First of all..the black metal elitists should stop reading.....now!

This is not Your everyday black metal with raw, hate filled riffs and blastbeats.

This is something more it's like Akira Yamaoka experimenting with black metal, trip-hop, jazz etc.

(me being a huge Akira fan this is a big compliment).

Anyway, this album is so, I'd say, abstract and filled with many different sounds. It has a huge replay value. The songs are also very emotional, don't get me wrong it's not that they're so depressing, rather they have a very honest feel, which I miss in most of today's music.

All in all, I'm very impresed by this release. Sorry for repeating myself but it just offers so much to the listener. I'd recommend it to everyone who is tired of the monotone and meaningless music of today.

After Netra on melancholy Urbaine seem to have put on at night in the middle of an unfamiliar city, you have it then but somehow managed to get out of the urban jungle. The problem is: If you have it out of the a nightmare lands you in the next. Because Sørbyen may be different from its predecessor, but it may also show the cover of the light of day in a more rural landscape in the background. Melancholy and the constant feeling of attrition not go away from here. Man gets trapped in his own abyss. Musically, they often still has the recognizable black metal relegated to the background and to address other elements can.

Still you can hear jazzy passages in the usual slow pace, surprising, however, that one also has to be influenced by IDM. The guitars can usually associate with the shoegaze, trip-hop tunes you hear, ambient and post-rock passages are recurrent. It seems irrelevant to highlight any song, everything is like a river, and when you look left and right, we repeatedly see new things. However you feel, the flow turn in a circle, as always similar passages occur, but can be seen only at a closer look, that is not true there, it would not matter anyway, because you just want to get carried away.

Sørbyen does so consistently up where its predecessor left off. It is clearly experimental, is even more difficult to navigate, but the sadness and melancholy of the disorientation are also found here. So one of the most exciting atmospheric albums of the year.

“Boredom ruins my life” screams the message in the album’s notes. With their disparate styles, Netra seem to be aiming at dispelling the boredom while reflecting it at the same time with their depictions of “fading nature and urban depression”. The title of their previous release in 2010, “Mélancolie Urbaine”, is a good starting point for this album.

The picture on the sleeve of “Sørbyen” is of an guy sitting on a hill in front of a snowy town. He is having a quiet cigarette. The album begins in a jazzy tone before working into black metal. It is always bleak but with feeling. Electronic sounds add a sense of day-to-day pointless routine. The next track is dreamy in a murky way but vivid “like a teardrop in an ashtray”, to quote one of the lyrics. Atmosphere is all. It is like a Murakami book – real but not real. Although languid, it moves along in a surprisingly warm way. There’s real soul.

Musically, the retro classic rock style and dispassionate vocals of “Crawling” reminded me of Love de Vice from Poland. Netra are from Brittany, itself a place of rugged and bleak landscapes, but this could be about anywhere. Peculiar keyboard strains start the title track. It’s hard to tell if the dark and dreamy progression is a nightmare unfolding or the reflection of everyday greyness. At times on this album I felt the gothic ambiance of Tiamat, the strangeness of Lou Reed and the menace of Burzum. Here the drum adds fast colour and the guitar plays an exotic solo, but it is never overstated. The vocals are deliberately flat and the lyrics are cold: “She’s dead, there’s nothing I can do about it any more”. “A Kill for a Hug” conjured up images of corpses in poorly lit, crumbling apartments.  An emerging pattern is that the output picks up a little, and then there’s an expansively melancholic electronic section. It is magnificent. It’s like floating in the air but in a very disturbed way. Orchestral sounds emerge. The atmosphere is inescapably sad. At this point “A Kill for a Hug” completely took me over. It pleased me from the viewpoint of musical continuity that “Streetlamp Obsession”, the fifth track of the first part “Différends”, had similar quietness. Sad and distorted guitar strains accompany the spoken word. “Depressing” is too jolly a word to cover it. A metal instrument enters. The music is classy and sophisticated but not designed to lift the mood. A jazz bass guitar seeps through an acoustic line. The style changes like the course of the day but there’s a hypnotic rhythm and it always remains cold and as if we are in half light.

A conversation takes place. The trance-like mood and ever developing electronic soundscape have the air of “house” music. This is trip hop. The guitar plays serenely. It’s beautiful. There is a semblance of warmth in what is the musical representation of the night. I am blown away by the ambiance of “Emlazh”. This is stunning. In the fuzziness which follows, there’s tranquillity in what seems like an electronic snowstorm in the background. “Différends” is at an end, and we’re now ready for the second part “When the Time is Right”. It begins with “Wish She Could Vanish”, a moody rock song. “Death has been busy”, I hear. There’s a strong Tiamat-like air of gothic gloom. The guitar sends out a disturbing rhythm. A man is whispering in my ear now. The guitar line is languid again, yet there’s movement and presence. Screams can be heard as the gothic pattern intensifies to end it. Then another electro-industrial beat and smooth guitar line opens “My Ill-Posed Life”. Heavy and edgy and this time reminiscent of a Burzum atmosphere, it’s just a brief burst because we enter “It’s Kicking In”. Its patient electro-beat is the sinister backing to another steady and whispered track. You can feel the shadows in it. The beat is like a heartbeat. It’s minimalist by now. Whistling can be heard in this sombre and atmospheric scene. I also heard in the background a kind of eastern-influenced guitar line. As the track picks up, it becomes ballsy and classic metal emerges. The guitar solo is sublime but the beating heart does not stop.

The melancholy mood continues with “Concrete Ocean, another metal piece. The fire in the guitar and the bleak ambiance again recall Burzum. The drum plods on inexorably. The most horrifying screams so far emerge. They sound distant. The background goings-on and layering are a strength of this album. There’s something of early Tiamat about the deadened gothic atmosphere. The vocals even have a tinge of Bowie. Progress is gloomy. A metal guitar is used to build up atmosphere but for the first time on this album it left me indifferent. “Strange Bliss at Dusk” is more like it, entering the world of experimentation with sounds and bells and representing a sad progression. The drums recreate that “house” feel. The track’s title seems ironic, for this seems to be music for the dead of night. Electronic distortions add confusion to the sinister patience. The album ends with “I Shall Slay the Monkeys”. This time there is electro-industrial gothic confusion. “I hate you” is uttered between an assortment of scary sounds. A roar is heard, the storm rises, the drummer beats furiously and chaos threatens. A metal riff breaks out but we’re never far away from the familiar moody electro-pattern. The dark clouds are laced with jazz. This reflective track dies away softly and distortedly. “I Shall Slay the Monkeys” is an unconventional track to end an unconventional album.

In some ways “Sørbyen” is more of a series of artistic experiments than just an album. Musically, it transcends genres. It is about mood. Many of those moods are shadowy and overwhelming. This is a very interesting work.

Netra is the personal project of Steven Le Moan from France. He started this band in 2003 and after 2 demos he raised the interest of the Canadian label Hypnotic Dirge Records. So, in the end of 2010 the debut album “Mélancolie Urbaine” was out, making quite an impression with its unusual blend of depressive black metal, jazz and trip-hop! Now, after 2 years in Norway, netra return with their second full-length album “Sørbyen“, a work that took its name after a neighborhood in Gjøvik, where Steven lived.

Despite the great difference between the landscapes in the 2 covers of netra’s albums, the music moves more or less at the same style. The melancholy of urban life that was so uniquely captured in the first album, gives its place to an esoteric depression and loneliness. Acoustic and electric guitars build the suitable background for netra’s amazing synths and melancholic vocals. Electronic sounds and trip hop elements are dominant in their music, but they are in an admirable balance with netra’s metal nature! Depressive black outbursts are limited again, but quite raw and aggressive! I find this album better composed, with many more interesting and “digestible” songs. It seems the band has found its personal style, feels now more comfortable on it, so this time more attention was paid to the melodies. Steven’s clean vocals are much improved and his voice follows the sadness and despair of his songs. Really it’s too difficult to describe his music, I can only feel the depressive soundscapes it creates. If you let ”Sørbyen” drag you in its unique atmosphere, then you can’t escape and you don’t want to!

“Sørbyen” is an excellent album for open minded fans, who’d like to take a trip to the more tranquil paths of depressive melancholic music. Netra have managed to merge some theoretically incompatible genres and break many barriers in a unique result. Their music is based on atmosphere and emotion and I think this is their best work so far; a real masterpiece! It is released again by Hypnotic Dirge Records in jewel case edition, with a 8-page booklet printed in matte paper. You can visit their official sites to listen to their music and their label’s page in order to buy this wonderful album.

Norway over the snow, cold and SATYRICON has to offer is no longer a secret. That, in their zest's Musical and create include inevitably tip of the iceberg as there is nothing new. But again and again to beat itself has become almost impossible for one might think. But this Norwegian has French roots and shows here with his second work what happens if a Frenchman Norway air sniffs.

 

Since I took simply no evil Unsuspecting NETRA to order immediately after the first few minutes of listening to determine that it is quite difficult to grasp the project and describe in words understandable. I was such a sound garment in this situation have never been under the ears and that makes it the best will be easier to explain this. In many facets and variety is NETRA with the most interesting thing I got so far heard. Old-established parochial BURZUM , DARKTHRONE and MAYHEM fans of the category of the "true" here should be better put your fingers on exactly how the modern mainstream Metaler. Who dares ran here already should definitely be open to music. It is also not easy to give one out tip, as each song in its perfection of the others too much differs, so none of the full spectrum reproduces. Here you combine influences from black metal through to trip hop through ambience, shoegazing and post-rock. Should really be something and if it is only a few short sections for each. So I am forced to go through each and every song just for a little more insight into the musical world NETRA to represent'S.

 

So begins the opening track of the album "A dance with the blacktop" very quiet and slow with clean vocals and a few keyboard sounds wrong. Who thinks that it remains fundamentally is disappointed. After a short period of developed NETRA to fucking rock Black'n'Roll with vocal samples and some passages that cry may come from hell. Very melodic is held here on a black metal then repeated with keyboard sounds (which somehow very briefly in the first TROLLFEST . remember) to bring back to earth

 

Even at "crawling" all starts with a pretty relaxed kind vocals and lots of reverb. "Crawling"  is exactly the kind of a love song that belongs on this album. The basic concept is quiet here continued from start to finish and consistently invites you to dream. "Sørbyen"  is next to the album title, probably the slowest piece, part reminds TENHI and creates a wonderful hypnotic mood. Only to be beefed up with some electronic sounds, it sounded mighty walls of guitars. But remains at "Sørbyen" anything but sleepy unremarkable (What is not noted negative). In "Sørbyen" is however entirely without vocal and text passage.

 

"A kill for a hug" is equal to the full, and looks onto the body to feel the full broadside of black metal and is decorated with various keyboard tones to suddenly and abruptly slow down. As fast as the rest came, she goes back and then it is given gas. The wonderful contrast between fast and slow drumming electronics like guitar tones makes it a pure genus. Vocally, it's similar to "crawling" on hold. In the last third and for a change a few strings can be heard. The whole accompanied with trip hop sounded make you want more.

 

The beginning of "Streetlamb obsession" reminds me, not least because of the voice sample, strong to the end of SHINING S "Claws of predition" . Again, you will also being brought into the melodic black metal to ambience inside. However here in the quiet sections of the bass very well again on the bass sound of SHINING S "Halmstad" comes close. Depressivste the song on the disc, where the song was exchanged with intercom deposits. Where possible give the song exactly the required refrigeration. Top

 

Water drops resembling sounds conduct "Emlazh" and begins with the end of a speech dialogue fully rise and builds up over time on and on. To a mighty sounding and all low end guitars rolling the dust from the membranes fire (roughly comparable to the old IMMORTAL ). Seems minutes after 05:58, so it pulls the plug anyone and you will be sadly torn from this musical journey that bad. It had previously had the feeling someone stopped time.

In "Wish she could vanish" so it seems, a music here comes from nowhere closer to your ear and you will be treated to singing again. Almost hypnotic tied heard here until shortly before closing again torn with guitars of the harder and a cry out of the trance. What's also good because you would otherwise miss the rest of the silver disc. With 1:34 min is "8-mill ill-posed life" the shortest purely musical work on this album, and yet it knows full and convincing. For all that it was too stressful to find here with "it's kicking in" a peaceful haven to relax. Even the whispers and disturbs not only contributes to the peaceful mood. "Concrete Ocean" is definitely the word for black metal. At least after the initial partners is over. Here the wheel was invented but not new fans of depressive black metal ala was BURZUM , SHINING , PHTO ,  hypothermia and FORGOTTEN TOMB are here have their brightest or darkest more joy. A song never ends dürfender ...

 

"Strange flash at dusk" lets the suspect probably someone here too often ULVER 's "Perdition City" belongs. What starts with a quiet guitar transformed into an overpowering bass einhämmernden gewummer. Perhaps the most beautiful variety of trip-hop to voice my layers can completely do without. Unfortunately the final piece is "I shall slay the Monkeys" . Depending but here is last but not least. Thus, here again given everything and you work through the full range of ability. Raging Black Metal drives with a pained voice at all at full speed again like trying to find a quick end. But it would not NETRA when it would stick to it. Groovy jazz-like is designed and can be part of the Middle "I shall slay the Monkeys' always becoming quiet decay. Even if every now and then the feeling gets it could really start again.

 

All in all it is a grandiose masterpiece that is unparalleled. Who is open for new experiences and a combination of others  ULVER ( The predition City ), DøHEIMSGARD , SHINING , AUTUMNBLAZE can imagine, and the like, the risk here should really an ear and listen. Modern meets old school, more one can say no more here. It's been offered a new musical era that is unparalleled. 

Sørbyen, released in September 2012 by Hypnotic Dirge Records continues the experimental path of the previous full length album and it still is a very exotic, yet strange release, even for 2012.

Sørbyen like “Melancolie Urbaine” is the result of our anxiety, depression and boredom, states that simply amplify in this urban jungle we call “cities”.

A dance with the asphalt, the first track on the album starts with a classy jazzy/soul moment, perfect for a night audition , but quickly transforms itself in a hectic post black metal song, with some really quick guitar riffs and drum beats. Moments specific to the dark metal scene, okay, maybe you can go somewhere near the “city life” influences found in Lifelover or better, in Sanctas Poenas. Crawling, the next song on the album releases the trip hop influences, sadly, it’s not making a big impact.

Soerbyen is a very dark and atmospheric song, slow drum beats, oppressive bass lines … 4 minutes of urban desolation, depression.

From the slow passages we jump to a really fast track, with a little bit post-punk in the intro, A kill for a hug is the perfect example of Netras ability to surprise and also to perfectly combine post-black metal elements with some trip-hop passages. This song is something similar to Amesoeur, but a little bit more “electric”.

Streetlamp Obsession and Emlazh have more powerful trip-hop influences, Streetlamp only with some passages throughout the song, but Emlazh in entire, a little bit less at the end.

From here, until the end, there are six more songs … songs that continue this experimental path, same influences but none of the songs are similar. I will let you discover them.

Still, one of this six, “Concrete Ocean” is probably the most mature song of them all, a perfect depressive black metal track, great distorted guitars, inspired dbm vocals … probably the best track on the entire album.

Not sure if there are more to be said about this album, it’s intriguing, it’s unexpected, it’s a perfect mix of urban life painted in a gloomy grey. Maybe you’ll find it strange at the first audition, but for sure you’ll find interesting things for a one man band after a re-listen

Although there is somewhat surprising is when they hear this album is the impact no less. Even more is broken with traditions that characterize the metal genre. Call this the Radiohead of black metal as you want. Although here and there blast beats, screams and metal riffs in it, this has little to do with it. The ambient triphop reigns but the whole feel of the music remained. Sometimes acoustic rippling with clean (talk) on vocals as opener A Dance With The Asphalt again extremely danceable techno depth and direction Strange Bliss at Dusk . But nowhere is the sadness away, as though to point out titles like Wish She Could Vanish and Kill For A Hug .

For the open-minded listener will be a world record, for others the largest dredging ever made. I myself go again for the first.

Netra, the solo project of one, Steven Le Moan from Brittany, France surprised me in a big way back in 2010 through his debut album, 'Mélancolie Urbaine.' Essentially combining trip hop with portions of depressive black metal, it was a unique and memorable release, which sounds odd in writing, but somehow the formula worked quite well. Named after a neighborhood in Gjøvik, Norway where Steven recently lived, 'Sørbyen' builds upon the foundations of the debut while expanding in all areas and introducing more genre defying innovations and experimentation while being utterly catchy and interesting the whole way through.

'A Dance with the Asphalt' opens with the faint sounds of wind in the distance when soft electronics, a piano playing a very jazzy sort of melody and almost lounge-ish vocals greet the listener, but soon enough it all fades away in favor of a menacing though head bobbing riff and a tremendous scream followed by some sampled voice in French for the next few minutes, when by the end some piano and electronics again make their appearance to close out the song. 'Crawling' forgoes all metal in favor of a somewhat straightforward trip-hop sound that's darkly themed, though amazingly catchy, especially during the chorus that always manages to get stuck in my head after listening, while 'Soerbyen' is an instrumental piece made up of a melancholy synth melody with underlining beats that's highly atmospheric and engaging. 'A Kill for a Hug' happens to be an example where the trip hop and black metal elements are blended rather well and work wonderfully together, where as on 'Streetlamp Obsession' the blueprint is similar, but the mood, flow and overall character is different with quite a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere and even a guitar solo mid-way through.

'Emlazh' really hits hard with the depressing characteristics, sort of Silent Hill-ish in its style, while 'Wish She Could Vanish' has a sense of catchiness, but a hellish black metal ending to it that once again unfolds completely different from the previous songs. The remaining five songs all offer up something slightly different, which makes the album a truly challenging and diverse recording to tackle, but that's just one of the aspects that make it so grand. 

The black metal characteristics and metal in general are sort of toned down on this release, but it has a very similarly dark brooding atmosphere as many depressive black metal bands, even though during most of these moments the music is within the trip-hop/electronic style and the metal moments sort of offer up a more energetic vibe when they appear. Also besides a few screams almost all the vocals are performed in a cleanly sung or whispered manner, though 'Concrete Ocean' offers up some Burzum-ish howls during its blacker moments.

'Sørbyen' isn't going to feel familiar to anyone, because frankly I don't think anyone has ever made a release just like this before. It might be a bit much as its just a little over seventy minutes, but there are some truly brilliant ideas and songs to be had here, and if you simply crave serious diversity and an uncanny darkened and uncomfortable vibe you really can't go wrong with this one.