It's been five years since their debut self-titled EP, but California's Clandestine took plenty of time to make sure their first full length CD The Invalid was worth the wait. Featuring plenty of addicting, heavy riffing, bubbling keyboards, sledgehammer rhythms, and the powerful, soaring vocals of June Park, The Invalid signals the arrival of a new heavy hitter on the progressive metal scene.
Though, to be honest, calling Clandestine a strict progressive metal band doesn't really tell the whole story. Yes, there are many moments of jaw dropping musical passages and complex arrangements, but Dream Theater wannabes these guys are not, as there is much more of a modern metal feel here to go along with their progressive tendencies. In addition to Park, the rest of the band is comprised of Dan Durakovich (guitars, programming), Sammy J Watson (drums), and Mark Valencia (bass). Most of the songs on the CD are instantly memorable, like "Fearless", "Disappear in You", and the ultra catchy "Silent Sin", but there are also a host of real crushers, such as "Philistine" (where Park also throws in some black metal styled screams), the complex "Fracture", and the bombastic "Dead to the World". Throw in the melodic pop number "Pretend" and you have quite a lot of variety contained in this enjoyable release. The title track is like a head on collision between Nightwish and Arch Enemy...really, it needs to be heard to be believed.
Overall, The Invalid is a very enjoyable release. If I have one complaint, it's that too many songs start off with similar sounding keyboard/electronic bubbling, instead of hitting the listener right away with the killer guitar riffs. Otherwise, be prepared to have a lot of fun with this one
Track Listing
1.Fearless - 4:48
2.Disappear in You - 4:30
3.Silent Sin - 4:38
4.Philistine - 3:52
5.Pretend - 4:27
6.Fracture - 3:48
7.Dead to the World - 4:02
8.Phantom Pain - 5:01
9.The Invalid - 5:36
10.Comatose - 4:55
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