FROM TRANSILVANIAN FOREST

This EP is actually the re-release of the first release of the band From Transilvanian Forest from 1995, remastered and with a bonus track. I will stars with the last song, the bonus track who in my opionion is the worst song ever release by Negura Bunget. Is just a horrible noise, with an extreme raw vocals and totally unintelligibly lyrics. What was the best song on the original LP De Rece Sînge (From Cold Blood), and the only song with romanian lyrics now is a little disappointing. The guitar is still melodic and the drums sound is very good, but the noise in background is to loud and the keyboard sound is absent. I recommend the original song. The other track sound more better than original songs from the first EP. Especially the drums are more understandable.

Two stars again.

From Transilvanian Forest is the first and only demo release by Romanian experimental black metal act Negura Bunget. The demo was originally released in 1995 under the name Wiccan Rede. In 2000 the demo was re-mixed and re-mastered and two extra unreleased tracks were added and it was released as the From Transilvanian Forest EP. The first pressing was limited to 345 handnumbered copies but From Transilvanian Forest was re-released in November 2008 by Prophecy Productions.

For those who know the early releases by Negura Bunget it´s no surprise that the style of the music contained within From Transilvanian Forest is experiemental black metal. Raw/ raspy vocals, simple and mostly mid-paced riffing and melodic keyboard backing that creates a dark atmosphere. This type of music usually doesn´t blow me away unless it´s really well played and original ( which I don´t feel is the case here) and add to that a pretty weak and muddy lo-fi production and I´m out of here. This is yet another one of those cases where I don´t understand why black metal musicians insist on re-releasing demo material as commercial art. It´s not all bad though and I guess a 2 star rating is warranted.