One of the attractions of listening to extreme music is that it is constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, incorporating new styles, and in contrast to some other musical genres, bands are generally not content to sit back on their laurels releasing the same album over and over again. One such band were Romania’s Negură Bunget who effortlessly moulded atmospheric, traditional folk and black metal elements creating their trademark sound, developing with each new album until their tragic demise in 2017.
Rising from the ashes of Negură Bunget are Sur Austru, who remain rooted in Transylvania and her many myths, gaining inspiration from nature, ancient lore and forgotten rituals which were important for their debut ‘Meteahna Timpurilor’. I was keen to see how their sound would develop on their sophomore album ‘Obârşie’ and I was not disappointed. ‘Obârşie’ continues to expertly blend atmospheric black metal with traditional Romanian folk elements, this time while delving into the realm of the Solomonari from Romanian folklore.
The album opens with two epic tracks, ‘Cel din Urmă’ clocking in at over thirteen minutes and ‘Taina’ at almost ten minutes. These tracks are the cornerstone of the album combining atmospheric black metal passages with folk elements using traditional instruments and evocative vocals to conjure up images of vast, sweeping landscapes, while a haunting melody pervades through the tracks. These are followed by ‘Codru Moma’ which is an instrumental piece once again using traditional instrumental and folk melodies evoking images of sitting around an open fire in the wilderness late at night.
This leads into ‘Cant Adânc’ which builds things back up, initially with a folk feel but evolving into a more black metal orientated track. ‘Caloianul’ has another traditional intro, with almost ritualistic chanting, building into folk black metal classic with a climax perhaps bringing to mind Hellenic black metal. Atmospheric black metal remains prominent on Ucenicii din Hârtop I and Ucenicii din Hârtop II which close the album, but there are still folk tinges as these tracks build and swirl around you.
This should really be considered as one piece rather than seven separate tracks, with each track being intrinsically linked to the others, building on what has gone before and laying a foundation for what follows. This is an epic, sprawling piece of work that takes time to develop its textures and emotions, as it winds its way patiently down long forgotten paths through the mystical landscapes of Transylvania and the Carpathians.
(8/10 Andy Pountney)
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