CLAMFIGHT: The Sleeping Shaman Premieres Eponymous Fourth Album By New Jersey/Philadelphia Sludge Metal Outfit Ahead Of Its Release This Friday

photos by Dante Torrieri

“CLAMFIGHT‘s self-titled album crashes onto the metal scene like a storm, delivering a powerful blend of heavy sludge and doom…” – The Sleeping Shaman

The Sleeping Shaman presents an exclusive stream of the eponymous fourth album by South Jersey/Philadelphia-based sludge metal crew CLAMFIGHT ahead of its release this Friday.

The members of CLAMFIGHT are childhood friends who played their first show together in the Fall of 2005. The band’s lineup has remained the same ever since, with bassist Louis Koble, guitarists Joel Harris and Sean McKee, and drummer/vocalist Andy Martin. Over the past twenty years, the band has played shows along the entire East Coast and beyond, having shared a lot of laughs and shenanigans as well as loss and heartache together along the way. Having released three albums to date – Vol. I in 2010, I vs. The Glacier in 2013, and III in 2018 – the band now presents their most somber yet victorious record yet with Clamfight.

CLAMFIGHT began work on album number four right as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. With only drum tracks finished the weekend before the lockdowns began, the sudden downtime gave the band the opportunity to broaden their sound. With their longtime friend, mentor, and producer Steve Poponi, the band expanded the sonic range of the new material and brought more dynamics and intricacy to the seven new songs.

The pandemic also changed the record lyrically and thematically. Lyrically, Clamfight became a sort of diary or memoir, but not about masks and temperature checks at the grocery store, but about how the love and friendship between the band helped get them all through those dark times. If there’s a central theme to Clamfight it’s that life is short and precious, but that the people around you – the people that you love and that love you back – are the ones that make it worth savoring.

Clamfight was recorded by Steve Poponi and Matt Weber at The Gradwell House in Haddon Heights, New Jersey where it was also mixed by Poponi and Dave Downham and mastered by Dave Downham, and the album’s cover art and layout was handled by Morgan E Russell. The record features guest vocals on “Brodgar” by Sam Marandola and on “Clamfight” by Stephen Murphy and JJ Koczan.

With their advance stream The Sleeping Shaman writes, “CLAMFIGHT‘s self-titled album crashes onto the metal scene like a storm, delivering a powerful blend of heavy sludge and doom across seven intense tracks. The album opens with the isolated and intense ‘The Oar’ and closes with the grief-stricken ‘Redtail,’ they expertly navigate their genre’s depths with crushing riffs and relentless energy. Each track draws listeners deeper into a sonic abyss, showcasing CLAMFIGHT‘s mastery of heavy, atmospheric sounds as the album’s intricate storytelling takes center stage, balancing relentless energy with moments of eerie calm.”

Check out CLAMFIGHT’s thundering Clamfight early only at The Sleeping Shaman RIGHT HERE.

Clamfight will be self-released digitally and on CD this Friday, May 16th. Find reorders at Bandcamp HERE.

CLAMFIGHT is also booking regional tour dates and live events supporting the new album including a release show in Philly May 31st, a show in Brooklyn on June 20th, and a benefit show for their late friend Steve Poponi in Philadelphia on June 21st. Additional live dates are expected to post shortly.

CLAMFIGHT Live:
5/31/2025 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA *record release show w/ God Called In Sick, Dirt Pile
6/20/2025 Goldsounds – Brooklyn, NY w/ Hollow Leg, Florist, End Of Hope
6/21/2025 Poponipalooza ’25: D.I.L.F.@ Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA [tickets]

https://clamfight.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Clamfight
https://www.instagram.com/clamfight

The post CLAMFIGHT: The Sleeping Shaman Premieres Eponymous Fourth Album By New Jersey/Philadelphia Sludge Metal Outfit Ahead Of Its Release This Friday first appeared on Earsplit Compound.