Ingrina - Siste Lys

Angry Metal Guy 40

Many metal bands do not have drummers. This is not because drummers are cantankerous, unhygienic, or otherwise objectionable people – though of course you may have evidence to that effect. No, the value of a drummer is so great that bandmates will tolerate even the worst tendencies of the percussively inclined, and in fact seek out kit-kickers like the jilted seek closure. The reason is scarcity; there are just not enough drummers out there. Which makes it especially rare for a band to contain two.

Ingrina, of course, do have two drummers. Among all the gimmicks out there – pirate shit, nine string guitars, fascism – that’s one of the better ones to pick. And I know you want to know how well that works as much as I did. Liner notes not forthcoming, I’ll explain their work in reference to stereo position as best I can. Let’s call them Lev and Dex. “Jailers” balances the duo playing different beats in its introduction, then pulls one to the center for an airy interlude led by simple, echoing guitar lines. At the track’s peak, the two noticeably play off each other, with Dex providing more splash and Lev holding down a steady snare. Often one will initiate fills that the other completes with a tumbling tom roll or reverberant crash. Sometimes the two gradually convene from different sides of a beat or polyrhythm, as in “Walls.” Even in unison on “Stolidity,” the kit chorus creates an appreciable soundstage effect.

Siste Lys by Ingrina

But beyond what can be appreciated in close listening, Lev, Dex, and the rest of Ingrina don’t do much of interest. Both the drummers’ rhythmic contours and their bandmates’ soundscapes appear in low relief for most of Siste Lys. Most of the three guitarists’ work borrows heavily from the lighter end of post metal – think Rosetta – and is absolutely drenched in reverb. The resulting sound may be thick, but it’s also quite homogenous. Overtones and fading notes stick around so long that almost every phrase has to be based around just a few, widely-spaced notes to avoid creating unintentional chords or complex dissonances. Melodies are so simplistic that often the only performance I want to pay attention to is the drumming. Yet Lev and Dex rarely do much of note. Their drumming is similarly constrained, probably out of a similar desire to avoid cacophony. Other than a few points where the two are clearly playing off each other in a planned way, most of Siste Lys doesn’t require them both, and would be better served by a single drummer with a desire to do something creative.

That lack of direction is indicative of Ingrina as a whole. The band have no trouble conjuring atmosphere but can’t think of a landscape to shape under it. Anyone with a pickup and a delay pedal can make pretty noises; artistry lies in how those noises are arranged. Ingrina’s influences, bands like Rosetta and Alcest, might not always hit the mark either, but both have found their greatest success pursuing something more than an audible black velvet painting. In short bursts, like “Now,” Siste Lys achieves an intensity that nearly overwhelms its simplicity. But Ingrina’s preference for post-rock tropes stretches that canvas thin enough to count every thread and becomes tedious rather than tense.

In all, Siste Lys is a bit underdone. Ingrina chase a worthwhile aesthetic but don’t know what to do with it, and this LP stands testament to that as exercise in both atmosphere and patience. I would give my advice on what they should do with the sound, but it just amounts to “be Glassing.” Washed-out, reverb-laden post-metal worked beautifully next to mathcore freakouts on Spotted Horse, a record put together by a band half Ingrina’s size and, notably, featuring one drummer and one guitarist. Ingrina don’t need such a downsizing to make great music, but they do need a few things sorely lacking on Siste Lys.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Medication Time Records
Websites: ingrina.bandcamp.com | ingrinaband.com | facebook.com/ingrina
Releases Worldwide: November 27th, 2020

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