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Clandestine: The Invalid

Modern Hard Rock/Metal

3.5/5.0

Nightmare Records
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by Craig Hartranft,  02.07.2011

Pardon me for not jumping on the Clandestine bandwagon. Between their PR materials and quotes on their website from other review sites, one would imagine Clandestine to be the next big thing in modern hard rock or metal. Kind of like Justin Beiber or Lady Gaga has been to mainstream pop. Don't get me wrong there is huge talent here: strong musicianship and great song arrangements. But when you invoke the lineage of Dream Theater or Rush, you better freakin' deliver. Essentially, Clandestine's debut, The Invalid is what Lacuna Coil's Shadow Life should have been in 2009. Otherwise, this work is just another contender among a host of others in the current modern music field.

So besides the overtures to contemporary metal, what does Clandestine have going for them? Quite a bit. Clandestine is heavy without succumbing to modern hardcore trends, although they slip with occasional death growls. Fearless and Philistine are blistering pieces of modern metal. They also add diversity to their arrangements: Pretend, Fracture, and Phantom Pain could get some progressive nods. Clandestine even has some pop sensibility, offering a hook and melody here and there, as on Fearless and Dead to the World. Mostly, however, Clandestine sounds typically modern: beating you up with harsh heaviness dosed with some melody to take the edge off and allow you to heal. Against their peers, with little doubt, Clandestine excels. However, except for maybe Fearless, Phantom Pain, and The Invalid, I can't imagine this disc staying in my rotation. But I did like it. Recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Except for, maybe, Fearless, Phantom Pain, and The Invalid, I can't imagine Clandestine's The Invalide staying in my rotation. But I did like it.

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By now it's old news. Everybody in the prog universe knows: Dream Theater got the band back together. Drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy returned to his Dream Theater family to celebrate their 40th ... [ Read More ]