Over the course of a decade-plus career, Clutch has had almost as many record labels as albums and has logged enough miles from playing shows that the band call West Virginia home in address only. But the release of its sixth studio album, "Blast Tyrant," finds the quartet with something many artists never get: Creative freedom.

"Blast Tyrant," out on March 30 via New York-based independent label DRT, is the most diverse album Clutch has recorded. The band still maintains its Zeppelin-by-way-of punk swagger, framed by vocalist Neil Fallon's unique vocal delivery and lyrics, guitarist Tim Sult's wah wah-laden guitar riffs and the dynamic rhythm section of bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean Paul Gaster.

However, instrumentation previously unheard on Clutch records -- keyboards, acoustic guitars, percussion -- subtly appears on "Blast Tyrant," making it well-rounded, while still appealing to the band's core fans.

"Sonically, I think it's the best-sounding record we've done," Fallon says. "We spent a lot of time with pre-production, and arranging the songs. It was the first time we recorded all our tracks into a computer, so we set some ground rules, where each guy couldn't have any more than two simultaneous tracks going on."

Fallon says that the album came about organically. "Things happened very quickly, but they weren't rushed by any means," he says. "I think deadlines are good, because you can sit around and push things back for infinity. And while a few songs are pushing two years old, There are a number of songs that were written right there in the studio. I can think of one called 'The Mob Goes Wild' that came to fruition in a matter of days."

"Blast Tyrant" is a loosely themed concept album. "I had in my mind the story of a guy named Worm Drink who's sort of this demon that leaves the forces of darkness and is chased down by the Blast Tyrant, and he seeks aid from this 'Culandera,'" Fallon says.

"Other than that, there aren't specific events that occur in the lyrics. If you make it too specific, you paint yourself into a corner. I've never liked concept albums that get to the point of a rock opera, where it's a linear story line. It's important to leave enough vague portions of it that the listener can make their own interpretation. I want to have that flexibility."

And while there are conceptual themes running throughout the record, one doesn't have to know what the album's about to appreciate Fallon's stream of conscience lyrics like "never trust a white man driving a black van" and "I've got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm."

The band's sixth album, "Blast Tyrant" inaugurates the band's tenure at its fifth recording label. "The deal we got with DRT came up really quickly, and we jumped at it, because it's a better deal for the situation we're currently in," Fallon says.

"It allowed us the artistic freedom that we require," he says. "Internet and file sharing really sucker punched a lot of people. DRT has come about after the phenomena of file sharing and has adapted their deals to suit the artists' needs. It's more like an equal 50/50 business partnership between the artist and the label."

A pair of self-released albums -- 2000's "Jam Room" and last year's B-sides collection "Slow Hole to China" -- remain available only at shows and through the band's pro-rock.com Web site, and there are no any immediate plans to release them through DRT. "I think those are valuable as our own," Fallon says. "When we're out on the road, they help pay for gas. If we were to sign those things away for a chunk of change in January, we wouldn't be able to continue making money come September.

"You can probably make more money selling 10,000 of your own records than you can 100,000 on a major label," Fallon continues. "Then again, you sacrifice marketing, promotion and distribution. Nowadays, major labels are in a real jam, where the only thing that they can really push are mega-superstars."

Fallon doesn't rule out more independent releases in the future. "We'll always reserve that right, but one of our goals is to start putting out albums with more frequency. I think it's necessary to have the ability to have a deal with a label that will allow us to put out as many records with as much frequency as we want and not have them bust our balls about setup time and marketing nuances. 'Jam Room' only came about because Columbia [which released 1998's "Elephant Riders"] wasn't ready to release another album by us."

Clutch has had scattered radio support over its career, but isn't reliant on it. "I'm not going to say airplay isn't important, because it certainly is," Fallon says. "But the fact of the matter is that people who come to see us have heard about us through word of mouth. On the other hand, radio opens up our music to people that haven't heard us otherwise. As musicians, we want as many people to hear us as possible. But sometimes, if a band blows up strictly because of radio, and not word of mouth, they disappear very quickly, because those people are not fans of the band, they're fans of that song. If that band can't produce another song, they're done. Whereas word of mouth, like your Grateful Deads or Slayers, don't rely on that."

Almost constant touring has helped Clutch build a reputation as a solid live band. And while there's have enough of a fanbase to headline just about anywhere in the United States, they're not above opening for acts such as System Of A Down and the Deftones.

"I prefer headlining, because we get to do what we want and we call the shots," Fallon says. "But you have to open up for other bands to meet new ears. There's no point in always preaching to your own choir. You've got to go in front of those audiences that aren't going to be receptive to you, and realize that despite the fact that the front row is flipping you off, there's 50 people behind them that are going to go to your next show."

Fallon cites opening for Marilyn Manson in 1996 as one of the best tours the band has done. "A lot of those goth kids are at our shows with beards now."

Clutch was temporarily derailed last year when guitarist Tim Sult broke his wrist while helping a friend move. With a tour scheduled to begin several weeks later, manager Jack Flanagan came to the rescue, ably filling in on guitar by learning a set's worth of songs in several days. But the severity of Sult's injury briefly put the future of the band in question.

"We had that in the back of our minds, but didn't talk about it," Fallon says. We'd just hoped for the best. It was a very serious break, and it was great that Flanagan could make that tour happen for us. But Clutch is the four of us, and if one of those elements becomes inoperable, then the band is no longer."

When asked to name the highlight of Clutch's career, Fallon names several. "I like the fact that we're in control of our careers at this point, as opposed to having other people making decisions for us," he says. "Going to other countries and having people there know your lyrics is a great thing. For us, doing new things is where the excitement lies, because when things become too repetitive, that's when things start to suck. I think the fact that we've stayed our course is the main thing."