Two album reviews! One blog entry! And some questions!

     A lot of new music has popped up on my iPod lately, and I really need to talk about them! No use in using two entries to talk about them.

     Ever-evolving, long-standing ass-kickers Clutch have come out with a new one. Psychic Warfare brings that blues-oriented rock feel of the previous albums. I've just been through a couple of run-throughs so far, and I love it. Three stand-out tracks so far: "Sucker for the Witch" and "Doom Saloon", which leads into "Our Lady of Electric Light."

     Faith No More! Faith... No... goddamn... More! I found out about their newest album, Sol Invictus, a year after its 2015 release. I hate feeling like I'm out of a loop! But nonetheless, I have my grubby paws on this album (in a digital sense). Yes, there is some rap-rock in it! This comes courtesy of the first single, "Motherfucker". Yep... their first single after a 19-year hiatus is called "Motherfucker". Their first video in decades is "Sunny Side Up". Good songs; however, I have three personal picks: "Superhero", "Separation Anxiety", and "Matador".

     I hope that 2017 brings to fruition ideas that have been batted around, regarding long-standing and reunited bands. I would like to see Soundgarden's follow-up to 'King Animal', Alice In Chains' newest since 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here', and maybe (just maybe) something new from Pearl Jam, though I haven't gotten a hold of 2013's 'Lightening Bolt' yet.
     Speaking of the greats that rose out of the Seattle Grunge era, I'd like to leave with a series of questions. This comes to mind in light of the fact that Soundgarden's 'Badmotorfinger' came out 25 years ago. What counts as classic rock? Does it have to be a certain age? If so, what age? Does it have to be of a certain sound? If so, what is it? Certainly, Jimi Hendrix and AC/DC are both played on the same classic rock stations, but don't sound too similar; I have Hendrix filed under Psychedelic Rock and AC/DC filed under Hard Rock. Is grunge of some lower quality? Certainly not; Kurt Cobain made his mark, and of course Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, and Layne Staley all can wail with the likes of Brian Johnson, Steven Tyler, and Mick Jager. I guess my question won't rest until I hear "Rusty Cage", "Alive", or "Man in the Box" regularly played on a classic rock station.