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Clandestine Cuts #4 - feat. Heathen Beast, Rising, Albatross, Australis, Desert Beneath The Pavement, Sanity Of Impiety


Written by: Doc G., Thryce, BitterCOld
Published: 01.01.2011


Clandestine Cuts #4
The Metal Storm Demo/EP Spotlight

Issue #4! This marks the final 'Cuts of 2010! We're excited because this is the last batch of contenders for the Clandestine Cut of the year nomination slots! Be sure to get your votes in, voting closes on January 14th and the nominees will be final at that point.

This issue might just be our most varied yet, we have bands that stick to their pre-set formula, and then we've got a couple bizarre ones cropping up. This issue we've got Heathen Beast, Rising, Albatross, Australis, Desert Beneath The Pavement, Sanity Of Impiety, and Astrophobos! Take a listen, and let us know - scratch that, let the bands know what you think!

Also, don't forget to go back and vote for your favourite from our first 3 issues!
Issue #1
Issue #2
Issue #3

Update: Voting closed January 14th, 2011

Heathen Beast - Ayodhya Burns
http://www.myspace.com/heathenbeast
So apparently black metal from India is supposed to be as raw and barebones as it gets. Despite taking a sound middle-of-the-road approach, Heathen Beast possesses all the ferocity and power to go totally blashyrkh over the listener with this, uh, beast of an EP. Heathen Beast's merciless tunes are consistently heavy, and the band gets the job done without much fanfare. A fine debut release that gets my stamp of approval.

EP available for streaming/free download at ReverbNation.
by Thryce


Rising - Legacy Of Wolves
http://www.myspace.com/risingdk
This Copenhagen trio ratchet the intensity of their already hard-hitting 2009 EP up a notch with Legacy Of Wolves. Rising don't play their instruments so much as attack them. The sludgy riffs are pretty fierce and the band also kick into a higher gear on the title track far faster and more ferocious than anything displayed on their first E.P. The howling vocals help maintain the level of intensity set by the kit and string abuse. The biggest shortcoming in this release is the number of songs... two just aren't enough.
by BitterCOld


Albatross - Dinner Is You
http://www.myspace.com/albatrosshorror
Another metal debut from India... horror-themed this time. With their classic heavy metal sound, Albatross have a more melodic take on things, ensuring the accessibility. The obvious King Diamond/Mercyful Fate worship makes Albatross come across as a confidently cheesy band. In the end though, you're listening to something that has been played out a long time ago, and has been done better before. Especially the often silly performance of the band's vocalist - who sounds more like a lunatic puppet show storyteller than anything else - is really nothing to crow about and kind of ruins it for me. Think I just lost my appetite.
by Thryce


Australis - Eidolon
http://www.myspace.com/australismn
Man, does this band love their guitar leads, it's shame they can't come up with more than 2 ways to use them. Don't get me wrong, Australis play their brand of techy-brutal death metal with great conviction, and execute everything quite flawlessly, but they seem to stick to basically one song structure, which takes the excitement and spontaneity out of frantic death metal like this quite quickly. Satisfyingly aggressive, but the unvaried pounding rhythms with needling guitar leads over top gets somewhat dry before the 16 minutes is through.
by Luke Godin


Desert Beneath The Pavement - Do You Feel It When I Google You?
http://www.myspace.com/desertbeneaththepavement
And now for something completely different. The mood in a room has never changed so effectively as with Desert Beneath The Pavement - a Germany-based collective that has all the potential to reign over the wasteland kingdom that is post-metal. Clearly borrowing elements from doom metal, Desert Beneath The Pavement is all about sinking into sadness and other cold thoughts. Darker than midnight, this stand-out single is surely a small foretaste of greater things to come!
by Thryce


Sanity Of Impiety - In Life We Despise
http://www.myspace.com/sanityofimpiety
It's strange how some bands can pull off plain sounding death metal and sound completely uninspired and bland, while others manage to create something that keeps you coming back despite not being the most unique thing on the planet. Sanity Of Impiety have a certain raw, crusty charm with infectious rhythmic patterns akin to the likes of early Bloodbath, while having the heavy, driving power of Hail Of Bullets. The programmed drums are something this band can surely do without, but considering these guys seem to be all about the almighty riff, it's not too much of a distraction. Harder and crunchier than your hometown's annual rock-eating-contest.
by Luke Godin


Astrophobos - Arcane Secrets
http://www.myspace.com/astrophobosband
It's not surprising this is only a 3 song demo. Astrophobos play black metal, that's it. No gimmicks, no hybrid sound mixed in, just hyper-blasts, shrieks and some tremolo picking. A few melodic bits are thrown in here and there, but this is essentially a furious blast of high-energy black metal fury. Despite being enjoyable within these 3 tracks, it's difficult to picture a full length of this generic form of black metal. It's safe with no surprises, but hey, most people are happy sitting safely in this sound, so I suppose these guys cater to fans of the genre like themselves.
by Luke Godin






Comments

Comments: 10   Visited by: 118 users
01.01.2011 - 15:57
Ag Fox
Angel No More
Rock eating contest lol, nice one
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loves 小巫
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03.01.2011 - 11:56
HeathenBeast

Thanks for the support and the awesome review!!
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03.01.2011 - 13:18
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
What a ''fuck up'' lats 2 bands both are defenetly stand abowe other bands in this one, so I hardly can choose one to vote ... I go whit DM this time, because I like much (I know those 2 swe bands before read this) and I liek DM sound better, if there wont be those 2 bands I doubt I vote because otehr quality is to week, simply metal manowar would say kick a fake bands away and I would agree
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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03.01.2011 - 19:05
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
What in the fuck are you babbling about?
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get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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04.01.2011 - 00:56
Doc G.
Full Grown Hoser
Written by BitterCOld on 03.01.2011 at 19:05

What in the fuck are you babbling about?

I think he's trying to say he voted for Sanity Of Impiety. I could be wrong though.
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"I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck."
- George Carlin
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04.01.2011 - 00:59
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Written by Doc G. on 04.01.2011 at 00:56

Written by BitterCOld on 03.01.2011 at 19:05

What in the fuck are you babbling about?

I think he's trying to say he voted for Sanity Of Impiety. I could be wrong though.


or he's a big Fanowar or something about fake metal bands, whatever those are.
----
get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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04.01.2011 - 07:33
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by BitterCOld on 04.01.2011 at 00:59

or something about fake metal bands, whatever those are.


Well, Manowar are a fake metal band
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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04.01.2011 - 12:30
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Craig - non of non Swedish bands(last 2) didnt work for me, I get bored from those bands. I know 2 seedish bands before, so defenetly much better how others in this article
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
14.01.2011 - 01:56
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Well, Rising won't be "clandestine" too much longer... so in another 10 months or so when their new album is crushing your skull, remember you heard 'em here first.


RISING signs with EXILE ON MAINSTREAM

Danish metallers RISING has signed a deal with German label EXILE ON MAINSTREAM. The band will enter the studio to record the forthcoming debut album with producer Jacob Reichert Nielsen in the end of March, and Exile on Mainstream will release Rising's debut album in EU and the US in late October 2011.
----
get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
Loading...
14.01.2011 - 18:39
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by BitterCOld on 14.01.2011 at 01:56

Well, Rising won't be "clandestine" too much longer... so in another 10 months or so when their new album is crushing your skull, remember you heard 'em here first.


RISING signs with EXILE ON MAINSTREAM

Danish metallers RISING has signed a deal with German label EXILE ON MAINSTREAM. The band will enter the studio to record the forthcoming debut album with producer Jacob Reichert Nielsen in the end of March, and Exile on Mainstream will release Rising's debut album in EU and the US in late October 2011.

Good for them - looking forward to hearing more than 2 songs from them at a time.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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