Customer Reviews

Clandestine

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the best death metal albums I have ever heard. In fact for many years, it was the best, until I got into the At The Gates. This 1992 killer is the only Entombed album not to feature Petrov, but the vocals are still awesome. Many awesome tunes; Living Dead, Sinners Bleed, Evilyn, Blessed Be and Crawl are some of the best death metal songs ever. This is their darkest album, filled with brutal vocals, really dark riffs, melancholic and otherworldly solos and several well-used samples. The only problem with this album is that it can become a bit too much sometimes; you have to be in the mood for this one. The sheer intensity of the vocals and the guitar sound are not for all days. Also sometimes the songwriting isn't as consistent and cohesive as on later releases. Which makes sense for a young band. But still an essential classic in the genre, no doubt. This, together with Wolverine Blues and the (even better in my opinion) Hollowman EP is the best Entombed stuff. Recommended, a death metal classic.

Alot of reviewers have said that their first album Left hand path was better which is true but it doesn't mean that this album was a sophmore slump, its just as good and it also has a different sound which means that they were evolving cause you could tell that these guys are talented. Back when this album was released in 1991 it was considered a trendsetting death metal album and has increased in importance throughout the years. Clandestine also finds these Swedish artists retaining the complexity and brutality of their first album while making and crafting better music and lyrics which is the result of drummer Nicke Andersson who wrote most of the songs. The best songs are Evilyn, Stranger Aeons and Crawl which in the demo track sounds alot longer and better in my opinion.

Entombed's follow up to "Left Hand Path", Clandestine, is decidely less harsh but took strides in overall maturity and song structure.
A little clarification first: Nicke Andersson sang on all the songs. At this point in death metal not many bands had 'excelled' in the vocalist department anyhow. So his performance does nothing to hinder the quality of the music therein. But keep in mind there are no Morbid Angel-type guttural growls to be heard.
After a good 5-10 listens, I've found the overall pace gets monotonous here and there. The guitar work is classic Entombed, death n' roll. Upon listening to Morning Star and Inferno, even Uprising I can hear small tidbits of what made this album so great.
If you're an Entombed fan at all, you can't afford to be snob. Everything they put out is heavy and will stick your head comfortably.
Listen up and enjoy. Death metal history in the making.

I didnt like Clandestine as much as I did their masterpeice of a debut "Left Hand Path," but it's still a great album. The main thing for me is the vocals... It was actually Nicke Anderson, former drummer, that stepped up & did the vox on the album even though it doesn't say in the CD booklet because LG Petrov was temporarly kicked out of the band. He does have some great sounding vox here & there, but personally I think LG did a better job. That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Aside from the vox, the album itself is pretty good. Some songs are slower & chug along instead of total all-out thrash, such as "Evilyn," but that also makes it different & unique. All & all, its a good album well worth listening to.

AT THE GATES? Never heard of 'em. Just kidding. But you should definitely be well acquainted with this album if you have any ATG. These guys made Sunlight Studios in Stockholm with thier trademark sound. Guitarists Cederlund and Helid have a knack of creating an eerie horror movie soundtrack with a bit of sinister beauty. This is what Scandinavian metal is known for today; elegance and brutality. Anyway, I own all of these guys' albums (except for INFERNO.) This is particularly excellent. LEFT HAND PATH thrashed all the way through and just kills with sheer speed. Here, drummer Nicke Anderson is a bit more involved with the songwriting (most of it) and I think that is why there are so many changes in timing and tempo. Sinners Bleed starts off a bit lazy but the guitar lead gets really frenetic toward the end. The mid-paced pummel of double bass on Crawl slowly flattens all in its path. And if you're lucky enough to buy the reissue with the two extra tracks you grind freaks will love Dusk (one of the best songs and faster than anything off LEFT HAND PATH!)

Clandestine holds the same place in the Entombed catalogue as does Carcass' Necroticism. It's an advance from their debut, but they both would progress further.

One thing to point out, when this disc was released in 1991, there were many criticisms about the vocals. LG and Nicke had a falling out after Left Hand Path. Jonny Dordevic, the bass player from the classic band Carnage, was recruited to be the singer. However, he doesn't sing on Clandestine either. The vocals are none other than Nicke himself. They were guide vocals for Jonny to learn, but he never did. He lasted one tour with Entombed before Nicke asked LG to join Entombed again.

A curious piece of history told to me by Ross of Immolation many many years ago.

This album is one of my all-time favorites; it's super-heavy, rythmic, and uniformly brilliant from beginning to end. The guitar tone these guys achieve is unbelievable.

There are so many reasons to love this album: songs like Living Dead and Choas Breed are really heavy but have a major groove about them, as well. Evilyn, with it's downbeat time signature, is a major departure from the lack of variation that is so common in this genre. Through The Collonades and Stranger Aeons are just very well written; the composition is fantastic.

L. G. Petrov's vocals are the most massive in the genre, forceful, gutteral, and very agressive. He manages to stay ahead of the music, never falling behind or getting lost in the mix, a bit of a rarity in music this heavy. Add to the equation that the percussion hits hard, but is really tight, and you get one of the most devestating overall sounds out there. Many call it "The Swedish Sound" (these guys are from Sweden) or "death-and-roll" (because it's sort of a synthesis between death metal and more groove-based rock-and-roll), but no matter what you call it, no band has ever done it this well. Period.

There is some disagreement out there about Entombed's other efforts, but one thing is clear: Clandestine is a masterpiece.

I haven't listened to this CD in years yet I feel compelled to review it. I remember seeing a review of Clandestine in Metal Maniacs when the album first came out. I was in the midst of a few year period during which death metal was all important to me, and during that period, this album stood out above all others, save for possibly Sepultura's Arise. Clandestine is such an intense listening experience - the music is so heavy and the production so perfect - it's THE prime example of early 1990s Swedish death metal. There were other classics out there at the time - Sepultura's Arise and Beneath the Remains out of Brazil, Obituary's Cause of Death out of Florida - and yet, this may just have been the best! I've always thought it odd that Wolverine Blues was such an acclaimed follow-up to Clandestine - I believe to this day that WB marked the end of Entombed as an innovative and compelling band. An unfortunate loss for those of us who loved bands like Entombed, Unleashed, and Desultory back in the early 90s...Fortunately, At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul would later appear on the scene to make this loss a bit less difficult to bear.

Sweden's leading purveyors of death, stood atop of the heep with this already classic release. Led by drummer extraordinaire, Nicke Anderson, this cd is a vicious, malevolent and apocalyptic cacaphony of death and torment. Unparalelled classics such as "Living Dead, and the head crushing "Chaos Breed", are well mixed with death defying doom-like tracks such as "Evilyn" and the truly MONSTROUS "Crawl", which is the best track on the disc. Coupled with a production that is so unbelievably good, this cd is hands down one of the best death metal discs ever to be released. While Entombed's style shifted (apparently they saw that death metal was already starting to wane)to a more basic, hardcore style, this incredible disc is one to own. Total devastation in the form of complex, diverse and innovative songs. A materpiece.

It also makes all RAPPERS look like babies who still suck their mothers breasts.