| CD REVIEW Clandestine |
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Band : Clandestine Okay, “Fast” Tony (got to make 25 reviews in only 6 days' time), part I-don't-know-anymore (forced quick review). Just as a footnote, this Clandestine has nothing to do with the Houston (TX) based Celtic music act formed much earlier (1991), but then Nightmare Records' usual output would already have told you that! Nay, this quartet is a very nice female fronted Progressive Metal act (with some additional influences), operating out of Los Angeles, where they were formed in 2006! In their original line-up (the drummer was later replaced by The Apex Theory skinbasher Sammy J. Watson) the band issued its debut EP during their formation year, a release which garnered the band some really nice feedback, including positive reviews worldwide and being named “Best Female Fronted Band” by one of their hometown's magazines. When respected producer Sylvia Massey (check her work with Tool and System Of A Down among others) heard about the band's plans to start recording their full-length debut, she reached out to give the album the “extra something” it deserved. As a result the band's mixture of in-your-face heavy Progressive Rock/ Metal, embellished with great electronics (synths) really got a wallop of a kick! Dan Durakovich's guitar play is not one of what you'd call a “typical” Progressive note fucker, but then he compensates in bringing catchy riffs...and he also does the band's programming! Mark Valencia's bass grinds the bottom sounds, adding groove to a valuable basis. Watson's drum and percussion work is...well, I have a feeling this guy could play in just about any band, including Jazz outfits! Where needed he thrives on restraint and counter rhythms, but when bashing the skins he really seems to poor his heart out into his play. Topping everything off is singer June Park! Her powerful voice, capable of goin' up into wonderfully controlled highs as well as goin' down to something which can be seen as the crossing between a scream and a grunt (maybe I should introduce the word “scrunt” here? Just joking!) is really the icing on the cake. One trouble: she provides her own backing vocals, occasionally even gets her vocals stylings to cross. Should be a slight problem to reproduce this in live conditions, unless the programming includes a recording of the backing vocals, of course (wouldn't be the first time a band operates that way). Music (and a video) by the band can be found at either (www.) clandestineband.com or (www.) myspace.com/clandestineband. Check it out, but beware...it's very addictive, and any Prog Rock/ metal fan will want to have a copy (a hard copy that is, because any true music fan wants the real thing!) of the album. Hey, just found out this is a band like one can only have 'em in the States, each member having a different lineage background. I mean, Watson is an Anglo-Saxon name, right? Park could be from Vietnam or Korea...thàt neck of the woods. Valencia is of Latin origin...and Durakovich... well, let's just put his lineage as coming from behind what we used to know as “Iron Curtain”! 95/100 Tony. |