For a genre as hard to get into as drone metal, it is surprising how much of a household name Sunn O))) have become. Though with a fairly limited but devout fanbase, most people still see them as that band that plays only one note slowly. But the O)))-verse is large and includes a lot of sounds, experiments and a fair share of side projects. We hope to explore at least part of those in this three-part article series.

We regularly review full lengths, collaborations, sometimes even live albums. EPs and demos often get love in our Clandestine Cuts series. Heck, we even review a bunch of stuff that isn't metal. But when was the last time you saw a review of a split album (that Spectral Lore/Mare Cognitum behemoth doesn't count)? Exactly! We are here to make up for that!

We here at Metal Storm pride ourselves on our thousands of metal reviews and interviews and article; metal is our collective soul and passion, which is why we bother with this junk. That being said, we'd be lying if we stuck to our trve-kvlt guns and claimed that metal is the only thing we ever listen to. Whether we want to admit it or not, we do check out some other stuff from time to time; some of us are more poptimistic than others, but there's a whole world out there aside from Satan-worshiping black metal and dragon-slaying power metal.

Is independent, unsigned, and underground metal what you seek? Weary traveller of the metal world, rest a while here. 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. This issue features music from Bipolar Architecture, Ish Kerioth, Murmur Xatafi, Bong Prophet, Battle Born and The Sullen.

There really are very few bands that have a claim at being my favorite band. The type of band that you genuinely feel you have a connection to, that despite how much time passes in which you don't listen to them, you can come back and feel it all again. I had grown a bit tired of Opeth in the past few years, mostly from a disappointing release, and from seeing them live twice with almost the same setlist, but when getting back in the headspace for the Getting Into article, it all came back and I remembered why I loved them. But I needed some help.