Written by:	Milena, BloodTears, Abattoir, Troy Killjoy, R Lewis
Published:	January 30, 2014

Clandestine Cuts Volume 3, Issue #7
The Metal Storm Demo/EP Spotlight



Is independent, unsigned, and underground metal what you seek? Weary traveler 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 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? Email Milena @ MetalStorm . net to submit your music.)

In case you're new at this, go back and enjoy our last few issues:
[url= http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/article.php?article_id=1349]Clandestine Cuts Vol. 3 #6[/url]
[url= http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/article.php?article_id=1292]Clandestine Cuts Vol. 3 #5[/url]
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 3 #4
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 3 #3

And now to the new music...

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When Prophecy Falls - Everything Ever At Once Listen at Bandcamp Here's one of those bands that make it really easy to like them. When Prophecy Fails play the sort of modern prog metal that's pretty popular now - a pleasant alternative, djentish, not-too-techy-nor-too-heavy mix and they do it in a rather charming way. With so many bands relying on playing cranked up, insanely technical metal and forgetting to write memorable songs, and on the opposite, but much less criticized side of the pond, bands who rely on some very boring minimalism and "raw" (read: rubbish) sound to conjure up some semblance of atmosphere, it's refreshing to run into a group of dudes who just write SONGS, and do it well. And hire singers who can really sing their hearts out, and write lyrics good enough to interest us lyric-geeks. I can't wait for these dudes to issue a full-length monster, because they now owe me one. by Milena

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Valfader - Whispers Of Chaos Listen at Bandcamp Apart from a classy cover, the music inside Valfader's EP Whispers Of Chaos itself is classy. And despite what the band's name might suggest, it is not folk metal, as I instantly thought it would be. Every Valfader song is a journey and not because of its length but due to the continuous crescendos and various moods that go from eerie to contemplative. This band is melodically impressive and that is not something you hear everyday because most of the time it isn't done this well. Their doomy stoner rock/metal has an experimental side and the vocals are deep and layered. The last song "Sacred Spiral" is where you see them shine and expand to its fullest capacity. While the more amped up moments are exhilarating, Valfader really know how to slow things down enigmatically which makes Whispers Of Chaos the perfect title for what their music radiates. by BloodTears

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Deliverance - Doomsday, Please Listen at Bandcamp With their first EP release - Doomsday, Please - French metallers Deliverance are delivering us a product that prosecutes mainly post-metal sound. Accompanied by the classic black metal vocals, the band is operating with well-known mid-paced riffs, also providing occasional tempo changes, which consequently moves their sound to the normal black metal grounds. Constancy in their performance, a strong production basis, and without any complicated interferences, this EP can gradually becomes more and more accessible. Doomsday, Please may not be so unique, but certainly captivating and promising post-metal for the later experimentation, with possible upgraded full length release. To quote the band: "Our time has come to ascend!" by Abattoir

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Dementia Senex - Heartworm Listen at Bandcamp Dementia Senex belong to the growing list of death metal bands that refuse to simply follow in the footsteps of the genre's pioneering heavyweights, instead choosing to focus more on establishing new norms and foundations for the genre while unleashing some brutal, atmospheric, and technically driven death metal not unlike Ulcerate. These Italians are readily poised to ascend the throne of extreme metal with a mesmerizing blend of experimental songwriting and melody, all the while crushing the listener beneath an anvil of dissonance. All of this, the tight instrumentation, and the emotionally-tinged growls make way for one of the best death metal EPs of 2013. by Troy Killjoy

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Antillia - Last Starfall / Антиллия - Последний звездопад (Russian version) Listen at Soundcloud Antillia, or Антиллия, as you prefer, is a Russian neoclassical power metal combo, and judging from their latest EP, Last Starfall (Последний звездопад), they could definitely enter in your to-check-out list. Frantic keyboards and thrilling guitars melt in a shimmering mix, and together with the dramatic and extremely emphasized operatic singing (both male and female) contribute to an incredibly over-the-top output, that almost submerges the sound of drums. The fact that the lyrics are sung in Russian could at first be unsettling - and somehow funny, but in the end they contribute, in a more than weird way, in raising the epicness bar. The EP contains two 5-minute-long tracks and a cover, so there's not so much material to judge on, but these guys have talent. They just need to sharpen something, but the basis is promising. Xорошая работа. by R Lewis

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Orob - Into The Room Of Perpetual Echoes Listen at Bandcamp Enslaved, watch out, you got yourselves some competition. The French, congratulate yourselves, for another excellent band is spreading its wings outside your motherland. Orob seem to be taking their sweet time on their path to world domination, with only two EPs issued in two years. Their most recent work, Into The Room Of Perpetual Echoes, is pretty gorgeous, somewhere in the realm of forest-fond melodic black metal, with delicious prog and faint post touches, and a vocalist who utilizes both shrieks and cleans in a satisfactory manner. It's a bit longer than most EPs we tend to feature here, and quite meaty, with a darkened atmosphere fit to spice up a winter's day, so check it out! by Milena

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