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 #8
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 15 #7
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 15 #6
And now to the new music...
Bloodstone - Ecstasy Of Battle (Canada)
[Heavy Metal]
Bloodstone are one of the latest prospects to emerge from Canada's ever-growing NWOTHM scene, and a band that any fan of traditional heavy metal should look out for, as I have a feeling they're going to set the scene alight sometime in the near future. Ecstasy Of Battle might only be 15 minutes in length, but what they manage to accomplish in that short time is some of the most memorable and exciting traditional heavy metal in 2025; the fantasy-themed music almost borders on epic metal at times. This excitement is courtesy of Matthew Georgalos's powerful heroic vocals, Peter Salatellis and Anthony Keramarios's high-end exhilarating leads and addictive melodic riffs, and Dimitri Bobotsis and Jesse Ku's thundering rhythm section that drive the album's adrenaline-fuelled rapid pace. If you're a fan of traditional heavy metal and have been craving something that not only sounds fresh and exciting, but relives the '80s golden era (and sounds like the real deal in the process), then look no further than this hot, fiery, and battle-ready quintet. So I plead to you heavy metallers, arm your swords and ride with the mighty Bloodstone into the Ecstasy Of Battle!
by AndyMetalFreak
Taartaros - Testament Satan (USA)
[Black Metal]
Taartaros is a new black metal project, with just one person responsible for it, going by the pseudonym 'Asterion'. Testament Satan is the debut demo of the band, and with a duration of 33 minutes, it gives a thorough idea of the scope and purpose of Taartaros. The first three tracks are original ones, made with occult, evil, abyssal, and dark ingredients, aiming to create a frightening and immersive atmosphere. "Nightmare (B.C.)" is a Sarcófago cover from the Brazilian band's early days, and “De Profundis Mors Vas Consumet” is an eerie cover of an Abruptum song. Throughout the album there are bells, chants, varied vocals, keyboards, and even traditional folk instruments that convey an aura of ancient mysticism. Tartarus, in Greek mythology, was both the primordial god of the abyss, descending from Chaos, and the vast, dark pit in the Underworld that was used as a prison for mortals who had sinned against the gods. Located even below Hades, such a place would be fitting to have Testament Satan playing through the speakers.
by nikarg
BLEΛK - Part I (UK)
[Thall | Deathcore]
[Thall | Deathcore]
Turns out humanity can still catch a penultimate breath after all. Brand new on the block, this UK four-piece sounds like it clawed straight out of hell. Their debut EP feels like the Quasimodo-built lovechild of thall and deathcore, teetering somewhere between unhinged brilliance and chaotic mess... Either way, this is brilliant, and my pants are a complete mess, so there’s that. Part I drags you by the hair into dark, post-apocalyptic territory. Brace for dissonant, devour-and-demolish intensity, brooding mid-paced polyrhythms, and layered technicality that make it all feel like watching a catastrophic collapse in slow motion. BLEΛK is tar-thick filth, taken to another level… and dangerously addictive too. Mark it down now: these thall lads are next in line to make it big. Yes, this little gem of an EP is an absolute face-melter (disclaimer: figuratively speaking, of course, we’re not actually recommending face fondue. Your face is safe... probably). And if Part I was only the first warning shot, then the rest of the trilogy, and the upcoming full-length Within The Void, look set to swallow everything in their path like a pissed-off Dune sandworm. Who’s up for carnage?
Listen on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube.
by Thryce
Barriers - Decay (Australia)
[Sludge Metal | Groove Metal]
Melbourne’s Barriers have broken down their own barrier and released their debut EP, Decay. At close to a half-hour in total runtime, it’s on the longer side for a Clandestine Cuts feature, and it packs a lot of meaty riffage into that duration. The band refer to themselves as ‘heavy, sludgy, raw’, and there’s a definite sludgy heft to their riffing, but the sound of Decay owes as much, if not more, to the heavy complex groove of alt/prog-metal acts such as Gojira, while other riffs still channel the directness and aggression of styles like metalcore, thrash or groove metal. In addition, the band also find time alongside the consistently bruising riffing to incorporate dynamic elements, such as the subdued mid-song interlude during the otherwise grim, sludgy opener “Consumed”, or the shimmering tremolos and delicate clean vocals found in snippets of the crushing closer “Perpetual Curse”.
by musclassia
Necronado - Mass Of Abomination (Canada)
[Crossover Thrash Metal]
Two Canadian and two Chilean dudes play crossover thrash metal, and, while the style is old, the execution makes for a raw and uninhibited EP, where the razor-sharp riffs of thrash blend with the street-level aggression of hardcore. You can expect all the necessary ingredients for this type of music; gang shouts, venomous lyrics, and riffs made for circle pits, packed with relentless energy and zero compromise. The production is very well-balanced, shining a light on the technical aspect of the songs, without hindering their punk energy. With Mass Of Abomination, Necronado successfully recreate the sound of the early crossover era, while not neglecting to channel its spirit. As the band posted on their social media, this is nothing less than “7 tracks of pure crossover thrash, forged in Vancouver’s underworld, blessed by distortion, and baptized in feedback.”
by nikarg
Memento Mori - Umbratil (Chile)
[Funeral Doom Metal | Death/Doom Metal]
Even as a fan of both genres, I can’t deny that funeral doom has a reputation for being one of the most uneventful subgenres in metal, and that death/doom has evolved only marginally since the 1990s. Still, every now and then a band comes along that manages to elegantly steer clear of the depths of stagnation and monotony, and Memento Mori are a fine example of that. Umbratil is the debut work of the five Chileans and, at 25 minutes in length, offers a glimpse of an upcoming but as yet untitled full-length album. What stands out in a good way is the frequent yet seamless transition between the two closely related genres and the resulting tempo shifts: from BPMs in the low double digits all the way up to mid-tempo death metal, the band covers nearly the full spectrum of doom. The highly varied guitar work provides further dynamics; even atypical touches of tremolo picking and the occasional solo blend smoothly into the two compositions. The fact that the vocals are equally inventive is the icing on the cake of this EP: when the growls at the end of “In Nomine Mortis” dissolve into a guttural whisper, only to be overlaid by a haunting choir of clean vocals, goosebumps are almost guaranteed.
by Starvynth
