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Clandestine Cuts Vol. 3 #1 - The Best New Demos And EPs From Around The Metal World
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Clandestine Cuts Volume 3, Issue #1
The Metal Storm Demo/EP Spotlight
A new year in independent metal begins TODAY.
Welcome to the January issue of Clandestine Cuts 2013!
Independent, unsigned, and underground metal lives here. Clandestine Cuts are the best demos and EPs from these bands, the heart and soul of metal music. They're slaves to their passions, and their blood keeps the metal machine alive and turning. Support them with a simple listen.
Registered Metal Storm users: you can vote in the poll below to chose your favorite 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 favorite independent metal is recognized each year!
(Think your band has what it takes to be featured in the Cuts? Contact Susan or email Susan @ MetalStorm . net to submit your music.)
In case you're new at this, go back and enjoy our last few issues:
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 2 #6
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 2 #7
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 2 #8
And now to the music...
Emphasis - Into Infinity
Listen at Soundcloud
What is this amazing music? And when did all of these great Estonian bands start popping up like mushrooms all of a sudden? Not a complaint really. Nowadays, the music needs to grab your attention right from the get-go with our dwindling attention span and Into Infinity starts with a bang that just keeps gaining momentum. Emphasis' music will comfortably appeal to symphonic sensibilities and is bound to be thoroughly enjoyed by progheads alike who don't mind being adventurous. Think Symphony X if they had a female singer for a starting point along with a classical vein and gutsy approach in terms of riff material.
by BloodTears |  |
 | Unsaint - Worthless Sacrifice
Listen at Bandcamp
Unsaint are a thrashy Polish death metal outfit that knows when to leave a riff alone and let it do its job. They play the sort of no-frills, headbang-first-ask-questions-never stuff to get people moving around angrily, and leave it at that. They do it well too. Yeah, there's an awkwardly-composed moody track here ("Suicidal"), but it's still 3 for 4 when it comes to going for viscerality over the pretentiousness.
by wormdrink414 |
A|symmetry - Room 17 - Hours Between Shadows and Light
Listen at Bandcamp
Quick, how many concept EPs can you name? Well, now you can name one, and, surprise, it's by a progressive metal band. A very strong lineup, consisting of ex-members of several good Serbian bands long gone with the wind, and the vocalist and bassist of Burning Circle (we've written about them before), has set out to musically and lyrically portray a story of a man sinking into madness in just 17 minutes. You be the judge whether they succeeded in it or not. Their no-frills, not overly tangled nor complicated, dark progressive metal style reminds me of bands such as Fates Warning and Threshold, but their very sound doesn't bring to mind anything in particular - and that is always a good thing, you'll agree?
by Milena |  |
 | Lost Souls Carnival - LSC Sounds EP
Listen at Bandcamp
If you dig the classic and psychedelic elements in bands like Graveyard, Royal Thunder, et al, then Lost Souls Carnival will warm your heart. Their brand of metallic blues is heavier on the southern rock than most others (dig that harmonica solo, man!) and will absolutely transport you to a different time in a very speicifc place. Yet, they're not Mississipi boys, or even from Carolina. Lost Souls Carnival is from Ghent, a region of Belgium, and are proof that regional music can be perfected anywhere on the planet when you have musicians this talented. So grab some whiskey and bathe in these classic rhythms, crunchy guitars, and stunning vocals. This EP will stomp through the humidity of a hot southern night.
by Susan |
Aphelium - Demo
Listen at Reverbnation
The three tracks on Aphelium's Demo - one short intro and two speedy symphonic power songs, one sung in Spanish and the other one in English - show much promise, since there's tangible passion for the genre oozing from Aphelium's every pore. Every band member has ample space to show what they can do - yes, including the bassist, quite a power metal rarity - and the music is guitar-driven but keyboard-flourished, just the way I like my power metal. The guitarist and the vocalist deserve a special mention, one for his epic Thomas Youngblood-esque leads and the other for delivering his lines convincingly, without resorting to falsetto overuse, which has become such a cliche in the genre. That, and he has a mean Dickinson-style scream. Nice job, Venezuela.
by Milena |  |
 | A Tree Of Signs - Salt
Listen at Bandcamp
Coming from the doom and Black Sabbath-style tradition, A Tree Of Signs deliver their doom without resorting to guitars. And like Royal Thunder, venture to use female vocals. It works pretty well with the mystical and trippy atmosphere which the band manages to display and the use of keyboards plays a bit part in that. Here you will find slow painfully building riffs as well as penetrating heaviness and highs of dreamy tones with minimalistic pleasures. The stress is not on being heavy but sharp and enigmatic. Even though the drums could use a some polishing, this release shows promise!
by BloodTears |
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Comments
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| Than you Bloodtears I thought its totaly wasted trime whit reading but the I saw A Tree Of Signs and I give a try to all bands, this only stand out , rest are werry week and boring |
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| A 17 minute concept album sounds werry interesting. |
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 Susan - 30.01.2013 at 01:49
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Written by R'Vannith on 30.01.2013 at 01:36
A 17 minute concept album sounds werry interesting.
I like what you did there. Werry much so!!  |
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Written by Susan on 30.01.2013 at 01:49
Written by R'Vannith on 30.01.2013 at 01:36
A 17 minute concept album sounds werry interesting.
I like what you did there. Werry much so!!
Werritably Susan! An entire concept in just 17 minutes? Seems werry ambitious.  |
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Written by R'Vannith on 30.01.2013 at 01:36
A 17 minute concept album sounds werry interesting.
suggest it to core band maybe they could do |
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 Druss - 30.01.2013 at 14:55
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Tree Of Signs for me, ridicolously good EP. Also enjoyed A symmetry, Lost Souls Carnival and Unsaints' EPs, especially the last two (wormdrink did the impossible and found a thrash metal EP I enjoy, many thanks).
Good volume, thanks for the recommendations, guys  |
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It'll be difficult to vote on this one, they are all good!
Glad to see some love for A Tree Of Signs  |
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| A Tree of Signs definitely gets my vote. Really enjoyable retro doom. |
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Written by BloodTears on 30.01.2013 at 21:48
Glad to see some love for A Tree Of Signs
Definitely a nice discovery of yours, dear. Got my vote. Really dig the vocals and the downbeat atmosphere. |
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A Tree Of Signs is okay but nothing world shattering, it does have some potential. But the vocalist certainly needs to gain in power. The music is way too safe still.
73/100 |
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| Love LSC Sounds' riffs. Got my vote. |
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Iriki - 31.01.2013 at 17:46
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| I got a random A|symmetry friend request and message in my last.fm profile, I found it so adorably pretentious that I gave them a chance. It's like your typical prog metal, but, well, a band from Serbia, it has a charm. |
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Written by Mr. Doctor on 31.01.2013 at 02:08
Written by BloodTears on 30.01.2013 at 21:48
Glad to see some love for A Tree Of Signs
Definitely a nice discovery of yours, dear. Got my vote. Really dig the vocals and the downbeat atmosphere.
Thanks dear I really dig the atmosphere. It reminded me of you  |
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Written by BloodTears on 31.01.2013 at 21:39
Thanks dear I really dig the atmosphere. It reminded me of you
D'awwwwwww you are just saying that.  |
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Written by Mr. Doctor on 01.02.2013 at 00:46
Written by BloodTears on 31.01.2013 at 21:39
Thanks dear I really dig the atmosphere. It reminded me of you
D'awwwwwww you are just saying that.
Get a room. But just make sure it isn't The Room 17*.
*King Diamond reference |
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Written by R'Vannith on 30.01.2013 at 02:22
Written by Susan on 30.01.2013 at 01:49
Written by R'Vannith on 30.01.2013 at 01:36
A 17 minute concept album sounds werry interesting.
I like what you did there. Werry much so!!
Werritably Susan! An entire concept in just 17 minutes? Seems werry ambitious.
Why not - 2112 is a 20 minute concept |
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Written by Burning Circle on 01.02.2013 at 10:00
Why not - 2112 is a 20 minute concept
That's true, and it certainly worked for them in the long run. Such ambition is often the making of great music after all. |
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A|symmetry is pretty good - not outstanding but high quality progressive metal.
Lost Souls Carnival is nice too 'cause I love bluesy rock.
A Tree of Signs is not bad and their music is not uninteresting but their performance sounds a bit... rough to my ears (especially, the drummer who is sounding obnoxious at times).
After some pondering I give my vote to... A|symmetry. |
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