NEGURA BUNGET - 'n crugu bradului
code666 - www.code666.net/webstore
Negura Bungets fourth official release since their inception in 1995 is their most adventurous and mature work yet. A pure concept album based on the 4 seasons seen through the eyes of a shepherd, it consists of 4 tracks simply named I, II, III and IIII each one from 12-15 minutes long.
Since Negura hails from my birthplace of Transylvania, I am fortunate enough to understand the lyrics which are in Romanian (an unofficial English translation is available on www.negurabunget.com). There are no satanic overtones, so if you are into such things look somewhere else. This release is about the four seasons and the changes they bring to nature. A very spiritual theme prevails throughout, without being pretentious or preachy.
The disc starts off with WINTER and as soon as the short intro ends and the instruments prevail, the first thing that becomes obvious is the production. Compared to past releases this is the best they have sounded. Each instrument has a life of its own, but yet the rawness needed to convey the Black Metal atmosphere and experience is ever present. What is great about this release is that the music is very visual. I could almost picture the snow covered peaks of the Apuseni Mountains. These boys also know how to hold a good memorable riff, a challenge that has been lacking in todays Black Metal, save for maybe Immortal.
The second track SPRING, starts off with really eerie effects all conveyed through traditional instruments. The sound of melting snow and the growling of a bear coming out of hibernation are all very vivid visuals. It is a re-birth of nature and of the land. This track is the standout by far. Broken down into pieces it could be used to develop 4 different songs. The thing that works best is the seamless transition from traditional Romanian folk to all out Black Metal blast beats, all done in a truly memorable manner. This whole track is littered with original riffs and passages and I feel it is worth the price of the disc alone. Like the season it represents, this is the track that fully breathes with life.
The packaging is a marvel in its own right. Hand made by the band itself, it has a non-traditional sized 8 ½ x 6 ¼ cover, resembling a book more than a CD. A labor of love that is limited to 3000 copies (and according to Code666 any subsequent pressing will be a regular CD case); it also contains a surprise that sets the mood for the music within. To give you a hint, it has to do with the title of the disc. There is also a multimedia section containing much of the same info that you can find on the bands website as well as a moody music video for a track called Vazduh, that is not on the disc.
While it is undoubtedly a landmark release for the band and for Romanian Metal in general (it is the first release from the land ever that gets a Western Distribution by SPV), I think Negura has one main obstacle in their way to fully connect with all their potential fans. The fact that they sing in Romanian! While this is something that is integral of their sound and many will say that it is blasphemy on my end to even mention this, this I think will hold them back in the long run. Like mentioned previously, I speak the language and understand the flowing beauty of the words, but I also believe that they have such great potential to break out in the scene that it would be a shame to limit them. My belief has always been that they could put Romania on the Metal map, as Sepultura did for Brazil. There are many similarities between the 2 bands and this release has strongly reaffirmed that. A true classic!
EDIT:
Code666 has 7 pieces of the handmade version left here:
http://www.auralmusic.com/public/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=226&zenid=8c97e9fb5d0b2155e9fb62955a331527
