Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Nightmare Records is pleased to announce the signing of Los Angeles, California’s Clandestine. Clandestine is female fronted melodic rock with a serious kick you in the face attitude. Their debut album The Invalid will be released on February 15, 2011. Nightmare Records is based out of St. Paul Minnesota and is distributed by RED.

Mixed by well known producer Sylvia Massey (Tool, System Of A Down), this band has wickedly infections melodies and music that crosses many lines in the sand of purists rock, alternative, electronic and metal genres an extremely impressive, 10 fresh songs equaling a 45 minute slab of hard edged rock that never fails to deliver on all levels.

The band is fronted by singer June Park who wields a very impressive almost otherworldly and fierce voice. Enigmatic and engaging she is without a doubt, a star on the rise. The four-piece is fulfilling the thirst of today’s music fans that are in search of a new sound that triggers their ultimate aural pleasure.

Clandestine‘s ultimate goal is combining diverse influences and styles that mark a new generation with an unnamed creation while striving to provide a sonic link from the past to the future.

Clandestine is a truly unique band, combining progressive rock with female fronted metal, a touch of electronic music that enhances the futuristic timbre, and some smooth huge pop melodies. “The Invalid” is a must for fans of bands as diverse as Evanescence, Dream Theater, Fair to Midland, Rush, Lacuna Coil, Tool and Between the Buried & Me.

What more can you ask for?

Clandestine on MySpace.

Genres: Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist

Metalgasm! Straight up, pure, unadulterated, and unfuckwithable eargasmic metal right here. I can’t stop listening to Traced in Air, an album I bought because I heard Cynic were pretty damn good and the tag on the album was Technical Death Metal. I thought I was buying an Origin- or Cryptopsy-like CD, but what came out was definitely not like either of those bands.
Instead, it reminded me right off the bat as Tool, but then the second listen brought in Deftones and Coheed and Cambria. And once I heard the Coheed-like elements, the Rush comparison was instant. And King Crimson. This is a wonderful, perfect album, a little on the short side (all of the best CDs are too damn short, aren’t they?) but still perfect.
It takes you on a mood swing ride, but unlike most death metal, it’s not all minor keys. Happy sounding major keys and beautiful melodies take you away on a cloud and drop you into a headbang session, then pick you back up again, just to smash your mind against the rocks of what you thought proggy tech-death could be.
If you don’t own this album, you are missing out on something so wonderful. Please, go to a store and pick this CD up.
10 out of 10.

Cynic on MySpace.

Genres: Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock
Label: Armoury Records, Mystic Production

Votum were the first of three CDs I chose to review from this package from Eagle Rock, if for no reason it just happened to be the first one I grabbed. And I’m glad I did. This CD is just fucking awesome. It’s like Opeth and Anathema, who the band cites as big influences, but it’s also got some more going on. Mostly due to Maciej Kosinski’s voice, which is deep and full of power, and also Zbigniew Szatkowski’s keys, which are in part atmospheric and ambient, but also at times more traditionally rhythmic. Sometimes atmospherically rhythmic.
The shortest song is just three seconds short of four minutes, with a pair in the 6+ minute and a pair in the 9+ minute range, but they don’t drag on, which is a relief. There are some bands that can do longer song structures, and some that can’t, but Votum are aces at them. I’d love to hear them do a 15 minute song.
As an added bonus for prog rock fans, it’s a concept album in music, lyric, and art, all tied together to give the listener something not just to hear but something to hold dearly to while the somber, dark tunes drag you to a pit of gorgeous bliss.
8.5 out of 10.