Clutch frontman Neil Fallon feared he'd never sing again after major surgery.
The 42-year-old is back on the road after last year’s surgery in which he had screws inserted in his neck to repair long-standing back problems.
But the procedure involved doctors putting a tube down his throat – which they warned could have permanently damaged his vocal cords.
Fallon tells Get Your Rock Out in the video below: “I knew this was a really serious thing. What really scared me was that you get put completely under and they jam a ventilator down your windpipe. They have to yank your oesophagus and your trachea off to one side. I was told by the doctor that I may come out of this unable to sing again. The pipe goes past your vocal cords and it’s such a violent procedure that sometimes the vocal cords can get torn.”
Fallon tested his voice almost as soon as he woke up from the surgery. “I kind of sat there when I came to and the first thing I did was try to hum a tune. But I was so high on morphine I couldn’t tell you what it was.
“It was definitely a period of reflection – because I have no marketable skills outside of what I do with this band.”
Clutch, who last year had to cancel a tour in support of latest album Earth Rocker due to Fallon’s condition, are currently on the road in the UK.
