netra-ingrats-reviews

Review from Din Intunerec

Mon, 26 Feb 2018 22:20:27 +0100

From: Din intunerec

Published: February 22, 2018

netra is a one-man project from France that combines Depressive Black Metal with Trip-Hop and various other musical elements.

Formed in 2003 by multi-instrumentalist Steven Le Moan, netra released its first album “Mélancolie Urbaine” in 2010 via Hypnotic Dirge Records. After relocating in the city of Gjøvik, Norway, he released his second record “Sørbyen”. In 2013 Steven Le Moan collaborated with Californian Rap duo We’re Wolves, creating an interesting hybrid between Black Metal and Hip-Hop. After moving to Auckland, New Zealand, netra unveiled its newest album entitled “Ingrats” (ungrateful in French).

This record is an astonishing soundtrack of several different musical genres, perfect for an urban late-night walk. Covering a grey, oppressive and tormenting urban image, netra managed to create an odd mind-blowing mixture between Depressive Black Metal and Trip-Hop. I personally think that this is the first band to achieve the impossible, namely, combining in a very successful manner two different styles. This so called “Urban Black Metal” reminds me here and there of Lifelover and the legendary German Ambient/Jazz group Bohren & der Club of Gore.

The record begins with a Jazzy intro “Gimme a Break”, throwing afterwards the listener in a harsh Black Metal mood with “Everything’s Fine”. The alternation between heavy blast beats, tremolo guitars, piano fragments and harsh/clean vocals create an anxious atmosphere. “Underneath My Words the Ruins of Yours” brings a much more atmospheric climate, alternating Post Rock elements with electronic music and reaching the high peak of the album with track “Live with It”, a pleasant combination of clean vocals with acoustic guitars and electronic music. Having a short instrumental intermezzo (“Infinite Boredom”) the record continues with the excellent saxophone sorrowful track “Don’t Keep Me Waiting”. Sick growls with Atmospheric Black Metal, electronic elements and Trip-Hop are to be found on “A Genuinely Benevolent Man”. The dark walk through the urban jungle continues with “Paris or Me” and “Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve” ending with a superb Jazz track “Jusqu’au-boutiste”.

As I said before, netra combines the best of Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal with Trip Hop and Jazz, packing everything under the anxious and depressing image of a decadent and miserable urban life. Who knows…..maybe Steven Le Moan will release another “sick” masterpiece of hate and despair once he will move to another major city.

After listening to this album multiple times I’ve come to a very strange conclusion. Cities can have after all a major roll when it comes to inspiration. So, apparently, Black Metal isn’t only about forests and coldness and has multiple other mysterious paths…….but never disappointing.

Reviewed by: Bordan Ciuca

Rating: 9.3/10

Review by Metal Storm

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 03:37:57 +0100

From: Metal Storm

Published: January 5, 2018

Original Link

New Year's Eve. A gathering with family and friends. New resolutions and hopes for tomorrow. The beautiful lights and playful party music. Reality kicks in in the form of a hangover. Maybe you're alone or you feel like your dreams will eventually succumb to your fears. Wait, no, no. You're fine. Everything is fine… Ah, fuck it.

How hard can it be to get some peace of mind?

How bad do you want to leave this life behind?

The harrowing scream at the start of the opening song "Everything's Fine" sets the tone for the pitch-black, urban darkness we are dealing with here. This French project has had an interesting evolution from the get-go. Netra's debut was a harsh and bleak take on depressive black metal with the unique touch of trip-hop and electronica. As the sophomore album was unleashed upon us, so were Netra's flirtations with non-metal influences with a stronger hold on the trip-hop and even pop vibes while also elevating the songwriting with excellent guitar work. With Ingrats, Netra choses to go all in and presents all he has across the board.

The first two songs cover all of Netra's sound palette brilliantly. A jazzy keyboard intro followed by insane cries and desperate riffs. Eventually bluesy guitar leads take you by surprise as well as the sudden clean vocals that weirdly enough make the song even darker. Production-wise this is by far the best Netra has put out as it supports all these different sounds. From the trip-hop beats and electronic sounds to the harsh black metal riffs. Even a sax finds a streetlight to shine through and the mixing does it justice.

Ingrats is mostly an instrumental affair which actually makes it more relatable to me as it is easier to paint a mental image of a moody night out in the grey jungle. The dancing beats, the ecstasy of a great party with the sudden reality crushing down every now and then in the form of desperate riffage. Barely a third of the album holds any vocals but oh boy do they shine. The violent howls to the urban life are as top-notch as they were in Netra's debut Mélancolie Urbaine. It's in the clean department however where Netra's mastermind Steven Le Moan truly grew as a singer. "Live With It" is the song that brings the clean vocals with full force and is without a doubt one of the highlights of the project. Previously, the Ulver influences were obvious but now the vocals acquired a touching, bittersweet tone that sets it apart from Garm's voice.

Netra's third opus is short, to the point and it covers as much ground as it needs to cover. This also makes it the most accessible work by the project and a great way to start for those who haven't discovered Netra's interpretation of the wild city life. Go grab your jacket, get out, have some drinks and spin this baby while stumbling on your long way home!

Here's to my memories! Here's to my enemies!

May you never leave me... May you keep haunting my dreams!

Rating: 8.5/10

Reviewed by: Mr. Doctor

Review from Tasty Black Metal Abominations

Sat, 24 Jun 2017 01:20:40 +0100

From: Tasty Black Metal Abominations

Published: May 17, 2017

Original Link

Oh my gosh, the grandmaster of trip hop black metal is back! From all strange black metal fusions I've heard, this project is by far the best. The all-rounder Steven Le Moan has a vision and the aptitude to effectuate it. The result is a gorgeous combination of many different styles. As a preliminary point I have to declare that you should be compatible with electronic music, otherwise you don't take delight in "Ingrats". What can we expect of so called "Urban black metal"?

A bag full of wonders: The short, jazzy, piano-centric intro ("Gimme a Break") puts you in the right mood for NETRA and transports something I would describe as "Film Noir" feeling. This runs through the whole album if you ask me, really addicting. NETRA would be a perfect composer for (such) movies. The second song is my favourite one, which is mainly because "Everything's fine" is the only track with harsh, frenetic screams. It's a shame! His black metal voice sounds desperate and bloodcurdling as fuck. I definitely hope that the next release features more traditional black metal vocals, they're killer. Also the blast beats and tremolo lead guitars do wonder. If there's one song you should check out, then go for this one.

"Don't keep me waiting" feels like an interlude and has a primitive, heavy, stomping rhythm to offer. It creates the impression that you're listening to a forceful working machine. Furthermore I have to mention the smooth saxophone, which kinda reminds me of BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE, well-done.

The last song ("Jusqu'au Boutiste") is a perfect finishing, it contains all strengths of NETRA, memorable melodies and a spacy synthesizer part that's stiring my blood. Phenomenal ending!

"You forgot the residual six songs!" Naaah, you have to discover them for your own. Silence is golden sometimes. However, they're very unique and stunning in their own way. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Review from Metal Soliloquy

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 21:08:20 +0100

From: Metal Soliloquy

Published: June 9, 2017

Original Link

A few days ago I stumbled across a record label called Hypnotic Dirge Records on Bandcamp. It is a label focusing on underground experimental/atmospheric Doom and Black Metal bands. All the albums on the label are available for free download on Bandcamp (an opportunity which I used to full capacity).

One of the most interesting artists on the label is French Avantgarde Metal band/one man project netra. His music is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. The main musical style being Depressive Black Metal, netra incorporates elements from multiple genres like Jazz, Blues and, first and foremost, Trip-Hop (!) into his music. However crazy and unfitting this combination might sound on the paper, the actual music is amazing.

“Ingrats” is netra‘s most recent full length record and it’s probably his most eclectic and interesting work so far.

The atmospheric Trip-Hop and the raw Black Metal elements work perfectly together to create an atmosphere of depression and melancholy that can only be described as captivating.

The album surprised me repeatedly with unexpected stylistic breaks and is on the whole just an exceptionally rewarding listening experience.

If you are interested in unusual, experimental music with the Black Metal tag attached to it, you have to check this album out.

Review from Metallifer Blog

Sat, 27 May 2017 22:48:14 +0100

From: Metallifer Blog

Published: May 22, 2017

Original Link

Après quatre ans de silence, Netra revient sur le devant de la scène avec son nouvel album Ingrats, sorti encore une fois (puisque on ne change pas une équipe qui gagne) via Hypnotic Dirge Records. Juste pour rappel, Netra est à la fois le nom de l’artiste et du groupe. Netra est une one-man-band fondée en 2003 par Netra qui en réalité est Steven Le Moan. Steven a beaucoup voyagé entre Quimper, Gjøvik (Norvège), l’Allemagne (au moment où l’écriture d’Ingrats a commencée) et ensuite à Auckland en Nouvelle Zélande. Après avoir réalisé les démos Emlazh (2005) et Mélancolie Urbaine (2006), Netra publie son premier album via Hypnotic Dirge Records en 2010 qui se nomme Mélancolie Urbaine. Vient le temps ensuite de Sørbyen (2012) via HDR, de la collaboration avec le duo rap We'rewolves qui a donné l’EP Dreading Consciousness (2013) via HDR.

Netra fait du Netra c'est-à-dire un black metal moderne et hybride puisque dans sa racine black il incorpore des éléments jazz, trip hop, Dark Wave, rock alternatif, samplers tiré de films. Sur le papier ceci peut paraître « incongru » mais le résultat est époustouflant. L’album s’ouvre avec Gimme a break qui se présente comme un intro instrumental jazz apaisant. Everything's Fine est une déferlante black metal : tremolo picking et voix écorchée. A la deuxième minute environs, il y a un changement de tempo et de son, avant de reprendre son côté extrême et encore un changement de temps chanté en voix claire. Ce titre est une alternance de clair-obscur où le côté sombre est quand même prédominant. C’est un titre rentre dédains qui reste bien en tête. Underneath My Words the Ruins of Yours est un instrumental mid-tempo. Ce titre possède un aspect de répétition autour d’un même thème mais avec des variations (un son plus “electro” qui fait son apparition, par exemple). Si tout l’album est de très grande facture, nous avons un faible pour Live with It. Ce titre est sobre, chanté en voix claire, la batterie est légère et les notes de piano ponctuent une mélodie simple et presque désincarnée. Il y a un changement de tempo final qui accélère le tempo et fait basculer ce titre. Je trouve des échos avec Depeche Mode, Paradise Lost (période Host), Germe (et son album Grief). Juste des échos, puisque si vous connaissez Netra, vous verrez qu’il a son propre style. Infinite Boredom est un instrumental au piano où on entend la pluie en fond sonore. Ce titre qui illustre l’ennuie est – peut-être – à mettre en lien avec le titre Blasé qui figurait sur Mélancolie Urbaine. Blasé peut avoir deux clés de lecture : d’abord un clin d’œil au morceau Blasé du saxophoniste de jazz américain Archie Shepp et de l’autre Blasé comme pour indiquer l’état d’âme de quelqu’un qui n’a plus le goût pour les choses.

Blasé montrait l’ennui par une batterie répétitive et monotone et un piano. Ici, Infinite Boredom, montre l’ennui par la pluie qui tombe de façon monotone et un piano.

Don't Keep Me Waiting est un titre puissant, sombre, claustrophobie où un saxophone évolue dans le noir. Ce titre présente un sampler tiré du film L’exercice de l’État (P. Schoeller, 2011) dont le sujet principal est la politique et surtout les rapports de force. Autrement dit, c’est le combat et les doutes d’une personne de pouvoir face au pouvoir plus grand qui lui demande d’agir contre ses désirs et ses valeurs.

A Genuinely Benevolent Man est encore un titre instrumental qui dans les parties calmes (ceci n’engage que moi) a des points en commun avec la bande son du film Blade Runner ou encore Strange Days. On peut s’imaginer la grande ville, la nuit, les lumières, les grands axes de circulations saturés qui contrastent avec la solitude qui entoure la ville. A la lisière des lumières de la ville, la nuit rôde. A Genuinely Benevolent Man est un très bon titre qui varie sa structure au fil du développement mais contient tout le temps la même couleur et cohérence. Paris or Me est plus un titre à caractère « bruitiste ». Ses atmosphères sombres (bruits / samplers) et planantes (piano) coexistent avec une froideur provoquée par une guitare saturée.

Could've, Should've, Would've est encore un très bon titre. Chanté en voix claire, la base trip hop est très présente. Une voix claire s’alterne à une voix chuchotée et le constat est amer ou mieux lucide :

There is no beginning to this

There is no thruth, no bliss

No happy ending, no hero

It’s the best I can

Time has stopped and the rest is down the drain

Très beaux le break à 3 :20 seulement un clavier mélancolique, sombre, éther, qui donne une nouvelle dynamique au titre. L’album se termine avec le titre Jusqu'au-boutiste qui de façon jazz rappelle le premier titre Gimme a Break. Le black metal des guitares s’arrête pour laisser place encore une fois à un sampler, tiré cette fois du film Low Down (J. Preiss, 2014). Low Down est un biopic américain basé sur les mémoires de Amy-Jo Albany dans lesquelles elle raconte la vie de son père, le célèbre pianiste de jazz Joe Albany et de sa lutte contre son addiction à la drogue. Ce film est donc une métaphore très forte qui joue sur plusieurs niveaux : l’amour d’une fille pour son père, l’importance de la musique, les démons qu’un homme doit affronter. Et ces thèmes sont recrées dans le titre avec des changements de temps, de sonorités qui se rajoutent (techno + guitare électrique) de l’accélération. C’est comme si sur un leitmotiv se rajoutaient plusieurs éléments hétérogènes qui ne sont pas fins à eux-mêmes. Cette surcharge présente deux aspects : d’un côté le titre Jusqu'au-boutiste se présente comme une sorte de crescendo et de l’autre on est conscients que même avec tous les artifices possibles (les plusieurs couches / instruments etc.) le résultat est le même : la nuit est sombre et ce qui est fait est fait. On peut juste l’assumer.

Dans cet album Ingrats, Netra retrouve des éléments déjà présents dans sa discographie comme la pochette qui illustre une ville de nuit (cf Mélancholie Urbaine) et l’utilisation de samplers. La ville de la pochette d’Ingrats est Auckland vue la nuit. Netra ne nomme pas la ville de la pochette et ne nomme pas non plus les deux samplers utilisés dans l’album. L’important est que, en utilisant des éléments concrets, Netra propose des thèmes qui vont au-delà du réel pour devenir des métaphores. Auckland est la métaphore de la mégalopole, et les deux samplers sont métaphore l’un des rapports de dominations et l’autre de la vie d’un homme face à ses succès et ses démons. Il s’agit donc d’un tableau moderne qui parle à tous et chacun.

Avec Ingrats, Netra propose un album cohérent et abouti où le côté black metal cohabite avec des éléments hétérogènes qui en soulignent et en explorent la profondeur.

Rating: 10/10

Reviewed by: Cristiano Basso

Review from Lords of Metal

Tue, 02 May 2017 05:31:25 +0100

From: Lords of Metal

Published: May 1, 2017

Original Link

Netra returns and delivers us a third album to ponder about. On ‘Ingrats’ we see Netra further developing its niche. And I mean niche in the strictest way possible. Netra specialises in combining black metal with triphop, jazz, industrial, ambient and whatever pops up in the creators mind. Netra does have the capacities to execute this in a way that the songs feels natural. Not just a mere compilation of genres. ‘Ingrats’ feels more developed and direct than its laid-back predecessor ‘Sørbyen’ and therefore more accessible. But at the same time ‘Ingrats’ is Netra’s most violent album, in fact, when Netra goes metal they go metal full on with massive blasts, aggressive and abrasive tremolo picked riffs and bone shattering screeches. The combination of all these different elements and clever song-writing makes ‘Ingrats’ an excellent album for extreme metal fans with a penchant for the avant-garde and bewildering. Good stuff.

Rating: 82/100

Reviewed by: Roel de Haan

Review from Aristocrazia Webzine

Mon, 15 May 2017 01:53:49 +0100

From: Aristocrazia Webzine

Published: May 1, 2017

Original Link

*Italian version of the review can be found here

I've lately found myself thinking about what could possibly be doing our dear Netra: since his last "Sørbyen" stroke me quite hard, I've been curious about how the project would have evolved. At last, after a five years long silence, "Ingrats" finally brings answers to my questions.

Let's start by saying that the «mélancolie urbaine» typical of the project's music is more than ever important in this disc, as the artwork testifies, with its black and white city landscapes scenarios; street lamps and skyscrapers are the sole light sources, whereas the sky is completely starless and dark.

Musically speaking, it's undeniable that the production has improved a lot: less rough compared to the past, although it still knows how to get chaotic when it's needed, and with more emphasis on the bass sounds, which makes the listening more intense in both introspective and pushed moments. And this is nothing but the icing on the cake, because the best innovations come from the arrangements' choices: the peculiar Black Metal and Trip-Hop mixture now sounds even better. The two genres cooperate in a more complex way on more levels, creating a sound in which their distinguishable, though essential for each other; furthermore, some more external influences are added to the mix, and they are as important as those basic ones.

The easiest way to understand "Ingrats" is by listening to the last track, "Jusqu'Au-Boutiste", a great summary of the whole album: a jazzy piano turns very naturally into a tremolo riff, which causes the starting «walking bass» to become the rhythmical structure together with the double bass drum and the blast beat. Both sides of the coin alternate until the piano gets creepier, leading to the entrance of the strings that allows the sound's Trip-Hop soul to emerge, thanks to the drum machine; the electronic sound synthesizers lead then to the end, in which Black Metal comes once again back to be the background of the synthetic melodies.

Being all this included within a single six-minutes-long song, you can guess how fascinating could the rest of the work get: those very elements are used in various, different ways and the result is obviously a strongly heterogeneous album which still lives of that «mélancolie urbaine» that links every single piece of the puzzle.

That explains why we find an almost completely Black Metal song as the impetuous, melancholic and alienating "Everything's Fine", alternating with mainly Trip-Hop ones as "Underneath My Words, The Ruins Of Yours". The focus on the electronic factor manifests itself in various shapes, from the dark and rainy atmospheres of "Paris Or Me" to the mighty 4/4 kick drum on the ending of "Live With It" and on "A Genuinely Benevolent Man", passing from the synthesizers that support both the melodic and the rhythmic part of the songs, and still keeping in mind the great beats of the Trip-Hop inspired moments. "Don't Keep Me Waiting" sounds like some sort of nihilist Black-Doom track with some jazzy and electronic influences and even a pleasurable appearance of the saxophone; on the other hand, "Could've, Should've, Would've" reminds of Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance and, generally speaking, of the Darkwave-Synth Pop world. Sometimes, Netra delights us even with some bluesy solos. And if it's not enough, this whole amount is introduced by a not too dark, one-minute-and-twenty-seconds long Lounge-Jazz "Gimme A Break", almost mocking the listener who doesn't know what he's going to be listening to.

Although the instrumental parts take a big room of the whole album, the vocals are nonetheless important: some desperate, definitely DSBM scream has a starring role in "Everything's Fine", though it's the clean singing that moves, for example, a touching song like "Living With It", due to a felt performance and introspective lyrics fitting the context and not so banal as they might seem. Films' samples and whispers occur here and there, still leaving the most space to the instruments.

I'd like to end this article by answering my starting question, «what might have been doing our Netra over the last five years?». Well, he's worked on an unbelievably intense disc, which grows each time you listen to it and still proves to be worthy from the first listening. "Ingrats" is a unique work in the extreme Metal world, for both sounds and themes, in addition to being a clear step forward compared to its already more than good forerunners, and earning itself a place in my list of the candidates for this year's Top 5.

Reviewed by: Vlakorados

Review from Noizz Webzine

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 23:46:19 +0100

From: Noizz Webzine

Published: April 24, 2017

Original Link

Los primeros pasos de este proyecto musical llamado NETRA fueron dados por las calles de Kemper (Francia) allá por el año 2003, publicando por aquella época un par de demos, hasta que el sello canadiense Hypnotic Dirge Records tomó cartas en el asuntó y sacó a la luz el álbum debut “Mélancolie Urbaine” en 2010. Un trabajo que tomaba su inspiración de los paisajes urbanos mostrando su lado más oscuro y decadente en una combinación de sonidos que van desde el Jazz hasta el Black Metal pasando por el Trip-Hop. Más adelante, con nueva base en Noruega, el proyecto publicaría un segundo álbum bautizado como “Sørbyen”, que vio la luz en 2012, en el que llevaba su propuesta a un nivel mayor si cabe. Y fruto de esta amplitud de miras sonoras NETRA colaboró después con el dúo de Hip Hop californiano WE'REWOLVES para la publicación de un EP digital llamado “Dreading Consciousness”.

“Ingrats” es el título del tercer álbum de estudio de NETRA, un trabajo que viene firmado también por el sello Hypnotic Dirge Records y que se presenta en un elegante digisleeve en el que se muestra la obsesión por los paisajes urbanos, siempre desde un punto de vista nocturno y subjetivo. De hecho el proyecto se ha movido a diferentes países durante estos años, lo que sin duda ha contribuido a su exploración urbanita. A nivel musical encontramos una arriesgada propuesta en la que vamos a encontrar contrastes realmente impactantes, pasando de sonidos Dark Wave, Jazz o Trip-Hop a un Black Metal crudo y melancólico. De hecho todo el álbum tiene un rollo oscuro y deprimente, aunque con cierta sofisticación mecánica y también ambientes relajados, sin olvidar lo bizarro de encontrar notas de Jazz en medio de la brutalidad más descarnada que recuerda a algunas bandas de Avant Garde. De todas formas en muy complicado poner una etiqueta firme a este álbum.

Arriesgado, eso es lo primero que he pensado tras escuchar “Ingrats” íntegramente, fundamentalmente por la desinhibida fusión de estilos que no todo el mundo sabe aceptar. De hecho hay algunos cortes en los que predomina el Black Metal, aunque son los menos, y otros en los que hay poco o nada de Metal, la mayoría. En cualquier caso si profundizas en el álbum, y tu mente no está cerrada a cosas diferentes, encuentras cierto sentido a todo, básicamente por esa aureola decadente y urbana que envuelve a NETRA. Por eso es una magnífica ocasión para desconectar de los sonidos puros y explorar calles solitarias llenas de sombras y destellos lejanos cuyos ambientes acabarán provocándote sensaciones extrañas.

Rating: 7.5/10

Review from The Pit of the Damned

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 03:36:31 +0100

From: The Pit of the Damned

Published: April 10, 2017

Original Link

Netra potrebbe essere il nome di un locale in cui trovare parecchie sale dove assaporare aromi esotici ed ascoltare musiche diverse. In "Gimme a Break" potrete immaginare ad esempio, di trovarvi nella lounge room del locale, con un tizio che suona il pianoforte ed un altro che abbraccia il contrabbasso, in una scena sicuramente tinta di bianco e nero. In quella sala, chi è più attento, potrà scorgere nascosta una scala che porta dritta nei meandri dell'inferno, dove la sulfurea colonna sonora è rappresentata dal black ferale di "Everything's Fine". Qui lo screaming straziante del mastermind viene smorzato da un break avanguardista anche se il ronzio delle chitarre prosegue come se uno sciame di vespe ci stesse investendo. Se vi piace la musica di Bristol di Massive Attack e Portishead, ecco che la terza sala è quella che fa per voi, per soffermarvi ad ascoltare il trip hop caldo ed onirico di "Underneath my Words, The Ruins of Yours". L'elettro dub sullo stile degli Ulver di 'Perdition City' (anche a livello vocale) lo potete ritrovare in "Live With it", una traccia imprevedibile e dall'arrembante finale EBM. Imprevedibilità, ecco il segreto del mastermind transalpino. Ci mancava la jazz room, eccomi accontentato con "Don't Keep me Waiting" dove la follia dei fiati, da li a poco, si scontrerà con ritmiche infernali nere impestate, in un tripudio di suoni apocalittici che sanciscono l'insanità di quest'imperdibile lavoro. Continuiamo a girovagare nel locale Netra ed ecco palesarsi la darkwave di "A Genuinely Benevolent Man" che nelle sue circonvoluzioni soniche, trova modo di fondere la musica trance col black in stile Burzum, con le urla disumane del factotum francese (ora trasferitosi in Norvegia) sorrette dall'elettronica. Un po' di noise a complicare il tutto di certo non guasta e anzi cade a fagiolo con la lisergica "Paris or Me". "Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve" vale una menzione quasi esclusivamente per il titolo azzeccatissimo, perché per quanto riguarda la musica, la sensazione è quella di stare ad ascoltare i Depeche Mode. Sconcertati? Io no anzi, a dir poco esaltato. Le danze si chiudono col blues jazz black funambolico e sperimentale di "Jusqu’au-boutiste", ultimo esempio di lucida follia che esalta la performance incredibile di questo fantastico artista. 'Ingrats' è un album a dir poco spettacolare, chi ha orecchie da intendere...

Rating: 90/100

Review from Infernal Masquerade

Sat, 08 Apr 2017 16:09:02 +0100

From: Infernal Masquerade

Published: April 3, 2017

Original Link

One-man outfit Netra returns after five years to unleash the very unique “Ingrats”. Mixing Industrial/Trip-hop/jazzy elements with Black Metal, this release delivers nearly 40 minutes of exciting Avant-garde music. As with the previous Netra releases, this one will keep you at the edge of your seat always wondering what kind of surprises the songs have in store for the listener.

Opening with the mysteriously jazzy “Gimme a Break”, the band brilliantly eases the listener into being quite shocked with the savage intensity of the following track. On “Everything’s Fine”, we get the same trippy elements, but they are paired with punishing harsh vocals and intense riffing. The track again flips on the listener before finishing as it slowly eases into the trip-hoppish atmospheric interlude of “Underneath My Words, The Ruins of Yours”.

Things continue with the dreamy “Live With it”, a track that reminds us a bit of Anathema mixed with some Combichrist near the 3 minute mark. On “A Genuinely Benevolent Man”, we get a perfect balance of sexy saxophone, dreamy beats and distorted guitars to create a very thick and engaging atmosphere. Hands down the best track in this release has to be the superbly psycho-sexual “Paris Or Me”, featuring some hypnotic beats and punishing Industrial elements.

Before closing the release, Netra unleashes “Could’ve Should’ve, Would’ve”, a track that will induce nightmares with its creepy Industrial elements and contrasting atmospheric calmness. Leaving things in the similar jazzy and trippy way they started, “Jusqu'au-boutiste” is a very sinister closing piece. As a whole, “Ingrats” is a very unique release that continues to demonstrate Netra’s uncanny ability to craft impressive music while being 100% unpredictable and highly resourceful. If you like very unique and trippy music with Industrial and Black Metal elements thrown into the mix, you should definitely check this one out.

Rating: 91/100

Reviewed by: Dark Emperor