Review : NEGURĂ BUNGET – “Maiestrit”

Negurã Bunget – Maiestrit
released March 15, 2010 on Lupus Lounge/Prophecy

Rating : 4.5/5

I really, REALLY don’t like it when bands rehash old albums. At least that’s what I used to think before hearing Negurã Bunget‘s re-imagining of their 2000 release, Maiastru Sfetnic. For a few years now, Negurã Bunget has been one of my favorites. They are masters at combining Black Metal with folk and atmosphere without resulting in cheese. I will admit though, there are parts of “Maiestrit” that have that lo-fi synthesizer sound that are reminiscent of the early days when Black Metallists didn’t know the difference between a keyboard that sounded like a symphony and a keyboard that sounded like shit. Redemption is made by the beautiful atmospheric gesture of layered instruments and the production, which is commendable for this type of Black Metal.

As you may have gathered from my opening comments, I was hoping for an album more along the lines of Om, their previous (and best) album. If you play Maiestrit and Maiastru Sfetnic back to back, it does feel like a straight up re-recording. But it goes way beyond that. When I listen to Negurã Bunget, I tend to listen to the more recent albums, simply because Maiastru Sfetnic sounds sloppy in comparison. A crude low-budget sound works well for a lot of raw and crusty Black Metal bands, but Negurã begs to have a softer type of dissonance. Maiestrit, however, brings their early material to the level it should have been. It’s no Om or ‘N Crugu Bradului, mainly because it lacks the Romanian folk sound which give those albums their charm, but as far as atmospheric Black Metal is concerned, Maiestrit stands strong. Incredibly strong.

It is great, however, that Negurã has not forgotten their roots. Take the fifth track on the album: “Bruiestru”. It begins with an elegant tribal/folk segment, then out of nowhere you’re dropped into blazing dissonant Black Metal which leaves you short of breath. The first and second tracks are also notable, the latter memorable as being, I guess what you could call, “haunted house black metal” (or Transylvanian, if you want to ruin my fun). The album also features “acoustic” versions of two songs at the end of the album, but they rely a bit too much on synthesizers and don’t capture the organic mood which I think they were trying to achieve.

Maiestrit is not a typical rehash of an early album. It takes something that was old and unnoticed and gives it the attention it deserves.

Try 1, 2, 5

01. Vremea locului sortit
02. În-zvîcnirea apusului
03. A-vînt în abis
04. Al locului
05. Bruiestru
06. Plecăciunea morţii
07. A-vînt în abis (Acoustic Version)
08. Plecăciunea morţii (Acoustic Version)