Title: Netra - Ingrats
Date: 2023-11-18 22:45

[![Cover]({static}/images/netra_ingrats.jpg)](https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/ingrats)

*Ingrats* ("ungrateful ones" in French) is the 3<sup>rd</sup> album from
Netra, and it's a very lonely one, for I don't think it has any peers. A mix of
depressive black metal, trip hop, and jazz à la [Bohren & der Club of
Gore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohren_%26_der_Club_of_Gore) in equal
measures, bound together with a hint of depressive darkwave, resulting
in a not only surprisingly cohesive and daring record, but also an excessively
pleasant and honest one.

Opening with "Gimme a break", a mellow jazzy noir blues vibe where one wants to
snap in rhythm, things quickly devolve into blast beats, raw screams and
twisted guitar of "Everything’s Fine", arguably the most black-metal-esque song
of the album. Albeit it is way more than yet-another-black-metal-track,
morphing into something more complex, with an eerie piano melody, and some
almost gothic rock clear singing. The sudden transitions are perfectly
executed, and the work on the voices is truly delicious, resulting in an
alienating, impetuous yet melancholic track. "Underneath my words the ruins of
yours" is a subtle mix of trip-hop and atmospheric post-rock/darkwave,
pursuing with "Live with It", even more trip-hop, but this time with a
[syncopated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncopation) rhythm, 80s gothic
rock, clean vocals and acoustic guitars, … it results in something like
Katatonia doing a feat with [Gramatik](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramatik)
and [Ulver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulver) period early 2000s.

Then the calm before the storm, "Infinite bordedom", a one minute interlude of grainy piano under the rain,
announcing "Don't Keep Me Waiting", some sort of nihilist black metal track,
but with the noted presence of a saxophone and some clear touches of jazz. The presence of a whispered sample
from [L’exercice de l’État](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Minister)
has a gentle touch of [Ba'a](https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/B%C3%A2%27a/3540445572). Moving on
to "A Genuinely Benevolent Man", starting with synthesisers,
then a 4|4 kick resulting in something that could be on a [VNV Nation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VNV_Nation) album.
Until it decays into something more raw, and when the shrieking vocals
are showing up, you didn't even realise that we've left the world of the darkwave
to return into the one of black metal.

"Paris or Me", dark and rainy, with bits of triptop percussion,
introducing "Could've, Should've, Would've", with tasteful hints of Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance,
post-2000 Velvet Acid Christ, giving it a resolute tasteful darkwave-synth-pop-EBM
cocktail. The album ends with "Jusqu'au-boutiste", starting with some jazzy piano on a [walking
bass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassline#Walking_bass), turning into an ultra-saturated tremolo riff with blast beats,
and both worlds are alternating along the track, only interrupted by a very à
propos sample from [Low Down](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Down). It goes
on until the piano gets creepier and creepier, landing into strings,
morphing into dislocated tip-hop soul, beaching onto calm synthesisers,
and ending with raw black metal as background for electronic sounds.

As [Hypnotic Dirge Records](https://hypnoticdirgerecords.com/), the label on which the disc was produced, perfectly
summarised:

> The perfect soundtrack for late-night walks in the city. The material on
“Ingrats” is an all-out assault on the senses, a bitter pill that must be
swallowed as an accompaniment for self-reflection. An album which can connect
emotionally and leave you drained at the end.