Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, et J.D. Pinkus

Formed in 1991 by Neil Fallon (vocals), Tim Sult (guitar), Dan Maines (bass) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums), the band quickly gathered a strong local following through relentless gigging in their hometown of Germantown, Maryland, US. With this strong local presence, they were hot property for record labels, gaining a contract with EastWest records after impressing with their debut single, “Passive Restraints” on Earache.

In 1993, Clutch released their debut full-length, “Transnational Speedway League,” helping to grow their cult following before finding their first taste of mainstream exposure with their self-titled sophomore release in 1995. Moving to Columbia Records, two further releases, 1998’s “The Elephant Riders” and 1999’s “Jam Room” continued to raise the band’s profile.

It was with 2004’s “Blast Tyrant,” on DRT Records, that Clutch gained significant radio airplay and branched out from their cult status, bolstered by the Bam Magera directed video for the single, “The Mob Goes Wild.” ‘Robot Hive/Exodus” in 2005 brought in the talents of organist Mike Schauer, helping to expand their sound. 2007’s “From Beale Street to Oblivion” also displayed a change in the band’s sound, displaying an element of influence from producer Joe Barresi, who had previously worked with Kyuss and Melvins.

A reissue of 2004’s “Blast Tyrant” brought Clutch more commercial success, still proving its relevance seven years after its initial release. Their tenth album, “Earth Rocker” appeared in 2013, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard 200, giving the band their highest chart position of their career at that time. National and European tours followed, proving that Clutch were still pulling out the goods, over 20 years after the band had begun.

In the early days of COC, the band honed their craft taking the shape of a hardcore punk style, with a 20-track debut, “Eye for an Eye” which was released in 1984 on Candlelight Records. They also released an album called “Animosity” in October 1985, but on Metal Blade Records. Their first album that struck the charts in a big way was an album called “Blind” released one November 5th 1991. It placed on the Heatseekers chart at number 24. They released “Dance of the Dead” and “Vote with a Bullet” as singles, both of which earning the band some valuable airplay on Los Angeles’ KNAC.

COC signed a deal with Columbia Records, and entered the studio in 1993. They emerged on September 27th 1994 with an album called “Deliverance”. Kerrang! described the album as a “True 90s classic”. Their song “Albatross” taken from the record has made it onto the video game Guitar Hero: Metallica. The album made it to number 5 on the Heatseekers Chart, and entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 155, and has since it’s release sold upwards of 379,000 copies. This record was followed with the ever-popular “Wiseblood” released on October 12th 1996 still on Columbia records. It made it to an even higher chart position of number two in the Heatseekers Chart, and this time, number 43 on the UK Albums Chart.

After a brief hiatus, which included the release of a live album entitled “Live Volume”, in 2005 on April 5th, the band released their album “In the Arms of God”. It was this album that managed to hit the top spot of the Heatseekers Chart and even number 41 in Sweden.

Their two following studio albums, the eponymous release on February 28th 2012, and IX on June 24th 2014, have both made it to number 5 on the Heatseekers Chart.