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Archive for December 2016

Review Negura Bunget semi-acustic


Presa Pub launched its newest venue with an anniversary event, marking 20 years of activity for the renowned Atmospheric Black Metal Band Negura Bunget. The concert was held on December 19, having Downfall as warming-up.

The new location of the pub/club is rather small, suitable for hosting intimate events. The stage are would require, in my opinion, to be more defined and equipped – I’m particularly aiming at the lack of any lighting fixture. Besides the technical aspect, the place has an appealing old school vibe, even having a motorcycle as a piece of scenery.
Downfall started around the announced hour, with a small ritualistic intro that involved some candles being held by the band members through the audience and in the front of the stage. The band is still young, starting in 2014, and I’d defined them mainly as Raw Black Metal. All but the singer wore some elaborate priest-like costumes, colored in black and red. Strictly from the show point of view, I’d recommend to a band that aims to incorporate such elements in their live show to pay an extra care to all the elements on and around the stage. Small details can sometimes spoil the whole experience. Their music is pretty good for such a young band, I saw them as intro for Vulture Industries a couple of months ago and they didn’t convince me, but this time the energy they put into their songs made an impression on me. Among the songs they performed, I mention: Into the Darkness of Silence, Elizabeth Bathory, Forsaken, Satan’s Son.


Negura Bunget is surely a name that needs no introduction, among the first mentioned when it comes to the finest Romanian Underground. The band has a long history, marked by some controversies, and left us with a landmark Black Metal album, “Om” (2006), and 6 other full-lengths. This autumn, the band launched the album “Zi”, but the event last evening presented song from all their releases in the past 20 years, in a semi-acoustic arrangement. Indeed, they started with songs from their last albums, such as: Brazda da foc, Nametenie, moving on with oldest one right after Dacia Hiperboreana: Norilor, Cunoasterea tacuta, Hora soarelui. While I feel the new album kind of lacks its spark, after 20 years it was a goose bump moment for me to listen to Norilor, live, again. Especially because I was present at  the album launch with video projection, back then. But I am certain the old must blend with the new, and the setlist managed to please new and old fans alike. As to the semi-acoustic arrangement, it felt special and intimate to listen to the traditional instruments in the dark (especially to the flute), but the cymbals were a bit too strong for that space and sometimes covered the other instruments. Perhaps an arrangement with traditional drums only would have been an interesting solution. But since the band stated they only make acoustics once every 50 years, I guess we have long to wait.


This 65th edition of Bucharest Under Moonlight is the last metal concert for 2016, a good outro while we wait for what the next year has prepared for us. Already some big names were announced for the first part of 2017, so we’ll soon be back for more.


review by Ana Maria Codescu 

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FJORD -Portrait for a reflection. Album release. Guests Asemic& Flesh Rodeo


Fjord launched their latest album, Portrait for a Reflection, on December 15 at Fabrica Club, having Flesh Rodeo and Asemic as guests / opening acts. The event was hosted by Final Step Productions, a relatively new name in the underground scene, and it was my first time at one of their concerts, but certainly not the last. Not only they did a good job at organizing this evening, but they already have announced some interesting things for 2017, so I definitely recommend anyone to keep an eye on their future actions.


Back to the gig last Thursday, I arrived at the venue around the announced beginning hour. Fabrica Club is one of the 3 indoor venues where underground events are held on a regular basis, so it naturally became a near and dear place for me. The night started with no unnecessary delays, with Flesh Rodeo. They’re an Alternative Metal act from Bucharest, started in 2008. I had some reserves if Alternative fits well at a Post-Rock event, but the band was quick to convince me through their solid and energetic show. Now I’d say it was just what a good concert needs, a strong beginning. The vocalist, Radu Ursoiu, has a good and expressive presence, constantly moving on stage. As they were performing, the club became half-full and people started to gather around the front row.

Next was Asemic, an Instrumental Progressive band, again from Bucharest. Their performance was a good continuation of what Flesh Rodeo had started, the same energy flowing through their music. The band was maybe more static but communicated to the audience more. One of the things they announced was a line-up change, Tudor Scanteie being replaced with Andrei Alexandru Bogdan on guitar. Also, they said they’re performing a new song (I don’t recall them mentioning the name for it). So we let ourselves sink in the crescent riffs, with their energy dispelled at times through slow-down passages, while we waited for Fjord.
I believe I saw Fjord live twice in the past, in 2015 in Colectiv Club as an opening act for Altar of Plagues, I don’t remember the second occasion. I was rather unimpressed each time, can’t tell why but they seemed dull. Portrait for a Reflection was online for streaming on bandcamp even since September, and I listened to it more than once, so I had the time to form an opinion. It’s a really good album, the band seems to have found a unique and distinctive voice. That is really hard with Post-Rock, a genre that leaves little room for innovation and many bands seem to sound alike. But it’s not the case here, Fjord has become a unique mixture of melancholic and powerful passages, both on the album and on stage. The lights went off, making room for the video projection and enhancing the atmosphere. I felt embraced by a nameless nostalgia, but not fully taken, the strength of the riffs occasionally taking me back on solid ground.
The club was full when Fjord has begun, a rare sight at concerts having only Romanian bands in line-up. Overall it was a pleasant night for everyone, ending with a good add to my CD collection, an album which I recommend to you all.



review by Ana Maria Codescu.


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Review Shadows Over Romania:Dark Funeral/Carach Angren/Syn Ze Sase Tri/Eternal Fire




  So here we are back again into action,this time attending at Shadows Over Romania:Dark Funeral/Carach Angren/Syn Ze Sase Tri/Eternal fire,which took place at Quantic club,Bucharest,organized by Live Nation Promotions.
 First of all I would like to say a couple of things about the venue itself since this was my first visit there. Unlike other venues around Bucharest,Quantic has a separate concert room which is quite big and I really aprreciated the fact that even if there were around 600 peoples at the concert there was plenty of space to move around,the scene if placed so you can view the show from pretty much any angle of the room. Now let's move on to the show itself. The show started with a little bit of a delay,but as soon as the staff let people enter the room the first band on the bill came on stage. What was interesting was that even if Eternal Fire is relatively new and has only played a couple of live shows this year they knew how to do their apperence at the show. As soon as the band came on stage,the vocalist came among the public towards the stage with an quite mystic apperance,going with his lamp through the public and on stage. I have to admit that for me this was the first time I saw this band live so I didn't know what to expect from them but as soon as they started they succeded to hook me up with their melodic black metal songs,filled with keyboard accents that made me feel like in the middle of a pagan ritual,and as I looked around me it seemed that the public was also caught by their chants. 
Now moving on to the next band,the Transylvanian blood stained metal from Syn Ze Sase Tri,a band that has a long history behind it and which came with a brand new line-up to the show. First of all I must say that I had quite some expectiations from them since this isn't the first time I saw them live and each time they really made an outstanding job on the scene.With their shiny leather armor and shining sigils they come on stage displaying the sign of the wolf and they surely delivered a great show even if the sound overall was a little bit too loud on the vocals. Also they did something very special by dedicating one of their songs,Inaripat Si Impietrit,to the victims of Colectiv. To add to the note,the new line-up consists of Corb-vocals/guitar,Suier-vocals,Mos-guitar,Dor-drums and to be honest they raised up to their name even with the sound issues and the new line-up.

 


Moving on it was time for one of the headliners,the dutch tragedy masters,Carach Angren and what a show it was,having a various playlist that consisted both of songs from This is No Fairytale like When Crows Tick On Windows and Two Flies Flew into a Black Sugar Cobweb and from their older releases such as Bitte tötet mich,Sir John and the ending song Bloodstains on the Captain's Log. And one thing that you won't usually see at a symphonic black metal concert is a full size wall of death. Yeap that's right,Carach Angren made the public do a wall of death.Is that something right to do or wrong as the trve kvlt elitists claim? We'll leave that up to you.I really enjoyed the whole stage presence,in which the music and acting were combined wondurfully into something that was out of this world,and beside that I may add that Namtar did an outstanding job  on the drums.




Before I even noticed the show came to an end and now it was time for the swedish satanic madness to come on stage and while people were waiting for them there was quite some action on the stage,the whole crew setting up their gear and stage. As soon as the lights went out and the fog machines turned on Lord Ahriman, Dominator, Heljarmadr, Chaq Mol and Gustaf Hielm came on stage and before we even noticed they started their set with Unchain My Soul. And what an energetic show they did! Unfortunatelly due to the delays and being on a Thursday night people started to leave early but the ones that stayed didn't regreted a single second. Having more than 20 years of experiance the band really shown how to propperly make a black metal concert.With songs such as 666 Voices In My Head,Atrium Regina,Nail Them To The Cross and My Funeral but also with something that couldn't be missed especially here in Romania,Shadows Over Transylvania. Overall in the end it was a great night and show even if it was delayed and the show took place on a Thursday night,so a big hails goes towards Live Nation Promotions for making this possible,also many thanks goes towards the sound team and the venue staff and least but not last to the bands that made this night a special one.

  review by Balent Adrian.

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