Written by:	nikarg, RaduP, musclassia, Starvynth, Abattoir, Bad English
Published:	06.06.2021

Clandestine Cuts Volume 11, Issue #5
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 radu_patroiu@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 #04
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 11 #03
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 11 #02

And now to the new music...

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Antrisch is a new atmospheric black metal band whose name is an Austro-Bavarian term for 'eerie' or 'strange'. Featuring members of the now disbanded folk-black metallers Kromlek, this new formation offers one of the most interesting black metal releases so far this year. Alongside the conventional black metal core, there are many doom and dark ambient passages as well as djenty sprinkles with powerful drumming that make the music quite original and utterly engaging. The lead guitar puts forward some exquisite melodic touches that remain in memory, especially on the third and the fourth track. It is clear that the band members have dedicated a lot of thought and effort to this project since everything is on point in this EP; from their pseudonyms to the cover art and from the songwriting to the production, Expedition I : Dissonanzgrat is high quality material. Antrisch define themselves as 'a musical and lyrical expedition to the heights of the world and the depths of man'. The first expedition was an absolute success and leaves us with great expectations for the next one.

by nikarg

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The lone commenter on Bandcamp said: "Makes me want to throw down and love at the same time."
Same, bro, same.

Hailing from Alabama, Evelyna is a five piece, and that's about as much as I could find out about them. This is their first release, 25 minutes, and to be completely honest I'm am absolutely baffled that this is how good a band sounds on their first output. Production-wise, chemistry-wise, anything. This not only sounds professional, but also like a band that is so comfortable in the sound that they're doing. Which isn't post-black metal per se, as much as both post metal (complete with post-rock and atmospheric sludge leanings) and black metal (complete with blackgaze and atmospheric leanings), and hell sometimes they sound more like a hardcore band too (mostly in the vocals). In the relatively short runtime of the album, and even within the three songs, they somehow sound like a bunch of different bands, and yet it sticks. I can only imagine how big the impact would be if they had even more space to expand.

by RaduP

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I have to say, when I heard Melancholia's Static Church in our March edition of Clandestine Cuts, I did not expect to hear a better record featured in the series all year, but Backbone run it close with Grey Foundations Of Stone. Released five years after their first EP, Grey Foundations Of Stone is a towering display of post-metal, an excellent production job bringing force to the trudging riffs, space to the melodic tremolo lines and fire to the roared vocals. Backbone can write some bruising, brooding riffs, but they arguably shine brighter in the more melodic moments, whether it's the mellow interlude "Spectral Blue Moon" or the atmospheric build near the end of "Forest Of Twilight". The clean vocals could perhaps do with some work, but otherwise this is some very well-written, excellent-sounding post-metal, and with nearly 30 minutes of music to sink your teeth into, Backbone lay a very solid foundation for the upcoming debut full-length record that they tease on the EP's Bandcamp page.

by musclassia

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Beautiful! - That was the first spontaneous thought that came to my mind when listening to this EP, and that comforting feeling lasted until the very last note. If you associate albums like Brave Murder Day, The Silent Enigma and The Angel And The Dark River with primarily positive memories, then chances are pretty high that you will feel the same way, because Cuerpos En Sombra is roughly oriented towards the very works of Katatonia, Anathema and My Dying Bride which mark the transition from the raw doom/death of the early days to a more melodic and atmospheric approach. Admirably, however, Ikarie never sound like a copy of the aforementioned trailblazers. Instead, they create a kind of musical familiarity that, while reminiscent of their influences, achieves this effect not through particular riffs or melodies that you may have heard somewhere before, but through their very own and excellent songwriting skills. Those who wonder about the professionalism and talent of this project, which was only founded in 2019, have to travel a few years into the past for an answer, because the majority of the musicians involved already worked together in the black metal band Nahemah around the turn of the millennium, which probably also explains the very good production of the five Spaniards' first release.

by Starvynth

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Can't be sure when it was the last time I stumbled upon a melodic death metal band hailing from the "land of the rising sun". Well, I'm not sure if I ever have. Nevertheless, Desolate Sphere are here to acquaint us with their first music effort - The Blackest Desolation EP. As a one year old project, the Japanese duo offers no time to think with a straightforward approach, accessibly sounding riffs, several diverse solo inputs and nothing less than blasting drums. In some way it reminds me of Detonation-like melodic guitars (although I have a strong sense it's some other band... can't remember though). With 9 minutes of music and 3 songs in total, this is a quick listen to go through (we get even less in some cases), and as tough as it could be nowadays to be original and creative within the melodic death metal genre, it can be pointed out that the direction of The Blackest Desolation indicates to be a solid standpoint from where to go onward and build upon.

by Abattoir

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Once upon a time I came across this tribute album to Type O Negative and for many years I have been searching new bands with a deep, energetic, and vampiric touch, where emotions overdrive the music. Then Death Consumes Us appeared on my radar with a mixture between gothic rock and melodic metal, and even some softer doom vibes, with clean and passionate vocals. If you enjoyed the latest Beseech offer, My Darkness, Darkness, you will enjoy In Darkness They Decay And Die too. It sounds as if young Charon and Embraze joined forces in a new project. So, not really the style of Unto Others or Tribulation, but still pretty good gothic metal.

by Bad English

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