Written by:	nikarg, RaduP, musclassia, Starvynth
Published:	11.10.2021

Clandestine Cuts Volume 11, Issue #9
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 nikarg@metalstorm.net to submit your music.)

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

Clandestine Cuts Vol. 11 #08
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 11 #07
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 11 #06

And now to the new music...

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Thymele is a new band by Portuguese composer / producer / musician Nuno Filipe and Dutch vocalist Gerrit Dries. Both artists are involved in other bands that - if I am not mistaken - haven’t released any full-length albums yet. This one is a melodic death metal project with quite a lot of keyboards used that give it a bit of a symphonic touch or sometimes even a synthwave twist, like it happens on “Redemption”. The songs are very melodic with hooky riffs and nice lead guitar harmonies, while the vocalist uses both harsh growls and soothing cleans. Although I really enjoyed the first three tracks and the immediate impact they have, I found the 10-minute closer “The Darkest Day” quite adventurous and darker than the rest of the material, especially its second part. Nuno Filipe, who wrote the music and plays all instruments, claims that Thymele’s sound is a mix between Evergrey, Insomnium, and Scar Symmetry. I wouldn’t say that he is far off with this description and I would expect fans of these three bands to appreciate the music of Thymele.

by nikarg

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In the immortal words of Dead Kennedys, since echoed by Napalm Death, nazi punks must indeed fuck off. But Ghetto Ghouls decided that is not just nazi punks that ought to fuck off, as their newest EP opens with "Surf Nazis Must Die!". Though I can get behind the sentiment, I am a bit baffled as to what connection a Norwegian band would have with surf, but The Horror Of Party Beach is, as the band calls it, "an ode to surf horror". And I can see why, the whole aesthetic of the band clearly inspired by B-movie exploitation horror flicks. And as far as their sound goes, speed is the name of the game. A surprisingly strong production, enough lyrical and musical creativity to somehow manage to evoke the album's theme. Two vocalists. Thoroughly recommended for a circle pit in the sand.

by RaduP

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Coming from Texas, Forebode deliver a very Southern strain of sludge on The Pit Of Suffering. With nearly 30 minutes of dense, swampy, groovy sludge to stick your teeth into, The Pit Of Suffering adeptly combines bluesy swing with gargled growls, fiery guitar tones and stomping doomy trudges. The album is tagged as ‘blackened sludge’; to be honest, I don’t hear much black metal in The Pit Of Suffering, but I also don’t think any is necessary. These riffs hit hard, the slick Southern guitar leads nicely conjure the spirit of bands such as Down, and Forebode are equally capable of slowing things down into ponderous doom territory as they are at moving along with swagger like on “Bane Of Hammers”. Nothing innovative, but The Pit Of Suffering offers a hearty slice of the kind of degenerate fun that similar bands such as Hollow Leg have gleefully offered in recent years.

by musclassia

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Picture this: You're in an Untamed Land. You're just a Wayfarer traveling with your family in search of greener pastures, but there is no law where you're at. You notice a fresh Hoofmark that looks suspicious. Before you know it, a red haired bandit and his gang have surrounded you. You're now a prisoner. He escorts you to a cemetery and hands you a shovel. "You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend; Those with riffs and those who dig. You dig." He suddenly drops dead on the ground. You look to see who dealt the blow. It's a Dark Watcher. It's Winnetou wearing corpse pain. Sergio Leone is confused in his director's chair.

by RaduP

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The cover art of 4th Age is what drew me into it in the first place, vaguely reminding me of Rotting Christ’s A Dead Poem, and the music is what made me stick to it. This one-man band from Germany plays a beautiful brand of melodic death doom with an interesting progressive touch. The two instrumental tracks that close this EP are the ones that showcase these progressive tendencies the most, while the first two manifest some gothic leanings. I really like the bass tone on this and how audible that instrument is in general, and I believe that the next step for Derelicted should be a human drummer. If you are a Tolkien fan, you’ll be pleased to know that 4th Age is dedicated to Tolkien’s universe, with “Lorien” talking about the Elves and their departure from Middle-Earth, and “Somber Times Of Yore”’s lyrics being about the Dead Marshes.

by nikarg

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Only three songs in 10 minutes' running time; that's quite unusual for a genre that defines itself, among other things, by artificially prolonged intros, slowly developing song structures, repetitive riffs, epic melodies, and never-ending keyboard interludes. Lost And Alone, the Californian one-man black metal band of Jeron "Temporxry" Concepcion, proves that it doesn't always have to be that way. Two songs on this 3-track EP are less than three minutes long, and yet Temporxry always manages to get to the point in that short amount of time without the songs seeming incomplete or lacking anything. Although synthesizers are used only when absolutely necessary, they are the secret star on the project's first release, entitled Tears Of The Moon. Supported by the catchy guitar work and the slightly croaking vocals, the synths provide a warm and familiar, but at the same time somehow eerie atmosphere, that makes you long for the first cold autumn nights, so that you can finally walk all alone through the damp and foggy forest to comfort the weeping moon.

by Starvynth

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