Clutch

Clutch play thick, greasy Metal with one foot in the '70s Hard Rock of Led Zeppelin and the other in the '90s crunch of Pantera and Helmet. Their trademark sound revolves around bloozy guitar/bass riffs and funky, stop-start drumbeats, all topped off by frontman Neil Fallon's eccentric vocals. He barks, talks, raps and emits other assorted noises in a cigarette-damaged tone. Song titles such as "The House That Peterbilt, "Elephant Riders" and "Texan Book of the Dead" offer a sense of what to expect from their lyrics -- a mix of surreal storytelling, sci-fi obsessions and self-aware redneck humor. Since their 1993 debut Transnational Speedway League, they've let go of some of their aggro tendencies, instead going in a more southern Funk Rock direction that has led some to call them a "hillbilly Primus."