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!
(Do you think your band has what it takes to be featured in the Cuts? Email demos at metalstorm dot net to submit your music.)
In case you're new to this, go back and enjoy our last few issues:
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 15 #6
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 15 #5
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 15 #4
And now to the new music...
Rattlesnakes - Deeper Shades Of Torment (UK)
[Heavy Metal | Hard Rock]
[Heavy Metal | Hard Rock]
Rattlesnakes from the UK make an impression on their debut EP from the opening song, “Love Me Harder”, which sounds like a distant cousin of Rainbow’s “Starstruck”. After that, it’s off to the races with some superbly written and executed ‘70s- and ‘80s-sounding hard rocking heavy metal that, at the same time, has a modern feel to it. The voice of Rowena Neale has such grit and power that is rarely encountered, and she towers over some super catchy riffs and a hard-hitting rhythm section. Female-fronted heavy metal is getting stronger every year, both in quantity and quality, and, in this very promising landscape, Rattlesnakes have emerged with all guns blazing, playing music that should get any metalhead seriously hooked. Deeper Shades Of Torment is one of the best EPs of the year, and the band’s debut full-length cannot come soon enough.
No Bandcamp, but you can listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube.
by nikarg
Sixth Wonder - Prologue (UK)
[Djent | Alternative Metal]
Since forming in 2021, Glasgow’s Sixth Wonder have trickled out a slew of standalone singles, capturing my attention with ”Thorn” earlier this year, just in time to be prepared for their first EP, Prologue. The quartet are firmly in djent territory musically, with guitarwork that combines percussive crunch with interwoven technicality in a manner reminiscent of Monuments, but there’s also an alt-metal accessibility to some of the songwriting that brings to mind Jinjer. Vocalist Rebekah Kirk has a raw and anguished harsh vocal style, but is simultaneously capable of unleashing stirring choruses such as the one that illuminates “Thorn”. The band’s versatility is displayed on the electronics-heavy “Ropeburn” and the nu metallic “Guts”, but each track has plenty of devastating heft to anchor the stylistic flirtations.
by musclassia
Burial Gift - MMXXV (USA)
[Post-Black Metal]
With the monumental Lonely People With Power revitalizing enthusiasm in Deafheaven, it’s as good a time as any to announce oneself as a new band playing music in that vein. Enter New Orleans’ Burial Gift, whose first release of note MMXXV nicely spells out the year of their arrival. The three-track EP is black metal at its core, albeit taking multiple forms; the first flurry of tremolo and blasts owes as much to meloblack as anything, and right after there’s technical melodies that hint at a classic metal slant. Solos in that vein appear later in “Elegy Azure”, but as noted above, there’s also a heavy post-black/blackgaze side to MMXXV, which comes firmly to the fore in the latter half of “Sear” and remains a recurring presence afterwards, with plenty of dainty clean guitar and atmospheric breaks alongside the typical blasting assaults.
by musclassia
Vuln - Demo III (USA)
[Atmospheric Black Metal]
‘Uplifting’ isn’t exactly a term one would typically associate with black metal, but there are still many bands from this dark, nihilistic fringe of underground music whose works never fail to put a big smile on my face. Dekadent especially comes to mind when I think of truly uplifting black metal, and ever since the Slovenians announced the dissolution of their band, the albums Venera: Trial & Tribulation and The Deliverance Of The Fall have once again been in heavy rotation for me. That’s why I’m all the more delighted to have discovered Vuln. Not much is known about this project from the US, but they’ve been releasing music since 2021 that help me momentarily forget about the scene’s silly 'trve cvlt' posturing and the ridiculous image of many black metal bands. Vuln’s third demo is a clear step up, both compositionally and sonically, from the 2021 and 2024 releases. It features two mid-tempo tracks that, thanks to the crystal-clear production and catchy riffs, go straight to the ear instead of annoying the listener with primitive blast beats, endless layers of synths, or a deliberately lo-fi sound. To sum it up: Vuln is epic, melodic, yet still undiluted atmospheric black metal that’s simply a lot of fun.
by Starvynth
Violent Answer - Shift (Poland)
[Metalcore]
Violent Answer is a young, heavy‑hitting modern‑metalcore band out of Poznań, Poland. Shift is the band’s third EP, mixed and mastered by Simone Pietroforte (yep, the same Simone Pietroforte who’s worked with Distant, Signs Of The Swarm, Gutrectomy, Immortal Disfigurement and more). Later this month, Violent Answer will also be supporting AngelMaker on their two Polish dates, and odds are, they’ll turn the stage into an all‑out war zone. So yeah, these guys are definitely going places. Like most rising modern‑metalcore acts, they’re eagerly on the hunt for a signature sound that sets them apart. You know, that bit of identity, that flash of fresh panache that leaves a dent. To get there, Violent Answer leans hard into nu-metalcore territory, especially on the vocal front. On Shift, they pour all that frustration-charged energy into experimenting with downtuned grooves, off-kilter rhythms, and some electronic touches, giving the whole thing a layered, full-throttle feel. One thing’s clear: they’re making it real hard for the Polish scene to keep ignoring them.
by Thryce
Reeking Slug - We Are The Wave (USA)
[Sludge Metal | Stoner Metal]
A demonic woman, wielding a flaming sword, shooting bolts of energy from her eyes, using a giant slug as a surfboard. Needless to say, the cover art easily got my attention. And, fortunately, the music meets the expectations, too. The new trio of Reeking Slug come gliding in from the sand dunes of Nevada with their debut EP We Are The Wave, delivering an entertaining combination of blackened vocals, fast-paced stoner riffs, and an ever-present, reckless punk energy. It's raw, it's gritty, and it's all recorded live, with the three musicians showing off their chemistry and sharing their addictive energy. Short strings of angry lyrics are belted out rhythmically, in time with the guitar chugging, enticing you to headbang along with this sludge party.
by F3ynman
