Written by:	nikarg, musclassia, Starvynth, AndyMetalFreak, F3ynman2000
Published:	05.03.2023

Clandestine Cuts Volume 13, Issue #2
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 to this, go back and enjoy our last few issues:

Clandestine Cuts Vol. 13 #1
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #12
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #11

And now to the new music...

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Lobo is mute, and so is this band. With no words spoken, this Argentinian duo chooses to utter no accompanying lyrics. However, just because vocals are lacking, does not mean that this band should go unnoticed. The guitarist used to be the frontman of a thrash band that yells about Satan. Now, he has chosen to slow down his approach, opting for a stoner doom style with Lobo Is Mute. Impressively, this sudden transition has proven successful here on their first attempt. They've nailed all the types of riffs one hopes to hear on a doom record: with groovy guitar-work on "Lack Of Sleep", foreboding riffage (and prominent bass) on "Insanity Of The Child", and eerily sombre melodies that drift off to headbang-inducing droning on "Lobo Is Mute". The third track, "Song For 66", is dedicated to a fellow musician who sadly passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic. In tribute, the band have ensured that his beautifully crafted, mournful guitar solo will live on forever in this song. In conclusion, Lobo Is Mute have quickly nailed the instrumental side of entertaining doom metal. Where do they go from here? I, for one, hope that their next release will have Lobo speak!

by F3ynman2000

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Coming from Long Island, New York, this is an impressive and newly-formed sludge metal trio, intriguingly named Pig Farm, and presenting their six-track debut EP, We Fall To The Ground. The trio consists of Nick Terranova (vocals), Jeff Bartunek (drums), and Zach Jeffcoat (bass), and together the three deliver a no-nonsense, traditional, and doomy approach to sludge. Expect to hear traditionally melodic riffing, simple but effective rhythmic drumming, deep heavy bass, punkish vocals with extreme attitude, and an impressively heavy and fuzzy-sounding guitar tone, with effective distortion and feedback sounds. The band says that being described by Nick's dad as sounding as Black Sabbath was cool, and what better way to be complimented than by your very own dad, eh?

by AndyMetalFreak

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Kasck were formed back in 2015, but Deal With The Devil is only their debut EP. Coming from India, Kasck’s thrash metal is punchy, riffy, melodic, and truly a headbanger’s delight. The band excels in the chugging, mid-tempo sections, as well as in the faster and more in-your-face passages. The solos are fiery, and the breakdowns are crushing. There are classic heavy metal as well as crossover ideas thrown in, and this release will equally please both the older and the younger generations of thrashers. Have you not tested your neck muscles lately? Well, Deal With The Devil is an 18-wheeler packed with nasty riffs, it is out of control, and it is coming straight at you.

by nikarg

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Do you like the movie Prometheus? Yeah, me neither. However, while she doesn’t know to run in any direction other than the only one in which a giant spaceship is rolling towards her, the main character has brought some good into the world, inspiring the name of Sweden’s Elizabeth Shaw. III, as you might have guessed, is the third release from the duo; with all 3 EPs around 20-25 minutes long and released over a 6-year period, Elizabeth Shaw haven’t exactly been Bucketheading the release schedule, but they do abide by quality over quantity. Ominous, ponderous blackened soundscapes dominate these tracks; the songs take the tonality and sinister vibes from black metal but not the full-pelt speed or aggression, instead revelling mid-tempo Wolvennest atmospherics and industrial blunt force. Some signs of melody do creep into the guitar leads, but III conclude with several minutes of bleak dark ambient noise, Elizabeth Shaw dissipating into nothingness until their next venture, whether that finally be a full-length debut or another short-form release.

by musclassia

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Harvest is an international project with members from different parts of the world; Tweety (guitars) lives in the Philippines, Johnny (guitars/bass) in Australia, while Matt (vocals) and Hmurder (drums) are both located in the USA. Their self-titled EP is a grindcore release, containing six tracks that - in pure grindcore fashion - clocks in at under eight minutes. The necessary ingredients are all there; the music is pounding and blasting, and the lyrics are about war, greed, violence, suffering, and social issues. The members have various amounts of experience from other bands, and that shows both in the performance and the songwriting. “Leech” is probably the track that gives the better idea of what Harvest are doing, but you can listen to the whole thing, and your hard-boiled eggs will be perfectly cooked as soon as it’s finished.

by nikarg

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Ever heard the name Erech Leleth before? No? Then you have not only overslept his main band Ancient Mastery, but also missed several issues of our Clandestine Cuts series. Because we have presented his projects (Narzissus, Narziss, Grandeur, Bergfried) several times in the past, and the fact that he is featured for the fifth time now is not because we are running out of ideas - it's because Erech doesn't run out of ideas. If Bergfried's absolutely grandiose debut EP Romantik I from last year is still ringing in your ears, you are already aware that Erech has a special talent for integrating the most diverse musical influences into his music, no matter how incompatible they seem. Fortunately, he also uses this particular gift in his project Carathis. The Moonstone Temple begins much like its predecessor The Amethyst Fortress ended, with a balanced mix of punk (raw black metal) and pomp (melodic black metal). So far so good - but who would have thought at that moment that the synthesizers would quickly take over and, despite the harsh vocals, turn the second track into a symbiosis of catchy power metal hooks and Eurodance?

by Starvynth

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