Bucovina - Suntem Aici - review
Bucovina - Suntem Aici - review
Tracklist
01. Vara Toamnei02. Tăriile Văzduhului
03. Valea Regelui
04. Rătăcitorul
05. Suntem Aici
06. Insomnii
07. Stahl Kennt Keinen Rost
08. Cu Mândrie Port Al Meu Nume
09. Folc Hevi Blec
10. Năpraznica Goană [reprise bonus]
A review by
AndyMetalFreak December 28, 2022
The Romanians are certainly no strangers to providing us with great folk metal acts, with bands such as Negură Bunget and Dordeduh being amongst the countries most well known; however, whereas those bands are involved in the blackened side of folk, Bucovina fit themselves into a much more traditional route instead. Bucovina are perhaps most well known for their impressively overlooked debut Ceasul Aducerii Aminte, but that's not to say that the rest of their discography doesn't deserve praise either; they are fairly consistent in keeping up with providing enjoyable folk metal to us. Now, unlike their previous release Septentrion, Bucovina seem to have opted for an even more traditional heavy metal-influenced approach here on Suntem Aici; to me it seems that less emphasis has gone into those folk elements.Bucovina also deliver English lyrics in parts of the album, which is a new approach for a band that understandably prefer to use their mother tongue.
To begin with, the riffs are very striking and very melodic, but also fairly straightforward; they have a traditional-sounding approach to them whilst still possessing an epic sound and heaviness, very similar in style to Amon Amarth. This does, however, work very effectively; I mean how can the main riff on "Valea Regelui" not have you hooked in an instant? Well, if the riffs don't have you hooked, then I'm sure the catchy choruses will; the dual vocals of Florin Ţibu and Bogdan Luparul that you hear on the chorus to "Rătăcitorul" definitely had me hooked, and the opening singalong to the closing track "Folc Hevi Blec" even more so. It felt as if I were at the center of a Romanian Tavern surrounded by drunken merry men, and despite me not even being able to understand the Romanian lyrics, it still very much invited me to want to sing along.
The leads in general are nothing overly technical but are still pretty decent, and I have to say exceptional on a few occasions, with the lead solos on "Suntem Aici" and "Stahl Kennt Keinen Rost" most worth taking note of, even if they are a little high in the mix, which I did find to be only a minor issue. Now, it goes without saying that most folk bands traditionally tend to include the acoustic guitar in their music, and Suntem Aici is no exception whatsoever. The track "Rătăcitorul" includes a fine opening acoustic passage, and several other tracks also feature impressive acoustic guitar work. These Eastern European acoustic melodies clearly remind you that Bucovina are still very much a folk metal band at heart, not a heavy metal band with folk elements.
The most interesting track without a shadow of a doubt for me has to be "Cu Mândrie Port Al Meu Nume", which fascinatingly translates to "I Proudly Bear My Name In Return"; this is purely an instrumental track with hardly any folk elements involved, instead more of a traditional heavy metal-inspired track with plenty of groovy headbanging moments. These come courtesy of some highly impressive guitar work by Florin Ţibu and Bogdan Luparul, some outstanding drumming by Bogdan Mihu, and of course Jorge Augusto Coan's stunning bass lines. It's a track where each musician is able to play with total freedom, enabling each of them to shine at what they do best.
I must admit that Suntem Aici isn't one of the strongest efforts in Bucovina's discography to date, but it definitely has its moments for sure. It's more than likely that those who prefer folk metal the old school way will appreciate this more than those who prefer the modern-day standard of folk metal.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written on 28.12.2022 by
Written on 28.12.2022 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
Comments:
7
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Posts: 64433
How much did Radu paid to you hehe
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 6661 Written by Bad English on 30.12.2022 at 12:07 Not enough!  Nah I do this purely on a voluntary basis 
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 Posts: 9624 |
Posts: 9624 Written by Bad English on 30.12.2022 at 12:07 Don't you think I have better Romanian bands to tip off to people?
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 5643  |
Posts: 5643 Written by RaduP on 30.12.2022 at 20:24 still a great band, please do tip off better bands than Bucovina, you got me curious. 
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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Posts: 287  |
Posts: 287
Sur Austru, Negura Bunget, Dor de Duh, din brad, Syn Sze Sase Tri are a bunch of the best Romanian bands to listen up to
---- Føroyar mítt land Tú alfagra land mítt Føroyar mín Móðir
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| Posts: 9624 |
Posts: 9624 Written by John_Doe on 30.12.2022 at 21:37 You've got one of them as your profile pic
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 5643 |
Posts: 5643 Written by RaduP on 31.12.2022 at 10:07 oh, busted!
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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