Clutch was formed in 1991 by vocalist Neil Fallon, guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster.

In 2001 the band signed with Atlantic for the release of Pure Rock Fury, which included guest appearances from members of Spirit Caravan and Sixty Watt Shaman.

Their sixth album, Blast Tyrant, appeared three years later and was the first through DRT Entertainment, followed by Robot Hive/Exodus in 2005, which featured the first lineup change since the early 1990s; the addition of organist Mick Schauer.

That same year, they also released a compilation album, La Curandera, exclusively on pink vinyl, as part of the Ten Bands, One Cause campaign for breast cancer awareness.

For 2016, Clutch released an exclusive 12-inch vinyl EP with the two bonus tracks from their 2015 album "Psychic Warfare", containing "Mad Sidewinder" and "Outland Special Clearance", limited to 3,000 copies.