|
|
|
|
Ipsum is a Swiss black
metal band that formed in 1999 in the ashes of another black metal band. They
released a demo cd the very same year but since then the band has been quite
silence in the aspect of released material until now. A number of line-up
changes have probably made its impact on the band's evolution, the latest
being earlier on this year when their keyboard player Sandra left them after
four years of service. This resulted in the band deciding to go on without
keyboards. For their new release "Mystic Evilution" Ipsum have signed a
distribution deal with the French label Adipocere Records. Even though the
basics of their music is rooted in melodic black metal there are other
elements that can be traced as well such as some thrashier riffs and also a
melodic At The Gates touch now and then. The two things that stick out most
when it comes to Ipsum are their focus on melodies but also the fine black
metal vocals. The band's vocalist is surprisingly a female named Michelle
which isn't that easy to hear but nonetheless she is doing a great job. She
doesn't quite reach the same standards as Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy) or
Cadaveria (ex-Opera IX, Cadaveria) but she has got a very stable voice and
uses it in a way that sounds a little similar to Rotting Christ. "Mystic
Evilution" does definitely have what it takes to be enjoyable but Ipsum still
need to work a little on the song writing since they sometimes get stuck in
outworn melodies and generic vocal lines. The production is in need of some
minor polishing but they have managed to record a very professional sounding
album without label support and this I give them credit for. Recommended to at
least check out if you are a big fan of melodic and atmospheric black metal
with no keyboards or clean female vocals. I just hope that they will keep
Michelle for the future because she is a very important asset to the band as
it is now. I also like their use of S.T. Coleridge lyrics on the track "The
Last Of Gethsemane" because he was a fine poet. Ipsum still has some work to
do before they reach the elite but they are walking on a promising path. Sort
of like a mix of Darkthrone, At The Gates, Rotting Christ and Edge Of Sanity.
Stand-out tracks: "New Model Inferno", "The Last Of Gethsemane", "Silent
Skies", "L'Oeuvre Au Noir".
| Tracklist |
1. New Model |
|
Inferno 2. Porteur De Lumière 3. The Last Of Gethsemane |
|
/>
4. Silent Skies 5. My End 6. L'Oeuvre Au Noir 7. |
|
Shadowcrown |
: 41.51
| Buy other Ipsum albums |
