“The Age of the Land is an album about embracing your destiny, about choosing and consciously assuming a way of fife. The Earth is where we came from and where we go back into.” Another natural and organic album from Negru and new company. Now lets move past the record label press kit and delve into whether this disc has any merit to it and is worthy of the name Negură Bunget. I was dismayed to hear of the break up of the band and shocked to learn Negru was continuing the band without the blessing of co-founder Hupogrammos Disciple’s. My first reaction was can’t possibly be good, can it? Negru is one of my favorite drummers but this band is far more than percussion and I was not sure how much of the raw atmosphere of the music could be attributed to Negru. No way could he just fill in the slots in the lineup and continue seamlessly.

Prepare to be mesmerized beyond your wildest expectations. When this digital promo arrived on my hard drive I was delighted, nay, devastated. New members, new material, no way, they were going to tarnish perfection. Took less than five minutes for me to change my tune, dawn has risen on a new age of Negură Bunget but the entire history of the last age is not only fresh on their minds, it is resplendent in auditory glory for all to enjoy, revel in the lush haunting keys, the ever present majestic undertones, yes even their undertones are majestic, and the razor sharp slashing bite of the vocals. The clean style is heavily used as well. The clean vocals decay into the mists and the horns rattle the roots of the mountains. The warbling melodic lines add that mystical quality so vital to past Negură Bunget albums. Overall this album is more folk, less black, more ‘progressive’. Many times while listening I am reminded of Weather Report’s I Sing The Body Electric, though I would not call Virstele Pamantului jazz metal.

If you sit and listen, trying to pick out the drum patterns, the bass lines, the subtleties of the guitars, you quickly get drawn in. Turn down the lights, turn up the volume and allow yourself to be drawn away to the land of faerie, or the Romanian version of it, when you come back you will never be he same. People will look at you and say, sadly shaking their heads, “He has never been quite right since he was carried away into the misty mountains.”

Favorite songs are irrelevant, listen in its entirety, but pay extra special attention to “Întoarcerea Amurgului” and “Jar.” This is easily the best Negură Bunget 2.0 release, lets hope for a second one.

[Visit the band's website]

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