Written by:	nikarg, musclassia, Starvynth, Abattoir, AndyMetalFreak, F3ynman2000
Published:	31.12.2022

Clandestine Cuts Volume 12, Issue #12
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 at this, go back and enjoy our last few issues:

Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #11
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #10
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 12 #9

And now to the new music...

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Welcome, my fine metalheads, to the new outrageous Finnish duo that is Devil Moon. Here they bring to you their second EP, under the self-titled moniker. The album cover speaks for itself; it looks very much inspired by a deeply disturbing classic cult horror, and the music isn't far off portraying that. This is a seriously enjoyable eleven minutes of utter mayhem! To put it simply, it's short, seriously blasphemous and downright aggressive, with a ridiculous amount of groove to it. It manages to revitalise elements from the very first wave of black metal, sending off some strong early Venom vibes, with a touch of speed metal and then some extreme next-level blackened punk thrown into the mix, accompanied by some clean aggressive high-pitched vocals. This is probably unlike anything you've heard all year.

by AndyMetalFreak

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Titan’s Wrath is a relatively new band from San Bernadino, California, and Will Of The Beast is their second EP. The heavy and power metal genre tags are not telling the entire truth; the band is, of course, influenced by the classics, such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but there is a dark atmosphere and a thrashy aggression that is definitely reminiscing acts like Iced Earth, Helstar, and Nevermore. The guitars have the driver’s seat in the music, being inventive and roaring both in the riff work, and in the lead parts and solos. The rhythm section is equally powerful and dynamic, and both the drums and the bass are well accentuated in the mix. The vocals are interesting in the sense that they don’t always follow the music, and they also have a Warrel Dane-y feel to them, which is great. The sound is somewhat primal and unpolished, giving the band a gritty edge. Overall, the songwriting, the performance, and especially the recording are all a big step up from the band’s previous EP, Into The Abyss, so we can only expect Titan’s Wrath to be getting stronger and stronger in the future.

by nikarg

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I found it hard to imagine another entry in 2022’s Clandestine Cuts outdoing last month’s fantastic Euphrosyne release, yet only a month later and I find myself absolutely enthralled by Germany’s Laere, whose two-song Coagula is a fitting follow-up to their 2020 debut EP Solve. Ostensibly black metal, Laere have the capacity to blast furiously, but it is with their guitar texturing and dark melodic inclinations that the Germans really make their mark. “Larvae” is, fittingly given the name, slightly more prototypical in terms of what Laere can accomplish, with lots of emotionally intense dark atmosphere capped off with some captivating semi-melodic guitar work that almost reminds me of mid-era Mastodon, but it’s “Aurorae” that is the true star here. Casually throwing a frenetic guitar solo into the fray amidst a wall of blasting about a minute in, there’s subsequently phat headbangable mid-tempo riffs, sullen ominous contemplation, and finally a darkly majestic melancholic conclusion. In just over 12 minutes, Laere have pretty much outshone every other black metal release I’ve heard in the past 12 months.

by musclassia

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In the mood for doom? How would you like it? Heavy and sludgy? With a mix of ambient stoner vibes? Or simple catchy riffs? Well, this trio out of Switzerland delivers on all fronts. In only 2 songs, newcomers Kala Azar, whose name in Hindi means "black sickness", present just enough music to get you intrigued and hungry for more. The focus here lies with guitar-driven instrumentation, and the strong vocals are used very sparingly yet efficiently. The few lyrics about the "death horizon" and "concrete desert" set the stage for a desolate wasteland, while statements like "I can't breathe" and "the bomb is near" prompt the listener's mind to fill in the gaps with imaginations of nuclear apocalypse. The band displays fluid transitioning from groovy, buzzing guitar riffs to eerie, sombre psychedelic trips. The sickly green cover art of a man riding through a hellscape of grotesque monsters matches those melodies that contain a certain edge of heightening tension. With this deliciously crushing tease set loose upon the world, Kala Azar have announced plans to release a full LP in 2023. Listening to this promising showcase of finest doom metal, I'm eager to see which avenues this blooming band chooses to explore!

by F3ynman2000

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Post-black metal has always been a hit and miss affair for me. A lot of bands, especially the most popular names on the scene, I could listen to over and over again in any mood, and yet I wouldn't remember a single song afterwards. The much-cited dense atmosphere of most highly praised works of the genre can only very rarely pull me away, instead this type of music mostly meanders into nowhere, passing me without leaving any lasting impressions. However, every now and then, more often than not by accident, I stumble across a happy exception that immediately pulls me in and won't let go, and Anemye from Russia's Novgorod Oblast is one such exception. It's safe to say that Shards Of Glass owes its high recognition value in particular to the high-tuned guitar, because just as said broken glass cuts into skin and flesh, the razor-sharp guitar riffs first cut into the auditory canals and then into the deepest convolutions of your brain. Maybe it's also due to the bittersweet melodies, which - and this is quite unusual for the performed blend of atmospheric black metal, DSBM and post-metal - inspire you to whistle along rather than to take a last bath a Ghost Bath together with Forgotten Tomb's Herr Morbid. In any case, it's been a long time since I heard black metal that had such an uplifting effect on me despite the rather depressive mood and the sombre tones, and the only downer is that the Russian one-man project only delivers two impressive testimonies to their skills on this release.

by Starvynth

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Debut EP from Los Angeles-based trio Pegzilla (I’m guessing the name goes along with a woman-like creature on the front cover art) is here presenting some "shifty" tunes. As the band name suitably indicates, the basis of their music predominantly whirls around stoner metal sound with a noticeable strong touch of doom on certain occasions. In these four songs you will be able to sense a fair dose of heavy, variously interchangeable guitar riffs and almost smothering, low-tuned dirty bass. Female vocals are operating nicely back and forth, from being dominantly enchanting, therefore displaying a more mellow side of it, to more powerful high-note hitting segments. Definitely one of the perks on this release. Pegzilla's execution on the Giver EP includes an often-changing cadence within the songs structures, which gives the overall sound some sort of unpredictability. It might not be so drastic, but, for a 15-minute-long outing, it is enough to create a positive effect. Someone might have a feeling that you could find this type of releases all over the place, yet there are certain levels of originality and performance, as well as production, that have to be achieved to stand out and rise above average. And, in my humble opinion, Pegzilla did reach some of these standards with this EP.

by Abattoir

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