Syn by Zenon

The title, “Syn”, which in Norwegian means “vision” or “sight”, reflects the artist’s personal, spiritual, and meditative path of research.  

The record was recorded by a close-knit core:

Filip Zenon Ramberg is the center of this project, a multi-instrumentalist handling electric and acoustic guitars in open tunings, drums, piano and synthesizers, as well as being the main composer.  Zenon is his solo project, an artistic creature he has shaped with his passion for ’60s and ’70s psychedelic rock, folk, and jazz.

Martin van Houtum, instead, is the band’s bassist. On the early albums he also played a key behind-the-scenes role, working as sound engineer and producer.  Besides that, he plays and produces for the Norwegian indie/rock band The New Magic.

Michelle Uller is the lead singer, whose ethereal voice contributes in a crucial way to the album’s dreamlike sound. 

Compared to the previous records, the band has kept the same lineup as on the second album, “Arven” (2023).  There is, however, a difference from the debut, “Passasje” (2021), where Michelle Uller was not yet present and the record was mainly instrumental, with saxophonist Espen Songstad in the foreground.  

The real novelty of “Syn” is the production, which for the first time was entrusted to Per Christian Berg at Audioskop Studio.  The album features no guests or outside musicians. The band preferred a more intimate and essential approach, with all additional instruments (keyboards, piano and percussion) played directly by leader Filip Zenon Ramberg.

The album is built on the idea of “vision”, both as sensory perception and as a spiritual, inner experience.  It is conceived as a meditative, dreamlike journey, an escape from everyday life. 

Inspired by Norwegian landscapes, the album uses nature as a metaphor for states of mind.  The natural environment mirrors the soul, helping it find its own “vision”.

Filip’s open guitar tunings and Michelle’s ethereal voice create a suspended, psychedelic atmosphere, carrying the listener into this “vision”.

Sung entirely in Norwegian, the album represents a fundamental artistic choice for the Zenon project. The musicality and unique timbres of the language blend harmoniously with the record’s folk and psychedelic atmospheres, helping to create that dreamlike, intimate aesthetic, deeply tied to Nordic landscapes, that characterizes the whole work. 

I found the special thanks to Håkon Oftung in the album notes particularly meaningful, given his key role in the live dimension and in Zenon’s sonic development. Håkon Oftung, a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist known in the progressive rock scene (especially as frontman of Jordsjø, a band I follow a lot on Progressive Rock World), was described by Filip Zenon Ramberg as an “exceptional guitarist”, and I absolutely agree.  Starting from the project’s first live shows between 2024 and 2025, Oftung became a permanent part of Zenon’s line-up. His presence on stage made it possible to bring to the stage the complex, layered psychedelic and progressive textures created in the studio for the album Syn. 

Both musicians share a deep passion for Nordic, vintage ’70s rock-folk sounds. Oftung’s contribution and experience have been a crucial added value in shaping and bringing to life the record’s sonic and aesthetic universe.

It’s wonderful how Norway is the place where art and friendship intertwine, where artists support each other and influence one another, giving rise to a strand of progressive rock that draws from Norwegian folk tradition and evolves it in a multitude of directions, without neglecting the (by now historical) legacy of Scandinavian prog bands that revitalized prog from the nineties onward.  

Here is the full tracklist with the original Norwegian titles and their translation:

1.             La meg bli (Leave me alone / Let me be)

2.             Skyggen (The shadow) – which was also the lead single

3.             Så et bilde (I saw an image)

4.             I dans med sol og måne (Dancing with the sun and the moon)

5.             Det eldste språket (The oldest language)

6.             Minne fra en drøm (Memory of a dream)

Syn makes music that blends ’60s and ’70s psychedelia with contemporary Scandinavian singer-songwriter tradition, a mix of auteur pop, indie, folk and psychedelic rock.  The jazz-touch drumming and melodic bass lines marry perfectly with the ethereal voice floating over analog synthesizers.

The songs are meant to be heard as a continuous flow; the tracks melt into one another, inviting relaxed, meditative listening. Filip Zenon Ramberg plays electric and acoustic guitars, creating wide, resonant chords typical of psychedelic folk.

Percussion and drums don’t just keep time, but interact with Martin van Houtum’s solid, melodic bass in an almost jazz-like way. Michelle Uller’s voice is ethereal and focused on nuances; it floats above the synthesizers and piano, becoming a true musical instrument.

Syn is an album that manages to pack, in just 30 minutes, a cinematic and immersive sonic experience.  My favorite tracks are those in the middle of the album, two hypnotic pieces that represent its real strengths. “Så et bilde”, the longest and most ambitious track at over seven minutes, and “I dans med sol og måne”. These are the moments when the band fully surrenders to its progressive psychedelic-rock sound, alternating jazz improvisations with slow, stretched-out tempos.

“Skyggen” (The shadow), the album’s second track, is the darkest and most intense element.  Chosen as a single precisely for its ability to blend the folk of acoustic guitars with Martin van Houtum’s enveloping bass.

And “Minne fra en drøm” (“Memory of a dream”), is the piece that perfectly closes the concept of “inner vision”.  Ambient atmospheres and the vintage synthesizers played by Filip create a feeling of dreamlike suspension, leaving the listener with a sense of peace and reflection.

A major strength is Per Christian Berg’s production. While keeping the analog, vintage approach, he gave a three-dimensional sound—especially in the interplay between jazz percussion and light electronics—that enhances every single nuance of the music.

The result is an intimate sound, minimal yet deep, extremely refined, influenced by Nordic progressive folk. Excellent album!

My version

Label: Sekvens

Catalog number: SKV003

Release date: 04.09.2026

Country: Norway

I bought this record from Tiger Records, a historic shop for independent music in Oslo.  In their online catalog you can find both Syn and the reissues of the band’s previous records (Arven and Passasje).  The record is also available on all digital and streaming platforms, such as Amazon Music and Spotify.

Streaming and Digital: Fully streamable on Spotify and available to buy digitally on Amazon Music and Bandcamp.

Tracklist

La meg bli
Skyggen
Så et bilde
I dans med sol og måne
Det eldste språket
Minne fra en drøm

Lineup

Filip Zenon Ramberg: Guitars, drums, pianos and synthesizers
Michelle Uller: Vocals
Martin van Houtum: Bass
Produced by Per Christian Berg