a while something will pop out to me at the right time,” he explains. “It may have started a decade ago but for some reason whatever I sang or played just felt relevant to me in that moment, and that’s what I wanted to work on.” This quality adds a timeless quality to Love And Lore: In fact if it wasn’t for the polished production, the roots of “Winter” could be a previously undiscovered folk classic. As Ragan sings the refrain of “free your shadow,” there’s a multitude of meanings hidden in these three words.

“We approached this record in a much different way in the sense that I played a lot of guitar on this album,” Beene explains, citing the more rock-oriented song “Wild In Our Ways’ ‘ as an example. “I think that coming at this record with all the time that we put into it, we just sort of said, ‘Let’s just mentally start over with this record and do whatever we want to do and see how it feels,’ ‘ he continues. While Ragan’s instantly recognizable voice sits at the forefront of the album, expert accompamient by Beene as well as Hot Water Music drummer George Rebelo and jazz-trained bassist (and Beene’s longtime collaborator) Spencer Duncan allows for this group of seasoned musicians to explore a fresh dynamic without feeling constrained by their other acts, which include everything from country-inspired rock to punk legends like the Bouncing Souls.

Lyrically, the album sees Ragan digging deep into his own psyche to craft lyrics that are brutally honest when it comes to themes such as relationships, family and the daily struggles that are an inherent part of living. “There’s so much heartbreak that comes with this life and I’m not just talking about myself, I’m talking about the people around me,” Ragan explains. “As someone who spends a lot of time away from my loved ones, there’s a lot of darkness at times and a lot of questions—and a lot of these songs are very much reflective of that and very much about therapy and finding peace and solace in nature, on the water and with loved ones, you know?” In that spirit, the stripped-down acoustic ballad “Reel My Heart” sees Ragan exploring the way balancing life on the road with his family obligations can still feel like a Sisyphean task much of the time.

“I have a tradition that when we finish something, I want to sit down and put that record on and I want to listen to it… and it may be the last time I listen to it for a long time,” Ragan explains. “Because that to me is when there’s closure: All those songs, all those feelings, all those thoughts, all of those things I needed to get off my chest and out of my head—and I’m not talking about just me, but a whole village makes this happen. When I can put a record on and play both sides and take it off, stick it in the sleeve and put it on the shelf, then I can find some peace.”