SUR AUSTRU "Meteahna Timpurilor"




SUR AUSTRU

“Meteahna Timpurilor”

When Negru passed away early in 2017, it brought an end of Romania’s #1 metal export, the unearthly NEGURA BUNGET. That band’s style was utterly unique and seemed to embody all the darkness and breathless mystery of Transylvania’s mountains and forests. I didn’t think we would ever see an adequate replacement for NEGURA BUNGET, but stepping out of that band’s shadow is SUR AUSTRU, who are here to continue Negru’s work.

This is difficult, challenging music, especially if you are raised on nothing but relentless metal. You really have to put yourself into a different mindset to get the most out of it. Fortunately, SUR AUSTRU pick up where NEGURA BUNGET left off. If you were a fan of NEGURA’s seminal “Virstele Pamintului” album you’ll love “Meteahna Timpurilor”. It has the same combo of timeless, eerie Romanian folk music and extreme metal. Former NEGURA member Kati Tibor has stepped up to provide the voice of the band. One noticeable difference is that his “harsh” vocals are much more of a deep death metal growl than the raspy shrieks of NEGURA BUNGET. Those get used frequently, but there’s also clean vocals in various styles. It goes without saying that all lyrics are in the original Romanian dialect.

Lots of twists and turns in the music, too much to really cover in depth. Flute pays a large part in SUR AUSTRU’s sound, but I would say there is more metal here than on the last two NEGURA BUNGET albums. “Puhoaielor”, “Bradul Cerbelui” and “In Timp Vernal” are where the metal is the strongest, with the latter song really thundering away. But there are a lot of calm, eerie valleys to go with the thunderous metal peaks. “Jale” in particular is a very soothing tune.

It’s a lot to keep up with and not for a casual listen, but SUR AUSTRU are keeping the voice of Romania and the legacy of NEGURA BUNGET alive on this haunting album.

AVANT GARDE MUSIC

SUR AUSTRU

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