Connecticut

Connecticut:

Ipsissimus

PHOTO: AARON PEPELIS

CITY: New Haven
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: "The First Secret of Fatima"
WEBSITE: myspace.com/ipsissimususbm

WHY THEM: When a metal band is fronted by a character who self-identifies as "His Emissary," you can tell that they aren't fucking around. And indeed, Ipsissimus's dense mythological shroud has penetrated the deepest reaches of the Constitution State's intimidating metal scene. The trio's racket couples His Emissary's banshee scream with a tormented riff-labyrinth that is both confounding and inescapable, like all of the best black metal — which probably explains why Metal Blade loves them (and released this summer's The Way of Descent), and how the band have wound up sharing international stages with the likes of Nachtmystium and Skeletonwitch.

ALSO CONSIDERED: The Guru — We were enamored by the polyrhythmic pop complexity of this Watertown/Woodbury collective, whose energy shows the jam-band aesthetic getting all next-level on us.

Delaware

Colorado

Connecticut

Ipsissimus

Ipsissimus was founded when His Emissary (guitars) and Haimatokharmes (drums) met by providence on 6/6/06 in New Haven, CT, and found in one another worthy...