Negura Bunget : "ZI"

The hungry Transylvanians are back. The first song is more chanting an native instrumentation than metal and when the distortion does crunch on it's just that and not black metal per se. Negru is the only original member with members of Din Brad and Grimegod picking up the slack. There is a weird lapse into rock n roll on "Gradina Steletor". Thanks to the members of Grimegod, there is more of a death metal feel at work than black metal when they do go into the heavier sections. While the rock n roll portions were unexpected I am a fan of the darker moodier beginning of "Brazda da foc" . A throaty Neurosis like sung vocal comes in before the murmur of blast beats builds beneath them. The explosion is however contained. I can appreciate this as it defies the run of the mill metal formula.

The plot thickens as they get heavier on "Baciu mosneag". There is a more frantic almost progressive touch to this one , with sung vocals providing a greater contrast before the death metal growls come in. The there is an almost more Iron Maiden like gallop that chimes in with the guitar solo. It breaks down into minimalist atmosphere with a simmering chant in the background. It builds back up in a manner more in line with the rule book of standard heavy metal dynamics. I really like the blend of sonics and folk instruments that set "Stanciu Gruiul" into motion. It ebbs and flows with all of these sounds in play and a gypsy folk. Far from the heaviest song on the album it does prove to be one of the more interesting. The last song "Marea Cea Mare" has a more abstract droning atmosphere. Female vocals eventually float in, while I did the sonic depth it just hovers in one place for the first  too long. There are some other re-mixes of the other songs, but for the purpose of this review I am just going by the songs written for this album.

I'll give this album a 9. I am unsure if I need this in my iPod or not though I might just give it a shot. I like the balance achieved here that is true to what this band does. If you are already a fan then it should live up to your expectations as to who this band is and what they should sound like while adding more depth to their sound.

Black Metal History Month: Negura Bunget's"Tau"

We will say the band is back after five years, since that ep they put out in 2011, just sounded like they were trying to be Enslaved. They have returned with what is to be the first album of a three album trilogy. They brought back the balance of ethnic folk sounds and metal are back in back. It can be debated as to if they are back playing black metal or not. I can say right from the opening song it's obvious that this is something that is going to take multiple listens to soak in all the layers. This  opens more along the lines of "Virstele Pamintului" which is impressive considering the drummer Negru is the only member of the band who played on that album. This new line-up has been intact since 2013 and features members of Grimegod and Din Brad.

"Izbucul galbenei"storms of more in that Enslaved direction with a very straight ahead metal attack. Some of the folk elements when they introduced on this album are more synth driven and less organic in feel than those on"Virstele Pamintului". The album does have more of an ebb and flow than any other folk metal album I have heard in recent years and even what sounds to be some electronic elements running as a strange undercurrent . This is very ambitious and it pays off more often than not. There is a darker vibe to this album. There is an almost Wardruna like pulse to the chant that opens "Curgerea Muntelui". The synths build the drama reluctantly bringing the metal back as the growls return. They continue to balance the two worlds as the epic chug to "Tarim Vilhovnicesc" carries a progressive slant against the scathing vocals screaming into the distance. The drumming on this album is phenomenal, and I don't normally get too excited about drummers.

There is an odd array of elements from almost a gypsy ska along the lines of Gogol Bordello mixing with dark prog metal. This makes for one of the albums most unique songs and opens new creative doors for the band. They ride on a graceful sweep further into metal with the melodic yet powerful"Picur Viu Foc". The growls rumble up from a dark place in the soul as the flutes attempt to offset this. There are more clean vocals on this album than in the past , yet they seem as if they are being handled differently this go around. On the last song they really take on a strong and commanding melody in the vein of Primordial. I'll round this up to a 9.5, though once I get use to some of the changes and the more epic and progressive way of apporaching the metal section rather than black metal, then it might even turn into the perfect album to me, but right now it's going to be getting repeat listens as I soak it all in. If this is the first album of a trilogy I can only hope the other two are this good.

Descend into Despair: "The Bearer of All Storms"

Starving for some new funeral doom, I jumped at this Romanian band, since after all they hail from Dracula's home land so they have to be good. They carry the plod into their first full length with exotic synth lines draped over the background, the syncopated part in the chorus of " Portrait of Rust" is pretty clever, but they sound like uber slow death metal more often than not.

Some of the guitar tone could stand to be thicker, or cleaner if they were going for more of a Loss thing. I can hear some Evoken influence. Midway in the first song clashing melodies snake around one another, the guitar line reminds me a little of Alice Cooper. The vocals are a low cookie monster growl, the bass player hides out in the back ground , which might effect why their sound is not as fulls it could be and gives the drums a weird hollow sound.

The keyboard add a lot to their sound, making this one of the rare exceptions to the rule when it comes to this sort of thing. The eeire almost circus like cadence of " Mirrors of Flesh" proves the point that these guys are adhering to any  funeral doom mold. The clean vocals come in the second song, low and mournful, set against  angular guitar creepiness. At time this shifts into a more Ennio Morricone feel.

These guys seem pretty content with the downward path the are treading, as they are solidly keened into their own style, no need to add a black anything to their sound. The synth frequently take on a symphonic string sound, this creates a more gothic feel, in the same tone as say My Dying Bride, just less melodramatic. They utilize ambiance to good effect at the onset of "Pendulum of  Doubt" the vocal remain in the lower death metal register, though the do not carry the same gurgling resonance of say Loss or Mournful Congregation.They are more layered as the song progresses. Four minutes into the song , more dramatic My Dying Bride like vocals bellow in. The delivery is not as refined, but I admire the effort.

In the album's second half the songs grow more sprawling clocking in anywhere from 16 to 17 minutes. There is a very interesting morose melodic nature to "Triangle of Lies", just when I think they are going to veer into territory more similar to their country men in Negura Bunget, they wind around into something more gothic. It's when the get into the meat of this song that their sound begins to click with me.

The dark pageantry continue to unfold, with the piano line and violins, that weep out from the cracks of "The Horrific Pale Awakening" that is the albums lengthiest track at almost 18 minutes. All the layers, while might seem over wrought to some, do keep the epic spanning songs from becoming dull. After the first four minutes the song begins to loosen up. There is an almost Esoteric abstraction, in the way the wandering jams of these songs branch out. Six an a half minutes in you begin to wonder how will these guys keep your interest for another twelve minutes. They let the keyboards take over and drift into angelic waves. They storm back in at a more occult death metal pace, before drifting off again in another direction, almost like prog. The song washes back an forth like a tide. The death metal influence takes precedence here, though sprinkled with some pretty chilling solos. The bottom totally falls out in the songs final three minutes breaking down to a whisper, where it becomes the first time I can really hear the bass, before the keyboards create a more pip organ sound.

The primordial sonics that bubble up from the lower depths of the graves the band crawls out of to find melody in the strangest place. Sometimes the clean vocals take on almost the ghostly groan of mid range King Diamond. The requiem's for humanity ache on, finding their most inspiration in the more melodic passages where they have room to flourish. The compositions are allowed to transition in a pretty organic manner, none of the changes are that jarring or forced sounding. The keyboard parts are designed to give the band time to transition. When the more suicidal black metal screams of anguish caw out, this is the only time I hear the dissonance found in black metal.

The more gypsy like feel of their homeland peek out from behind the toiling riffs. Overall they maintain the sound they have crafted, with only a wink in the direction of  Transylvania, even when creating keyboard landscapes that could double as horror movie soundtracks. The growls also begin to find more variety the deeper into the album you sink. "Embrace the Earth" wraps up this epic album with the organ keyboards. A minute and a half later the chorus of clean vocal chants beckons. The death gurgles growl up from under this dismal display off power. Some cool clean yet creepy guitar uncoils as the final moments of the album draw near, building up into a chug, that fakes you out when the band collapses back down into a more doomy pace. The dissonant strummed guitar seems like an odd choice to bring closure, to this but many weird choices have been made here.

I'll round this up to an 8 because, I generally like what these guys are doing, I thik with better production that would thicken the guitar sound , this album would be even better, but I hope I can hear this fully realized from the band in the future, some of the sprawling keyboard sections could have been reined in but overall I think this album works as they keep you listening as the songs shift slowly under your ears.

      

5.5