The Metal Storm Demo/EP Spotlight
Brand New Independent Metal Lives Here.
Welcome to the Clandestine Cuts!
Welcome to the Clandestine Cuts!
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 [email protected] to submit your music.)
In case you're new at this, go back and enjoy our last few issues:
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #7
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #6
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #5
And now to the new music...
Nowadays, ambient/symphonic arrangements are very popular within the -core genres like metalcore, deathcore and djent. Thankfully, this particular sound hasn’t become saturated enough to the point where you can’t find great new bands anymore. Allt is one of them. Hailing from Sweden and with a trajectory of less than 2 years, it is impressive how well-rounded and professional they sound. The Seed Of Self-Destruction is their second EP and they already show signs of maturity among their peers. The ambient/symphonic elements are nicely integrated in this brand of moody metalcore. There is this doomy, dark cloak of ambience that reminds me of Vildhjarta. Allt is primarily metalcore though, with the djent touches being only noticeable during the crushing breakdowns which complement the catchy guitar leads and keyboard melodies in the back. The emotional choruses are enhanced by the moving synths, achieving a truly cinematographic style (particularly true if you watch the visuals made for this album). Allt’s music is mysterious, ominous, catchy, emotive and all-around very interesting for anyone curious to hear what these genres can achieve.
by X-Ray Rod
The Cimmerian - Thrice Majestic (USA)
[Sludge Metal]
Thrice Majestic was brought to the Clandestine Cuts writers’ attention by Starvynth with a 3-word description: High On Fire. Well, I listened to it, and would you believe it, he was bang on the money; this album sounds so much like High On Fire, it’s impossible to overlook the comparison. I mean, just listen to even the guitar tone of the very first chord opening this record on “Howls Of Lust And Fury” and tell me you don’t envisage Matt Pike holding the guitar. So, zero marks for originality for The Cimmerian (who even have the gall to be a power trio from California), but originality isn’t everything, and this EP is a lot of fun, whether charging into battle on “Howls Of Lust And Fury” and “Neckbreaker Of The Mountain” or stomping along on “Silver And Gold”.
by musclassia
Gob Ribbons - Imparted I: The Age Of Comparison (Switzerland)
[Progressive Metal | Post-Rock]
Basically a polar opposite in temperament to The Cimmerian, the other EP I cover this month, Imparted I: The Age Of Comparison is a patient, tender slow-burner, right from the off with mellow yet subtly heavy opening epic “Age Of Comparison”. For lack of a better comparison that I can remember right now, I get slight Marillion vibes from the evocative vocals, while some of the lush guitar leads and solos are reminiscent of early Riverside; beneath this, churning guitars and bright synths flesh out the mix. Riverside is probably the most obvious ‘for fans of’ comparison I can think of for Gob Ribbons, but anyone who likes music that lurks on the dark-yet-warm border between prog rock and prog metal (think bands like Antimatter and Porcupine Tree) should make sure to check this one out. There’s a healthy variety on this 3-song EP, with the dainty piano and melancholy of “Impart The Impartible” countered by the dark Anno Domini High Definition-era aggression of “Erratic”.
by musclassia
Split Image - Torrent Of Illusion (USA)
[Crossover Thrash Metal | Hardcore]
Torrent Of Illusion is California’s Split Image debut EP, following the single “Facades”, which was released in December 2020, and which is also featured here. This is a crossover thrash release, with the hardcore element very much emphasized. It’s full of energy, raw power, and appetite for moshing, but not so much of the Municipal Waste kind (that is, the party invitation kind), because Split Image’s lyrics deal with themes of mental health, loss, grief, and more serious matters than you'd expect. The instrumentals though are as hard-hitting as they come, and Split Image will be appreciated by those who enjoy their thrash served with doses of punk, crust, and hardcore. Fans of Power Trip, Enforced, and Dead Heat should check this out.
by nikarg
Loam - Loam (USA)
[Progressive Black Metal]
This is the first time I come across a band which is said to focus their lyrics on Magic: The Gathering. That’s pretty cool, indeed. It would be cooler for someone else, though, as I’ve never played the game. Couldn’t even find the lyrics anyway. Setbacks aside, the coolest thing is the music. Loam is a riff-tastic black metal duo that manages to balance their sound with both primitive and intricate elements. The immediate, almost alarming nature of the galloping riffs is what caught my attention. There is a rawness akin to Darkthrone’s A Blaze In The Northern Sky but with the more technical, death metal approach found on Soulside Journey. But out of nowhere come these melodies mixed within the riffs that have this off-kilter approach to them. One could think of acts like At The Gates' early period, or even Morbus Chron's Sweven. But the fact is that Loam are too hard to categorize. The constant tempo changes make this a very eventful journey, where every section has its purpose. It’s very rare to find black metal bands this technical while avoiding the trap of overly dissonant wankery. Loam shows big promise, big time!
by X-Ray Rod
Dispar - Hopeless (Brazil)
[Atmospheric Black Metal | Post-Metal]
Well, I guess this is a classic case of "I came for the artwork, and stayed for the music". Thomas Benjamin Kennington (1856-1916) may not have been a particularly well-known painter of his time, but looking at his paintings such as the above "Waifs" or "The pinch of poverty", "Homeless", "Orphans", and "Widowed and fatherless", you can really only wonder why his works were not chosen as album covers much earlier, because the way Kennington was able to depict the harsh reality of life of the poor at the turn of the century to trigger emotions like sympathy and compassion in the viewer, perfectly suits this kind of music. Dispar is a new one-man band from Parobé, Brazil and band founder Matheus Vidor has, just like Thomas Kennington, a brilliant knack for evoking strong emotions through his art. From the first uplifting notes of the project's first demo you feel wrapped in a warm cloak that for a moment keeps all the bad and evil of this cold world away from you, while the vocals, mixed into the background yet haunting and evocative, provoke the exact opposite. For it is the absent-minded, empty gaze of the orphan girl on the cover that reflects the core of the musical message - and that is pure hopelessness in the face of a threatening and uncertain future.
by Starvynth
I found positives from each of the cuts, so I guess in the end it all comes down to my personal preference. I have nothing agsindt the other cuts but 
Definitely gonna keep an eye out for future releases from this trio. 