Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Negură Bunget > Măiastru sfetnic > Reviews
Negură Bunget - Măiastru sfetnic

The spirit world opens up to bleed - 91%

erebuszine, April 28th, 2013

Opening with a rumbling earthquake presence, as the sounds of the various instruments slowly build (as if from beneath the ground) and then exploding into the listening space with an ambient, chilling wash of distorted guitars, this album announces the presence of a new aesthetic within Eastern European black metal. Recorded in a very raw fashion (the most impressive item of the production, for me, is the drum recording) in what sounds like a live setting with minimal overdubs, Maiastru Sfetnic - from the very beginning - seizes the listener and transports him/her into a completely different world, one where the elements of nature are mirrored in the sounds of the instruments: the freezing blasts of winter wind, the oppressive gray atmosphere of an eternal snowfall, the majestic aura of ancient forests, etc. The easiest way I can describe this recording is by comparing it to a physical journey: the opener, 'Vremea Locului Sortit', spreads through the listening sphere like a pagan indoctrination into the black arts, filling one's ears with contrasting textures of abrasive distortion and microtones swirling underneath the surface riffing in the shadow of the Transylvanian mountains. This song seems typically 'Romanian' to me, for whatever reason, based on Negura's earlier output. From there the journey in the mind's eye (or ear) begins to move towards the north, or north-eastward, and the songs become even stranger (the second track 'In-Zvicnirea Apusului', for example, incorporates both a whistling tone and the sound of wind as instruments) as their melodicism embraces distinctly 'anti-human' tendencies, i.e. the melodies begin to communicate less and less to the listener and take on the feeling of natural phenomena - that is to say, their inspiration is from nature itself (and mimics the elements in that their message escape the reach of 'immediate' human sensibilities) and doesn't really express a desire to communicate 'common' emotion. As the albums progresses, the songs become more and more abstract and begin to lose their tight structural emphasis. While the second, again, is an exercise in including new instrumental emphases/influences as well as bulding upon a simple framework of repeated motifs, the songs after this (there are six in all on this record) begin to venture away from traditional dynamics. Once again, this is a progression, a journey towards something... but what?

I believe this 'falling away' starts exactly at 8:35 into the second song, where the 'normal' instrumentation drops out, the wind enters in the left channel, and there is an eerie section of dark keyboard tones and swirling electric guitar tremelo picking in a very high register, travelling from the right to the left side of the listening space, while something - just below normal audibility or clarity - is chanted. The third song then opens up in fine fashion as all the instruments combine in a slow expansive melody before suddenly blasting into a highspeed black metal section... but the entire time the crawling, 'swelling' washes of keyboard and rhythm guitar riffs undercut this change in tempo. This music tends to stand still, resolutely, even while it creates an illusion of movement. The melodies, as I said above, begin to grow abstract here... it's as if one has stepped into a dark forest, proceeding north in the night, and the spirit world opens up to bleed forth its alien, anti-human, messages - emotions and languages that are somehow just beyond the reach of mortal ears. The importance of these melodies, it seems to me, is not exactly in what they say - which is very little - but what they hint at... a different, more complex world just behind ours from which they derive their emotional energy. The fourth song, 'Al Locului', then, is the sound of these spirits in the night mourning, in a fashion that is completely atypical, seeming to arise from beyond walls of mist... starting here, as well, the melodies (at least to me, in keeping with the metaphor of a journey north) begin to grow simpler, colder, and the song structures become less complicated - serving mainly to build impressive atmospheres through abstract instrumentation (that is, all the traditional instruments and melodic motifs of black metal, but used in completely different ways, in an idiosyncratic fashion) instead of creating narratives that reinforce the lyrics through the repetition of key musical phrases. 'Al Locului' begins and travels towards its end in a straight line, without deviating or turning back on itself at any time. It just builds and builds, moving from space to space to illustrate different atmospheres/ideas/emotions. As the album ends, I believe one exits, at last, the forest/cursed land that these songs have taken the listener through, only to gaze upon a windswept, barren expanse of blue ice and desolation... as if the journey, which began in the depths of Romania, travelling northward all the while in the shadows of nature, has at last left one alone and unsheltered before the grim elemental archetypes of death... this last song may begin by assembling itself out of vocal/synth fragments, painting the picture of a human nature to the messages contained within - the distinctly human overtones of this 'tragic' performance - but I believe its entire evocation - taken as a whole, including the morose ending - leaves one utterly alone - unguided, and on the edge of dissolution in a chaotic, hostile, arctic landscape.

The overriding notion that I have, time and time again after I listen to this work, is the way that this album defies direct description, and the manner in which these melodies - taken collectively - seem, to me, to be so abstract, so personal, that they make one struggle to describe both their structure and their emotional impact. I can not say exactly why this album impresses me so much... and perhaps that is why I keep coming back to it, trying to force my impressions into some kind of rational, logical discourse... even though I feel such a project is futile. More than anything else, this record displays the transcendent nature of music... how music can completely escape the ability of language to 'capture' its essence.

If you are in any way an enthusiastic supporter of progression in black metal circles, outside of the depressing rise of commercialism in the genre, and you want to experience what real black metal art sounds like - music created by committed, intelligent, expressive souls sworn to the black - then by all means pick up this album and give it a few listens... I believe this is one of the finest records I have had the honor of listening to in quite some time.

UA

Erebus Magazine
http://erebuszine.blogspot.com

Negura Bunget - Maiastru Sfetnic - 70%

ConorFynes, December 12th, 2011

Negura Bunget is widely regarded to be Romania's greatest metal export, and although I did not always think of them this way, they have been steadily growing on me recently. 'Măiastru Sfetnic' is the band's second album, and although receiving only limited attention, some of the more dedicated followers of the band have since considered it a classic. While now having been re-recorded under the title 'Maiestrit', 'Măiastru Sfetnic' would have been all but lost in time. Luckily, this is a gem of Eastern European metal, and while the odds may have been stacked against it, its quality will keep it going. Negura Bunget creates a convincing and incredbly atmospheric dark metal sound on this second album.

For someone already familiarized with the black metal sound, Negura Bunget does not stray far form three. Instead of focusing on how heavy they can be, Negura Bunget instead aims for atmosphere, the feeling of despair and romanticism I am sure only a Transylvanian forest can evoke. Everything is given a dreamy lo-fi production, which will turn some listeners off, but for me, it obscures the sound just enough to leave a part of 'Măiastru Sfetnic' up to the listener's imagination. Along with fast drumming, raspy vocals and a feeling of decay of sadness, the band is not so far flung from other black metal acts. There is a difference here from Negura and say, the Scandinavian black metal bands however. This difference in style most gets across through the band's moderate use of folk influences here. Folk in metal may not have been a new thing by the year 2000, but there is certainly a different, more haunting vibe that Eastern European folk gives as opposed to its warmer Western counterpart.

The highlight track here for me is the absolutely majestic 'Al Locului'; a slow building monster which ascends the mountain with ambient vocals and a repetitive atmospheric riff that keeps the dramatic tension rising. 'Măiastru Sfetnic' reaches its ultimate point when the music bursts out into nearly inhuman howls in tandem with the melodic guitars. Not all parts of this album have the same memorable feel to them, and I would say that some of these songs (most of which lurk around the ten minute mark) could be cut down a bit in order to keep some of the less melodic moments from growing stale.

'Măiastru Sfetnic' is a great album though, and one that took me a few listens to sink in. The symphonic and folk undertones to this harsh music give it an added dimension that I find very intriguing, and as far as this rehash of the album released a decade later, its difficult to beat this recording's bitter sense of atmosphere.

Sounds from the dark Transilvanian woods - 98%

PhantomMullet, October 5th, 2008

"Maiastru Sfetnic" is one of the least talked about releases by Negura Bunget, but it's unclear why this is true as I think it's their best release so far. Negura Bunget has been well known for including various styles of folk elements in their music. This is most apparent in their later releases, but their early work is straight up, atmospheric black metal with minimal folk influences. Their debut "Zîrnindu.." was a solid release with a light and easy production with above average catchy, song writing, albeit the album was a tad short. "Maiastru Sfetnic" is a huge development and more mature release from their previous releases.

...But let's pretend you've never heard Negura Bunget before and know nothing of what their music sounds like. Then what kind of music is found on "Maiastru Sfetnic" anyway? Well, Negura Bunget itself stands for "black, foggy forest" and after listening to "Maiastru Sfetnic" you cannot sue them for false advertising. An album like this one is the epitome of dark forest black metal.

Picture yourself alone in a large maze of woods at night in an obscure location, where it's pitch black and hard to see anything where the only light is from the full moon shining down on the trees. That's essentially the feeling the songs from "Maiastru Sfetnic" give the listener. The lyrics are all presumably in some kind of Romanian dialect. I could not find a translation of the album title, track names, or lyrics. Because of this, there's a very mysterious feel from this album that no other bands can reproduce. When listening, you have to use your imagination to figure out what the songs may or may not be about.

As far as the sound goes, it's relatively raw with weak production since the vocals can be hard to hear at times. Despite that, you can hear the guitars, keys, drums, and even the bass pretty well when they blend together. I wouldn't change the production - it's perfect - and any changes for better or worse may in fact hinder the ambiance. The music is never shoved right in your face and down your throat and you'll have to listen well, but you won't have to work too hard trying to pinpoint every little thing. If you were to mix Wrath of the Tyrant-era Emperor with Dark Medieval Times-era Satyricon and throw in some kind of eastern European flavor, that's what kind of sound we're looking at there.

It would be a waste of time to discuss each song individually with all the details, so I'll try to generalize this best as I can. Most of the songs are over 9 minutes, most of them featuring a variety of different tempos. In many of the tracks, the transition between fast and slow is done pretty well. There are often parts in the tracks where the members just jam out with each other in the middle of the piece, but it comes together in an impressive manner. The build ups are just astounding and the atmosphere never falls off. "În-Zvîcnirea Apusului" is a great example of the variety found in "Maiastru Sfetnic". I'd also like to note the slow introductions in the last two tracks, mostly synth driven, again attributing to eerie, haunting feel of the album.

My personal favorite is "Al Locolui" because this song represents all that is great with "Maiastru Sfetnic". There's a slow, quiet build up in the beginning mostly done by the bass, then the guitars and drums kick in at full blast but still not yet increasing tempo. Soon enough, there seems to be some kind of chanting done either by actual vocals or by synthesizers, then we can hear some screams try to mimic those lines. This is part is one of the best parts of the tracks because of the way it just powerfully sucks you in to some kind of trance. The tempo finally increases and the listener gets a sense of strong musicianship as the drums collaborate well with the guitars. Again the song slows down featuring a well done combination of the synthesizers and lead guitar. It has a truly dark, haunting, unpredictable feel. Then the song continues to build up from then on until the masterpiece sadly ends.

And that's just one track. There isn't a single weak song found on"Maiastru Sfetnic". You'll find at least a few things appealing in each one. As you can see, I didn't go too specific on examples with the song writing and atmosphere, I'll leave that for the listeners to take my word for it and find out for themselves and interpret it for themselves. I wouldn't want to spoil anything. Many times I listen to "Maiastru Sfetnic" I find something new, as well. I can't find any faults in particular with this release. It comes off as pretty innovative with full effort inputted by the members of the band.

If you're someone who enjoys a dark, dreary, shadowy atmosphere with excellent musicianship found in the songs, then there's no reason to at least not listen to "Maiastru Sfetnic". Even if you heard Negura Bunget before and couldn't understand the hype with albums like Om, then perhaps you might want to give this one a try. Go out and buy this album, but good luck finding it! It might be their strongest release and it will well be worth it!