Written by:	RaduP, nikarg, musclassia, Starvynth
Published:	29.05.2020

Clandestine Cuts Volume 10, Issue #4
The Metal Storm Demo/EP Spotlight



Is independent, unsigned, and underground metal what you seek? Weary traveller of the metal world, rest here a while. Clandestine Cuts are the best demos and EPs from these bands, the heart and soul of metal music. These musicians are slaves to their passions, and their blood keeps the metal machine alive and turning. Support them with a simple listen, and discover the future.

Metal Storm users: you can vote in the poll below to choose your favourite demo/EP of the issue. The winners each year are nominated in our annual Metal Storm Awards so exercise your rights: this is the one category chosen completely by YOU the readers. Make sure your favourite independent metal is recognized each year!

(Think your band has what it takes to be featured in the Cuts? Email demos@metalstorm.net to submit your music.)

In case you're new at this, go back and enjoy our last few issues:

Clandestine Cuts Vol. 10 #3
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 10 #2
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 10 #1

And now to the new music...

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Desolate Realm is a new band fronted by Matias Nastolin of death / doom / sludge sensation Altar Of Betelgeuze and war-loving death metal merchants Decaying. This is almost a solo project since Matias has written all the music and lyrics for this debut EP and he also handles all the vocal, guitar and bass duties. His bandmate in Decaying Olli Törrönen is behind the drum kit and these two Fins unleash a storm of classic heavy / doom metal upon us. Expect powerful vocals with occasional King Diamond-esque screams thrown in, demolishing and catchy riffs, a rattling rhythm section and a foreboding atmosphere on this EP, which is highly recommended for any fan of this traditional style.

by nikarg

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Do you like Opeth? Good, because Abyss Nöir sure do like Opeth. They even started their career with a cover of "Dirge For November". But with wearing their influences on their sleeves, there already is a touch of being more than a mere clone. The Forest Glance finds Abyss Nöir constantly switching their progressive death for acoustic or ambient passages, but those are so well worked that it clearly feels like they put just as much effort into those as in the rest of the music, the latter having sprinkles of black, folk, melodeath and tech death too. Home recording quality aside, this is a great showcase of potential, willingness to treat their influences with care but not stick to them completely.

by RaduP

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Coltre came to life in London, England when guitarists Daniel Sweed and Marco Stamigna met at a Midnight concert in 2019 and decided to form a band whose fire would be lit by the NWOBHM flame. The songs of their debut EP, aptly named Under The Influence, are very reminiscent of Angel Witch, Diamond Head, and Iron Maiden of the Di'Anno years. The band's recipe works extremely well on both the longer as well as on the shorter tracks, the vocals are at the same time carefree and vagrant, and the guitars ooze proto-metal glory. Don't ignore this due to the overwhelming amount of the 'true heavy metal' revivalist bands; it is far better than the latest Traveler and Haunt albums.

by nikarg

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It's been four years since the debut LP Never Ending Struggle and now Zagreb's very own Namet are back with their first EP. Propast is Croatian for "downfall, demise, ruin" and the title does already indicate that Croatia's most promising crusties have chosen their mother tongue to reach their target group and to denounce local (and global) scourges such as the lethargy of the political elite, the cruelty of war, religious patronage, economic plundering and social exploitation. Musically, you will get more than the label "crust punk" would suggest for Propast is very strongly reminiscent of early Scandinavian death metal. The good old Stockholm style (Nihilist/Entombed, Carnage) and in particular Dismember comes to mind more than once, yet the riffs do never sound recycled but fresh and unspent. Ever wondered how blackened Southeastern European deathmembercore would sound like? Well, here you'll find eight prime examples within 18 minutes to satisfy your curiosity.

by Starvynth

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A bleak, groove-laden concept EP about a person's world collapsing around them, Red Sky, the debut EP from Portugal's Nada, runs for around 25 minutes, 5 of which are taken up by acoustic ("Desassossego") and dark ambient ("Inconsciente") interludes. The remainder of the EP is comprised of four beastly cuts of atmospheric deathcore, with vicious breakdowns, whether groovy ("Doomed") or dirge-esque (experience the end of existence towards the end of "Machine"). In addition, there are a number of tasty riffs, some leaning towards more tech-y territory, as well as quieter, more contemplative stretches, such as the midsection of "Doomed", to develop a more expansive vista and add contrast to the djent-y crunch of the band at full volume. Deathcore can be a love/hate genre, but for those who enjoy the mixture of vicious aggression, atmosphere and syncopated, complex grooves that the genre can provide, Red Sky offers plenty to sink your teeth into.

by musclassia

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Axial tilt is a good thing by its very definition, for we owe the seasons to our planet's tilted axis of rotation relative to the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun. How would our planet's surface look like without the continuous cycle of seasons? And does the cover artwork provide an answer to this question? Axial Tilt is a one-man band from Athens, Georgia and this EP contains the project's first recordings released so far. On paper, Not Enough is a blend of black and death metal, but these two terms on their own simply fail to describe what is really going on here. For there's a good dose of doom thrown into the mix, which lends each track a menacing and kind of dangerous mood - like a growing threat, drawing nearer and nearer until the unavoidable and predetermined end: "They'll Take You".

by Starvynth

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