In the music business, big names often allude to big expectations from fans and critics alike. So, upon discovering that Sylvia Massy had considerable involvement in the mixing process in Clandestine's The Invalid, I had high hopes. After all, Massy had involvement with quite a few, now widely known artists. These include, most notably, Tool and System of a Down, with which she had worked on each of their full length debut albums.
However, it would be wrong to start out expecting to be able to compare Clandestine to Tool or System of a Down, which would be an unreasonable assumption in and of itself. A four piece progressive hard rock band from Los Angeles, Clandestine draws their sound from ideas that aren't always necessarily new, but combine them to create something unique.
One common characteristic I found as I listened to The Invalid was Clandestine's ability to build up a song, instilling an expectant feeling into the listener. This begins immediately in the opening track, the unmistakably progressive “Fearless”. It showcases excellent musicianship from all involved, coming together to create an excellent track.
After “Fearless” comes a frantic, much heavier “Disappear in You”. Throughout the song, vocalist June manages to channel both the clean singing style of Morgan Lander of Kittie and the scream style of Flyleaf's Lacey Mosley, making it one of the main focuses of the track.
I found it difficult to really place Clandestine within a single genre. Between songs like “Pretend,” which contains the catchy hook of a mainstream rock song but the guitar work of something you're less likely to hear on the radio, and “Dead to the World,” which has Animal Alpha written all over it, to choose simply one genre would be unfair. However, the band's metal tendencies cannot be denied, as seen especially in “Philistine.” Easily the most intense song on the album, the song opens to a quick chugging riff and frenzied drums, both of which are present throughout. It can be argued however, that despite her screaming ability and later change to a more throaty rock-oriented style, June's clean vocals do not entirely fit with the feel of the song. Personally, I feel that the contrast creates an interesting sound, but from another perspective, this may not be so.
The title track, and also the longest song of the album, again, accentuates the band's ability to build up a song. Beginning with an slow, industrial-esque intro, leading into the sound of a quick ticking clock underlying the vocals, the expectant feeling that the listener may have felt during “Fearless” returns. Although not the final track, the combination of both the progressive feel of “Disappear in You” and the heavy style in music and later vocals of “Philistine” sum up the best aspects of the album very effectively, making for one of the best tracks on the album.
I enjoyed The Invalid. For an unsigned band's full length debut, it was exceptional. That's not to say that the release was perfect, however. A few songs, namely “Silent Sin” and “Phantom Pain,” disrupt the usual feel of the album, and it comes off as filler. Lyrically, the band seems to be channeling Evanescence in writing style, which could be positive or negative, depending on your preferences. One thing I'd like to point out is that the drummer, Sammy Watson, besides being outstanding on this release, is also currently involved in The Apex Theory (now Mt. Helium, and yet another product of Sylvia Massy's work), which would explain a lot of the similarities in the progressive sound of these two bands. Some fans of progressive music may find The Invalid to have too much of a mainstream feel, although this is an aspect that Clandestine embraces. There is no denying that the musicianship is excellent, displaying each member's talents most effectively. For the majority of The Invalid, the formula that they've created seems to be working, and for fans of modern hard rock and progressive music, Clandestine is probably a band to watch.
Sara Cooper – MuzikReviews.com Contributor
October 4, 2009
October 4, 2009
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