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. 16 #2
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 16 #1
Clandestine Cuts Vol. 15 #12
And now to the new music...
Doom Of Death - Valley Of Shadows (Brazil)
[Epic Doom Metal]
Doom Of Death emerged in Brazil toward the end of 2024 with the intention of spreading the Christian word to the world through heavy and melancholic epic doom metal. Influenced by the likes of Candlemass, Isole, Veni Domine, Evangelist, and Forsaken, the band uses biblical themes, such as judgement, perseverance, and redemption as inspiration for their lyrics. Musically, they opt for weighty riffs, solemn melodies, both liturgical and gritty vocals, and they incorporate Gregorian chants and Latin passages to accentuate the spiritual atmosphere of the songs. Christian metal can be a hit or miss; in the case of Valley Of Shadows, the slow progression, the symbolic language, the meditative character, and the ecclesiastical mood all work together in perfect sync to create a wholly immersive and even religious experience.
by nikarg
Diluvian - Resilience (Belgium)
[Progressive Metalcore]
Let's get the obvious out of the way first: yes, Diluvian are from Belgium, so yes, I am therefore legally obligated to root for them. Thankfully, Resilience makes that job ridiculously easy. Across five tracks, the EP stakes out modern prog-metalcore territory... yet can't sit still for very long though. Branching out from their core sound, the band also folds in progressive metal flourishes, some djent-heavy stabs up front, some more melodic turns on the back half, and has a steady thread of atmosphere running through the whole thing. The real trick is how unforced they make it all sound. Hooks land where they should, ideas actually see themselves through instead of being abandoned like New Year's resolutions, and each track leans into its own identity instead of blurring into one long, technical flex-fest. With five tracks pushing the 5-6 minute mark, this isn't exactly 'light listening material' though. Resilience is the kind of release that gives you plenty to chew on and actually rewards repeat listens, revealing more layers each time you come back to it, without ever collapsing under its own ambition.
by Thryce
Soul Meanders - Abysm Of Time (Italy)
[Doom Metal | Melodic Death Metal]
Soul Meanders, in their own words, forge a solemn sound where melodic extremity converges with the monumental gravity of doom. Debut EP Abysm Of Time exhibits the restrained tempos and tonal gloom of doom, particularly with the cello arrangements on the opening two tracks, and the contrast of tenderly sung and spoken clean vocals versus fierce growls brings a touch of extremity, even if the instrumentation doesn’t devolve into blasts. “Birth Of The Pearl” is perhaps the best example of Soul Meanders’ full range, spanning stirring cello, delicate acoustic sequences, forceful double bass, malevolent death doom riffs, and haunting semi-operatic singing that collectively coalesce into a gloomy, melancholic concoction from the darkest abyss.
by musclassia
Velhmora - Velhmora (Japan)
[Deathcore]
A new project that crosses the Pacific, Velhmora is the new band of ex-Deviloof guitarist Seiya, joining forces with Mexican vocalist Iesous Roxo. Like Deviloof, Velhmora is rooted in deathcore, but it trades in the visual kei elements of Seiya’s former band for a technological dystopian aesthetic. Sinister noise contorts the edges of this ballistic symphonic-tinged deathcore assault, unleashing an onslaught of jackhammer blasts, grizzled roars and emphatic synth layers. “CRPTD” is an explosive introduction to this self-titled EP, while “Code” simultaneously offers lavish symphonic string arrangements and meaty breakdown grooves. Closing song “.bin” features Ingested’s Thomas O’Malley as guest bassist for an extra level of oomph to round off this frenetic debut offering.
by musclassia
Nihilanth - Detritus Of Ruin (Northern Ireland)
[Groove Death Metal]
Buzzband alert! This one should go straight to the top of your "bands I should probably keep an eye on" list. After dropping their debut EP in 2023 and levelling the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air 2024, Belfast's Nihilanth are back with their new EP that wastes zero time pretending to be anything other than what it really is: a 22-minute steamroll of pure bludgeoning force. At its core, this is caveman death metal, but the kind of caveman death metal that figured out how to sharpen its spears... and build a demolition machine while they're at it. Under the hood, it's a dense, ugly (as in: deliciously complimentary) mix of polyrhythmic chugs, flashes of complexity, dissonance, sludgy weight, full-throated vocals and just enough modern-day tidbits, all glued together with an almost unreasonable amount of groove. There are even guest vocals popping up from the hardcore and metalcore camps, fitting into the wreckage naturally, because of course they do. If this is Nihilanth "finding their footing", the rest of the pack might want to start tying their shoes a little tighter... Or just accept they're about to get run over.
by Thryce
Pilvilinnat - Ei Tuuli Vaihda Suuntaa (Finland)
[Post-Black Metal]
One day in the not-too-distant future, a smart team of linguists and musicologists might be able to prove that the phrase “there’s something in the water” actually originated in Finland and refers specifically to the Finnish heavy metal scene. After all, the land of a thousand lakes is known to have more than enough water, and nowhere else in the world has a higher density of metal bands. Pilvilinnat, despite the Estonian origin of their band name, hail from Helsinki, and they are just one of countless examples supporting the above theory. At its core, Ei Tuuli Vaihda Suuntaa is, on the one hand, post black metal performed primarily in the band’s native language and quite uplifting in nature; on the other hand, it is infused with such a strong dose of that unmistakably Finnish melancholy that comparisons to the depressive black metal of their compatriots Kalmankantaja and TotalSelfHatred are inevitable. Ei Tuuli Vaihda Suuntaa is rounded off with a cover of Joy Division's classic “New Dawn Fades”, which is not only a fitting conclusion to the EP, but also attests to Pilvilinnat’s excellent taste in music.
by Starvynth
