Romania: home to the legend of Vlad the Impaler, gypsies (supposedly), and the black metal band Negura Bunget.  Having been around since 1995, Negura Bunget had been known as Negru, Hupogrammus Disciple’s, and Sol Faur until recently.  As of last year, only Negru remains in the band, and the newly revamped lineup released Vîrstele Pamîntulu last year.  Now, Negura Bunget is back with an EP in Poartã de Dincolo, which should allow for the new lineup to work together more, if nothing else.

On the EP, Negura Bunget’s music sounds more accessible than on many of their albums.  In fact, it only takes approximately two or three to get what is going on, which isn’t to say that the band is going commercial in any way, shape, or form.  There are still elements that require the brain to process things many times before it can be understood, like on “Frig în Oase.”  Atmosphere is still a major part of the Negura Bunget sound, which counts for a lot, as they’ve always relied on it to make their music sound darker than what it really is worth.  “La Marginea Lumii” is a little lighter in terms of its atmosphere, which inclues the use of the panpipe and xylophone.  The vocals are of the rather typical black metal type for the most part, albeit slower and more painful to fit in with the music, but it’s the music where Negura Bunget has made their living.  “Frig în Oase” is a more ambient track with whispers making up a large part of the vocal content, and is the one track that one could characterize as a “typical” Negura Bunget track.  The title track is a little more straightforward black metal in its approach, adding some variety to what can be considered a true EP in the sense that the band is trying different things.  While all of it doesn’t work, there are some things that Negura Bunget can use to better themselves in the future and are better for it.

There is no true way of “getting” Negura Bunget, and the Poartã de Dincolo EP is proof of that.  Everything that the band wanted to try out on the EP, they did, with varying degrees of success.  The accessibility of the EP is no indication that one will find the other albums to their liking, but it’s a start.  For now, the EP serves as a chance to get into Negura Bunget without going through the trial and error typically associated with finding new bands.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Hotar
2.  La Marginea Lumii
3.  Frig în Oase
4.  Poartã de Dincolo

Total playing time:  28:35

Release Date: April 25, 2011
Label: Code 666 Records

Reviewer: Peter

March 28, 2011

Negura Bunget - Poartã de Dincolo EP