With "Clandestine Abuse" the band's intensity is captured on record, at long last. Since adding two additional members to the lineup (the band started as guitar/drum duo) Northless has expanded on their original style of atmospheric sludgy metal and gone beyond the barrier that holds lesser bands back. This progression enabled Northless to break through into new territory and write truly exceptional songs, more focused, more dense. "Clandestine Abuse" might be one of the most misanthropic, angst-filled albums I've ever heard, but it never fails to instill a feeling of hope in the listener. A hope that a band can draw upon familiar influences and personal experiences, draw on them and combine them to create something that breaks the mold of slow & heavy music.