Published on Jun 24, 1998
When I first heard New York-based The Clay People in a label
showcase a few months ago, I wondered if I was in the right club.
Sandwiched in between acts that had more than some leanings towards
industrial was this intense hard rock band that caused more than a
few jaws to drop. In my scribbled notes from that evening, I called
them “hard rock in the Pantera vein.”
Their recent self-titled release (their fifth album, and first
for Slipdisc) partially proves me wrong; the lyrical shouting is
minimized, and the end result is some solid hard rock that isn’t
afraid to take a bend towards a softer edge.
Vocalist Dan Neet leads the band through eleven tracks that
challenge the listener from almost every angle imaginable. The dual
guitar work of Brian McGarvey and Mike Guzzardi does a Texas
one-two on your eardrums, resulting in some of the most pleasurable
pain you’ll ever experience. Bassist Dan Walsh acts as a solid
anchor for the other axemen, while drummer Dan Dinsmore shows he
knows his way around the trap kit quite well; some of his fills
were very impressive.
The lead-off single, “Awake,” helps me maintain my belief in the
Pantera-like aspects of the band; Neet goes from a more gentle
vocal to an ear-piercing screech of the chorus that serves as an
audio alarm clock for any listener who wasn’t paying close
attention. The track is a logical, even perfect, choice for the
first single, and demonstrates the power that The Clay People have
right off the bat.
However, if all you think this band is about is screaming, then
keep listening, Dr. Livingston, ’cause you have a lot more
discovery to do. Tracks like “Calling Spaceship: Damien Grief” and
“Car Bomb” continue their demonstrations of the band’s prowess,
while pushing the more melodic side of The Clay People’s music and
lyrics. “Car Bomb” is a track I remember as being rather intense in
concert; this version caught me a bit off guard with Neet’s
clear-as-a-bell vocals. (In fact, the clarity of the vocals is
something that struck me throughout this album; I’m sure a good
portion of the credit goes to producer Neil Kernon.) “Who Am I?”,
the closing track of
The Clay People, starts off with a killer guitar riff and
works around it for the entire song, creating what could logically
be the next single.
However,
The Clay People is an album not afraid to show a softer
side, which comes in the guise of songs like “Ghostwishing”. Tracks
like these are pleasant surprises that are scattered in the album –
almost as if they were designed to help give your ears and brain a
break.
The downside to The Clay People’s musical attack is that it
starts to get old the further you get into the album – as a result,
you might find your mind drifting during tracks like “Raygun Girls”
and “Dying To Be You”. It took me several tries to get through this
disc – though once I did, I found the effort was well worth the
time. Despite the fact that The Clay People are veterans of the
scene, I’m willing to cut them some slack, as this lineup is still
a rather new one for the band. I think once they gel together a
little more, the blemishes of this album will disappear.
The Clay People could be called a sleeper hit of 1998 – if
we’re not careful, it could burst through big-time on both
alternative and hard rock outlets. Here’s hoping at least one side
gives them the chance… this album proves they’ve earned it,
though they’re not at the finish line quite yet.