Luckily, in the case of User Ne, I don’t believe the label of "pagan metal" is exactly the right one. The only problem is, I don’t know quite what the right description would be. It is so hard to find truly innovative bands in almost any genre these days, and when one does, they are often, like User Ne, unclassifiable. On Atropa Natura, the members of User Ne mix metal, gothic, folk, ethereal, industrial, tribal and avant-garde styles seamlessly to make a truly original sound for themselves. I know the word seamlessly in the previous sentence might have made some people cringe, shake their heads, and stop reading then and there, but I ask those of you still with me to reserve final judgment until you’ve heard the album.

Atropa Natura is User Ne’s third album, and my introduction to the Spanish band. Of course, after hearing it, I eagerly sought out some of their older material, and managed to get a hold of a copy of their second album, Tarantos, as well. While Tarantos was very good, and featured the same sense of eclecticness, Atropa Natura shows more experimentation and more mature songwriting and musicianship. The band refers to itself as the "User Ne Clan" and it is easy to see why: Atropa Natura features no less than nine contributing members, with an additional four guest musicians as well. This album was truly a monumental undertaking, and there is a definite tribal atmosphere in not only the band’s music, but in their image as well.

I was mesmerized right away with the first song, a brief instrumental piece entitled Cuadrante 4 and featuring skillfully played Spanish guitar. The second track, Vientos Ne Mar, starts off with a bagpipe playing a frightfully catchy almost medieval sounding melody, then explodes into heavy guitars and the deep, and sometimes guttural male vocals of Bossu Morbious, aka "El Tolerante". He’s singing in Spanish, so of course I have no idea what he is actually singing about. About halfway through this song we first hear User Ne’s female vocalist, Pantaraxia, unleashing her smooth, sexy, emotional voice in waves upon us, and I can already tell she’s something special. Ramlun Sahra¯Un, the third song, shows yet another dimension to the musicians’ skill, incorporating Middle Eastern percussion and melodies, with the intertwined vocals of Pantaraxia and Morbious.

Chanson, Femme, Vie, the fourth track, is definitely one of my favourites on the album, even though, or perhaps because, it is probably the simplest; an ethereal, mournful ballad, with acoustic guitar, Pantaraxia’s sweet voice and mournful flute. Immediately following this, is Das Uhört, definitely one of the more epic sounding songs of the album, which begins as a torch song with Pantaraxia doing the lead vocals, supported by a male chanting chorus. The song builds into an almost warlike sound, with martial keyboards, percussion and bagpipes, and then explodes into a cacophony of blasting guitars, bagpipes and Pantaraxia’s wailing vocals towards the end, finally ending with a single, sad, piano line . Truly brilliant and cathartic. Skipping to the eighth track now, a schizophrenic carnival sound, with brutal death vocals contrasted by the most delicate of flute melodies, then complemented by harsh electronics, then back to the flute, then on to an almost jazzy bit with Pantaraxia’s diva-like vocals flitting between the flute, piano and guitar. It doesn’t sound like it should work, but it really does, believe me. I can’t keep raving about all the songs, as they nearly all have something to offer, but let me just praise the last, beautiful piece, Gaia, offered as a bonus track, and I am so happy they decided to include it. An almost new age sound, with ethereal music atop tribal percussion, and nearly operatic male vocals layered against Pantaraxia’s siren like wails. It’s a breathtaking way to end the album.

Atropa Natura is a near perfect album in my mind, although I may have left out the quasi-industrial track Temptation of Belief if I were them, as this seems to be one style they haven’t perfected yet. And although Pantaraxia has a wonderful voice, she needs to work on it a bit more before she attempts to do the Middle Eastern style of singing that is heard in the track El Chascarrillo.. It’s a shame that the vocals aren’t quite up to par, because the music is excellent, beginning with intricate Spanish guitar and percussion (including castanets!), and then transforming, somehow seamlessly (there’s that word again) into black metal mayhem.

It’s really hard to do justice to an album that so wonderfully blends so many musical styles and emotions. Atropa Natura was one of my top albums of 2006, and User Ne one of the best and most original bands I have come across in quite some time. So my advice to anybody who has made it through to the end of this review is just to go out and buy the album, and be prepared for some excellent avant-garde metal that will lead you into a labyrinth of crazy, decadent and satisfying sonic bliss.

9 / 10