Well, those lightweight opinions aside, you do have to agree with the majority opinion that Clandestine provides some strong musicianship and some fine production. The vocals are good, and, at times, strong, especially when Park is turned loose to do some metal screaming and otherwise showing some emotion. There’s just not enough of it. And the lyrics, the message, well, all I can say is they sure aren’t a threat to Thomas Karlsson of Therion or Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish or even Jim Morrison of the Doors for that matter. Of course, those American reviewers are probably more comfortable with the semi literate babble originating from their favorite rap stars and clump the lyrics from Snoop Dog up there with Wordsworth and Longfellow. We’ll tread very lightly on the lyrics in this review; they’re not a highlight. But then, intellectual communication has been largely absent from the American musical scene now for some time, with a few notable exceptions, most of whom are ignored anyway.

Clandestine does, however, make use of keyboard like sounds, a notable inclusion for American musicians, most of whom see them as a sign of metal weakness. In a recent Sonic Cathedral Interview, the band describes the development of that keyboard like sound, done with samples, of course, and it does, in fact, make a significant contribution. And the final mix, done by Sylvia Massy whose previous associations include System of a Down and Tool, is spot on. These guys have some academic background in the music business, again, in the tradition of European musicians, and that technical capability shows up regularly. The final sound is loosely referred to as progressive although there are certainly other descriptions that can be made based on certain parts of the music. What many may find interesting is the equality of perspective on the CD. No one individual seems to hog the show, neither the vocalist or the guitars or the drums. Each has a seemingly equal part to play and each takes a role in developing the integrated sound that evolves from the work. I wonder if that’s intended or is it just the result of great mixing. Either way, it’s a bit different and provides a pleasing and satisfying, almost eclectic approach to the final product.

There are several different styles apparent in the CD. There is the classical rock direction; there are times when the music clearly takes a turn towards the progressive. The Gothic, well, maybe not. But visually, well, this is Los Angeles after all, and they do know how to do a video. This one is the kind of corporate standard. You do get the power and the feel of the band, especially the instrumental part. June does some screaming that is not actually typical of the CD but you get a feel for what it can be. The lyrics, well, I was going to go into that a little but, damn if they didn’t take down the site that had them while I was writing this. Not a major loss, other than the first song. Lyrics seem to have the feel of an 80’s Country Western sound in some respects. But, this is Los Angeles and who listens to lyrics in Los Angeles anyway. Just don’t expect them to compare to the European Gothic.

There are definitely some highpoints on the CD; most reviewers seem to agree on this point. Personally, I rather like the first tune, Fearless. We start out sounding a bit electronic; you get some of those samples we mentioned earlier. But the guitars come to the rescue, and these guitars speak in a universal language. The base creeps in eventually and that nuclear drum component is not far behind. The vocals are actually somewhat reserved here; June has a nice voice, does a metal direction worthy of appreciation. But, is it only me who can hear Dianne van Giersbergen of Ex Libris taking this to an extra- terrestrial dimension? Oh well, probably never fly in LA. Pity.

Disappear in You goes in a different direction. A lot of people like this one, for me, it’s the drum line that works. And, with the drum work on this production, that’s not unusual. A lot of reviews saw some Rush in this one, and some Dream Theatre. Maybe a little bit of a reach for me, although that keyboard like sound takes it in a direction that sets it apart from much of the rest of the CD, and does give it a Dream Theatre like sound. The vocals do take some interesting directions, but the lyrics, when I was able to pay attention to them, leave me wanting more, give me something to think about. I know "Love’s a bitch" and all that, but how many times do we have to hear it.

We get a little more of that electronic direction in Silent Sin. Again, we get the feeling that the band is trying hard to make sure everyone gets their due rewards on every tune, and that may not be a bad thing. But the band can make sudden shifts and the following tack, Philistine takes us to the solid metal that seems to be where the band lives most often. This one’s available for your listening enjoyment here, ah, at least for the moment. Most of the rest are too so you can get most of the music from this same page.

Fracture is another track that gets a lot of positive commentary. A bit of a guitar based number with some distorted vocals to start the thing moving. But, you gotta give the devil his due, these guitars are solid, as are the double kick drums. Hard not to like this direction, and they give us a little keyboard action, probably just to piss off the local reviewers. But it does sound really good, no complaints from this direction.

The title cut is a little different, in a Doors kind of way, which certainly makes it appealing to this old dude. I can almost see Jim Morrison up on stage swaying to the music, stoned on his butt, waiting to say something important. But here we get another distorted female vocal that takes us to a strange time in a strange land. Damn, that’s almost a good metaphor for LA. I have to say, this, for me, is the highlight of the CD. You get a solid instrumental component, you get our lovely Asian chick doing some solid death metal like screams, and the overall feeling is almost psychedelic. Someone pass me the bong.

Clandestine is about as good as it gets for this type of music. Solid, first class American musicians, a strong female vocal that approaches the really great, outstanding production. As long as you’re not looking for an ethereal message, and how many Americans are, this will work for you with no problem. And the videos sure provide you with the eye candy you disserve. Even in LA.

9 / 10