Negura Bunget-ZI(2016)

Negura Bunget is an award-winning Transilvanian black metal band that twists the genre sideways, presenting an atmospheric sound that incorporates both progressive underground metal and traditional Romanian music.

Negura Bunget's new album, "ZI" (English for 'Day' or 'Say') is the second part of the group's ambitious "Transilvanian Trilogy", released on the heels of 2015's celebrated album, "TAU" (English for 'Your' or 'Thy'), a record accurately hailed as "earthshaking" as it focused on unique native, natural landscapes and the mystique, legends, lore and meanings behind them.

In creating its most luminescent recording to date, Negura Bunget has further immersed itself in the traditions and practices of local Transilvanian inhabitants, exploring their connection with nature, and the way this relationship has shaped spiritual horizons. Within this framework, "ZI" closely examines the core of the most important traditions and rituals connected with the well-being of this community. Life events such as funeral ceremonies, soil tillage, and human growth and evolution (i.e. youth to teen to man to warrior, through to outcast) are spotlighted, in what is undoubtedly some of the most heady, thinking-man's metal produced in recent memory.
Musically, "ZI" builds upon the hallmarks of Negura Bunget's impressive catalog; the juxtaposition and interweaving of grim black metal elements, ambient soundscapes and acoustic counterparts based on native Romanian folk music, giving life to panoramic atmospheres, intensity and power unequaled in the band's rich discography.

An impressive musical statement and crucial bridge between root-bearing beginning and impending finale of the trilogy (scheduled to be released in early 2018), "ZI" is a mystical, tension-building recording that mirrors the size and scope of the deep forest fog for which the band is named.

Release date: 30.09.2016

Available editions:
- CD Digipak
- Gatefold LP (180g vinyl, black) incl. special vinyl mastering, poster, printed inner sleeves and PVC protection sleeve (500 copies)
- 2CD+DVD Artbook, hardcover, 28x28 cm, 72 pages with additional artwork, texts and English translations of the lyrics plus bonus CD with four songs and bonus DVD with 2 video clips and a short film (1.000 copies)

There are also bundles available with the format of your choice and a Negura Bunget shirt:

http://en.prophecy.de/artists/negura-bunget/negura-bunget-zi.html

Tracklist:
1. Tul-ni-ca-rînd
2. Gradina Stelelor
3. Brazda da foc
4. Baciu mosneag
5. Stanciu Gruiul
6. Marea Cea Mare

Bonus CD (only artbook)
1. Tul-ni-ca-rînd (re-mixed version by Daniel Dorobantu)
2. Brazda da foc (re-mixed version by Silent Strike)
3. Schimniceste (re-mixed version by Tibor Kati)
4. Baciu mosneag (re-mixed version by Adrian “Oq” Neagoe & Tragacanth)

Bonus DVD (only artbook)
1. ZI (movie)
2. Stanciu Gruiul (video)
3. Tul-ni-ca-rînd (video)

Album artwork(I like it):



I hope it wont suck like Tau did!!! I love every album they have released expect this one.

Same here.

Anyway, 6 songs?!? I have a bad feeling but HOPE am wrong.

I dont have a problem with long songs, Dacia hiperboreană almost reaches 9 minutes, Țesarul de lumini almost 13 minutes or Cel din urmă vis is over 10. All of them among my favourite ones. They surely know how to make great long tracks, now we need the inspiration and atmophere back!.

New song:

http://www.terrorizer.com/news/watch-new-video-from-negura-bunget-tul-ni-ca-rind/

It sounds like a b-side of Pamint, its a weird track....

These guys seem like they're just gonna end up living off the reputation the old lineup got them. Not even the same band at all so it surprises me people still care after how horrid Tau was.

Oh, c'mon...



Not even.

At least the second line up was a able to record a great record like "Virstele Pamintului". I have seen the last incarnation(the one who recorded "Tau") and they are great musicians but I dont know what the f*ck are thinking with the last musical direction taken by Negru.

That's it. The second lineup could write coherent music but this...?!?

Edit:







Wooden boxes:

A ten minute video/film presenting the new slbum which include a teaser from each song.

I find the second track pretty interesting, a really fast one!. The last one is diferent but I like the the atmospheric touch. The rest have too many clean vocals, it seems to be a very soft album but who knows, at least the video keeps me interested. Perhaps I will hate the cd but I am curious to listen to the full tracks, they could surprise me.

The images are spectacular, though.



Taken from this website which includes a interview with Negru:

http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-08-31/transylvania-s-negura-bunget-unveil-a-spectacular-video

Will have to listen to this.

Edit: They seem to have been having a look to my carnival costumes:
http://viviendoapesardelacrisis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/carnavales-ihauteriak.html
LOL!

STILL sounds fake and empty to me.
Sorry but the AMAZING fact about Old Negura Bunget was that, even not been able to understand a word, you could FEEL understanding the music, the idea, the feeling,... and that's JUST what they lost.

I mostly agree with you bu I am still curious about this. 30th september is not coming soon enough.

I am almost afraid to ask; how much were the wooden box sets?

Wooden boxes with the wheat inside? Wow....

That new 10min movie thing sounded really fucking good to me. And I didnt like that last album much at all. Stoked to hear this.

I couldn't care less about post-OM Negura Bunget, but that part after 2:05 mark sounds glorious.

Will give this a chance.

Not sure right now but the previous ones costed around 40€.

I'll listen to this too. Probably once.

Haha who knows. I guess that at least I wil like one track (or maybe two), which is more than what happened with Tau.

I have listened to the full thing 3 times and well, another album to forget, sadly. Perhaps its better than Tau but this doesnt mean too much.

I would save the second song, which anyway could have been better because the part we lilstened to on the teaser was great but it doesnt last too much on the song. The last song is something different, a long atmospheric and calm piece which even includes female vocals. I like it.

The rest are a compillation of too many clean(and weird vocals) with riffs which I consider uninteresting and folk arrangements which dont carry me to an ancient worldl ike it used to happen with Om and Virstele.

A funny(and sad) fact, the bonus tracks include two remixes(electronic and chill out stuff) of two songs, I enjoy these ones more than the original versions, holy sh*t.

At least there some details to discover on this one...

Did it leak? I'll try to listen to this soon... with fear.

Yes, the same day it was released there was a link haha. Let me know your impressions mate.

I forgot about this but I have it:

Listening to the remixes. WTF?!?

Just would like another Vîrstele Pămîntului, not another Tau. But for the curiosity's sake i wll be downloading this leak.

Why not? at least its suitable music to study. The actual songs, with the exception of perhaps two, are fustrating to listen.

Not gonna happen.


Because of this:


After statements like those, they release directionless and shitty music and bonus discs with remixes?!?

Absolutely. Yesterday I took a lo to the book edition, full of dark and mystic landscapes. Then you listen to the music and the riffs are empty, the folk arrangements remind me more to a pub full of drunken people than anything else... its really difficult to understan whay they are doing...

The concept behind this trilogy was something huge. It could have been something wonderful but...

Yeah. Sorry but some arrangements in those last two albums remind me of this:



Which I would NEVER imagine from a band like Negura Bunget. For fucks sake, I even traveled to Rumania (which is a wonderful country) because of them:
http://viviendoapesardelacrisis.blogspot.com/2013/08/planificar-viaje.html
That's a good indication of how gimmick they became.

The idea of the trilogy is good but you have to have SOMETHING to offer. And this band, at the moment, has not.

A band I still enjoy, despite not being as good as they once were. One thing I'll say unequivocally, Negru is one hell of a drummer. I was lucky enough to see them live awhile ago and he was just relentless.

All this makes me wonder...What the fuck has Dordeduh been up to lately? Their debut was promising and if they followed up with something great now it'd be a pretty hilarious way to stick it to Negru.

This just earned a 4.5 on AMG. Might have to check it out sooner rather than later!

what a great guide to go by.....

Their (or his) worst album so far. Looks like buy-buy NB for me, but let's see what will be on next album (if it happens of course)

The last part of the trilogy is set to be released in 2018. I dont have great expectations after two bad albums in a row, but who knows...

Even been optimistic and trying to think he reserved the good material for the last one, it won't happen.

Horrible album just complete garbage too much noise and ambient shit wow... it feels like a different band after huppogrammos left.. really shame but with this crap they might aswell close down it doesnt hold up at all to their previous.

Definitely a point well taken.. I just couldn't believe it when I saw it. It didn't get me excited for the album as much as interested in what they could have possibly heard there.

The AMG guys are usually good, but the guy who did the Zi review was a new name. I haven't heard this yet, but if it's as boring as Tau I think I'll just pass.

https://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=2480640
https://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=117833


So, I suppose this won't happen.

Man...

I might be going out on a limb here, but I actually enjoyed Zi. Sure, it's not as weird or menace-sounding as Om or 'n crugu bradului, but it had its merits. It's not really an album to headbang to. And I'm deeply saddened that the trilogy will remain unfinished, but hey, maybe we'll get a second Dordeduh album soon. I know guys were in the studio some time ago.