UMUR "Poarta de Dincolo" is a 4 track, 28:35 minutes long EP release by Romanian black metal act Negura Bunget. The EP was released in April 2011 by code666. There´s been a couple of lineup changes since "Vîrstele Pamîntului (2010)" as guitarists Spin and Corb have left Negura Bunget to focus on their own act Syn Ze Sase Tri (who released their debut full-length studio album "Între Doua Lumi " in early 2011). They are replaced here by Fulmineos (guitars, vocals) and Urzit (guitars).

The music on "Poarta de Dincolo" is atmospheric black metal with ethnic folky elements and instrumentation. The vocals are raw, raspy and almost shouting desperate. The tempo is mostly slow or mid-paced. There´s a an earthy and organic atmosphere to the music but also an epic edge created by keyboards. The sound production is equally earthy and organic and make the whole concept work well.

Personally I think that "Poarta de Dincolo" is a step up from "Vîrstele Pamîntului" both in terms of production but also because "Poarta de Dincolo" features less of those almost new age like elements that mared parts of "Vîrstele Pamîntului". It´s a quality release this one and therefore fully deserves a 3.5 - 4 star rating.

The Block When one thinks of Romanian metal, most people usually think of Negură Bunget. Though I’ve never heard much of the band, besides some videos here and there, they have seemed to make huge waves in the black metal scene. After releasing the full length “Măiestrit” only last year, they have come back with yet another release, and though this definitely isn’t there best work, it is still a pretty awesome EP.

Going into listening to this album I expected to find myself not knowing what to give it after a few listens, as with most black metal. But, to my surprise this one jumped out to me right from the start. Though their lineup has changed dramatically over the years, they still sound almost the same, at least from what I have heard of their earlier stuff. “Poartă de Dincolo” starts out with a nice slow paced track in ‘Hotar’. This song features some nice clean vocals by Ageru Pământului, and also some cool black metal growls. Black metal growls are a lot higher pitched then regular growls, and that tends to upset some people’s ears, but I’ve grown to like them a lot. This song is full of high and low points, especially near the end when the growls slowly crescendo up to a great guitar melody. The keyboards on this song, and on the whole album, are played expertly by Gădineţ, and that really enhances the bands sound, especially during the atmospheric sections.

My favorite part of black metal is the atmospheric break down sections. Negură Bunget is great at implementing these sections, and they greatly add to the overall feel of the album. ‘La Marginea Lumii’ and ‘Frig in Oase’ both feature these great drawn out sections, but they add their own touch. With added instruments that include xylophones, kavals, rulas, pan flutes, and tulnics the atmospheric sections are definitely the best part of this EP. Even though I have no idea what a kaval or a tulnic is, they sound really cool, so I’m definitely glad Negură Bunget included them.

The production on this EP is absolutely perfect, and the deep, dark almost creepy sections of it really stand out. What’s great about black metal is that bands usually go out of tune on purpose to create a darker, creepier sound, and the production is so good on this that when they do it, it doesn’t sound horrid at all, but quite fine.

Four songs and 28 minutes after listening to this wonderful EP, the listener will definitely be deeply entranced in “Poartă de Dincolo”. With great instrumental and atmospheric sections combined with nice heavy black metal, Negură Bunget has definitely released yet another quality album. This EP easily deserves 4 stars, and leaves me wanting another release quite soon.

J-Man Negură Bunget is often considered to be Romania's finest and most unique black metal export, and Poartă de Dincolo certainly lives up to these expectations. This 4-track, 28 minute EP is the type of release that will simply send chills down your spine and leave you constantly wanting more. Although this isn't the best entrance point into the world of Negură Bunget, it's a great EP that all fans should track down.

The music on Poartă de Dincolo should be no surprise to those familiar with Negură Bunget. Expect dark, experimental, and occasionally ambient black metal music. Unconventional instrumentation is also fairly common here - expect to hear instruments such as the Xylophone, Kaval, Frula, Pan Flute, and Tulnic (I'm not even sure what all of those are) on Poartă de Dincolo. "Hotar" and "La Marginea Lumii" both open up with eerie, ominous intros before building into heavier black metal sections. The synths certainly provide an atmospheric soundscape and are an integral part of Negură Bunget's sound. "Frig in Oase" is an ambient synth piece that is absolutely sinister. From the haunting chord progressions to the bone-chilling whispers and out-of-tune notes, this is an absolutely terrifying piece. The only way to fully experience this one is with a nice set of headphones in a dark room! Poartă de Dincolo closes out with the title track, which is probably the heaviest song on the EP.

Negură Bunget is a band that consistently churns out quality experimental black metal, and Poartă de Dincolo is an excellent EP release. This isn't the best entrance for newbies (that would be the masterful Om), but any fan of the band should be sure not to miss out on this excellent mini-album. 4 stars are deserved for this chilling, memorable, and breathtaking EP.

adg211288 Poartă de Dincolo is a 2011 EP by Romanian metal band Negură Bunget. Containing four tracks of music the EP lasts for a little under half an hour, with track times being pretty long apiece. Although I personally am not that familiar with their prior work bar a few tracks from their 2006 album OM I have gathered that Negură Bunget is quite a respected name among the metal crowds, which led me to believe that I was in for a treat when a promo for Poartă de Dincolo turned up in my email.

Sadly I feel that despite the renown I have seen all over the Internet for the band, it’s very clear to me that Poartă de Dincolo isn’t the work of a band at the top of their game. It isn’t a bad release as such, it’s quite enjoyable in fact to a point, but a lot of the time I find that the tracks are drawn out too long. The band’s mix of black, progressive and folk metal works well for them and the inclusion of an ambient track (Frig in Oase) is a nice surprise for a release of this nature, and compositionally there are a lot of nice atmospheric ideas going on despite the need for some trimming down. What mars the release the most is that the vocalist showcases some very poor quality growls which coupled with the clear quality from other aspects of the release comes as something of a kick in the teeth. The clean vocals, which are pretty haunting actually work very well and often give a nice folk feel to them which I especially like about the EP. If Negură Bunget were to stick to just clean vocals they’d have a much more praise-worthy release on their hands here.

All in all though there is more to be praised in Poartă de Dincolo than there is to complain about, but upon the EP’s conclusion I am left with the feeling than overall a certain spark is missing. As an atmospheric metal release it works, just not to the point that it could be considered a masterpiece or anything close to it. As I stated above I find the growls the real down point of the EP, and when they hit it kills the whole atmosphere for me. If you can get over the growls then I suspect that fans of atmospheric metal will like this release, but if you are like me and those growls just ruin it for you then I can’t really say there is much going for this EP. Music wise an above average score is actually warranted because all in all it really is only those growls that don’t deserve the recognition. The highlight of the EP for me was actually the ambient track Frig in Oase, mostly because there are no growls to ruin it.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven)

Vehemency The new line-up of Negură Bunget, that last year unleashed the remarkable Vîrstele Pamîntului, didn’t receive as warm welcome as I’d say they deserve. Despite the fact that almost all of the original members are gone, the band sounds as authentically mysterious and convincing as before, and their newest child Poartã de Dincolo, a four track EP that ends their deal with code666, is to prove their skills further.

Nothing has radically changed since their last year’s appearance, but the band does sound more earthy and natural here, perhaps due to the production that isn’t so bright and clear this time. ”Hotar” begins the EP with trademark Bunget mysteriousness, meaning sinister synth mats and clear guitar patterns until it later bursts into distorted menace and, finally, to some truly maniacal blast beat chaos. ”La Marginea Lumi” creeps up slowly with a misty flute melody in leading role, then exploding into various interesting metal sections in the common Negură Bunget tradition.

”Frig in Oase” is wholly an ambient track, and a very welcome one as long as the listener has patience and ear for a long interlude of sorts, but I’m sure all fans of the group know how to appreciate ambience, anyway. Rich synth mats open up the track, later introducing some whispered vocals and a string instrument (guitar?) going ouf of tune - all in all a well done breathing moment until the title track ”Poartă de Dincolo” gets back to the metal. A cleanly sung section is a slight surprise here, but it works wonderfully. Thanks to that, and the ethereal melodies on the latter part of the track, this is another highlight of the EP along with ”Hotar”.

As usual with Negură Bunget’s output, it took a while to get into Poartă de Dincolo but in the end the band didn’t disappoint. There’s true ingenuity lying in these four compositions, only strengthening expectations in regards to their next move from here on. Say what you say, but to me the band is far from dead. Most certainly a worthwhile EP, recommendable not only to the fans of the band but also to those who would like to hear a fair deal of unique Romanian tradition in their black metal.