WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IPSISSIMUS?
The webernets seem to be slightly abuzz with Connecticut black metallers Ipsissimus.. Who are these guys? Are they worth checking out? Let’s give ’em a go.
The metal layman might scoff at Ipsissimus as “hipster black metal,” but I find that term to be pretty hollow (even if sometimes accurate) so I’ll try and do you one better. Ipsissimus are definitely black metal, but theirs is a brand slightly more technical than, say, Liturgy or Wolves in the Throne Room, or even Krallice, who are certainly no tech slouches themselves. Ipsissimus dot their grim, frostbitten minor chord flashes with a dose of death metal wallop and Morbid Angel-style pulverization via slow death march. The production on The Way of Descent is more death metal than it is black metal, which is to say it’s punchier, clearer, and generally better. But make no mistake about it, Ipsissimus are definitely a black metal band.
Stereogum and Gun Shy Assassin are both streaming individual tracks from The Way of Descent. I’m hearing plenty of riffs that are cool on their own, but the songs aren’t really gelling for me. I’m also constantly distracted by the sloppy drumming, which seems to weave in and out of being in time with the rest of the band (these guys could’ve greatly benefitted from a click track). Yet there’s something here that I keep coming back to, something that’s kept me from simply writing them off as “do not like.” I’ve left the above track streams open in browser tabs for the past two weeks as I mulled it over. Ipsissimus aren’t reinventing the wheel, but there is definitely something about them that stands out. I just don’t quite know what that something is.
So when I ask “What do you think of Ipsissimus?” I ask because I’m undecided myself, and I genuinely want to know what you think. Perhaps a MetalSucks reader will have something intelligent to say in the comments for once, and will point out something I missed about this band on first pass, for better or for worse. Stream the above two tracks and chime in below.
-VN
