Die rumänischen Folk-Black-Metaller NEGURA BUNGET haben sich zu Wort gemeldet. In ihrer Grußbotschaft zum neuen Jahr bedanken sie sich jedoch nicht nur bei ihren Fans für die treue Unterstützung über nunmehr zwanzig Jahre hinweg, sondern kündigen zudem ein neues Album für 2016 an. Dieses wird derzeit vom aus Gabriel „Negru“ Mafa (Drums), Tibor Kati (Gesang/Gitarre), Adrian „Oq“ Neagoe (Gitarre/Gesang), Petre Ionutescu (traditionelle Instrumente) und Ovidiu Corodan (Bass/Gesang) bestehenden aktuellen Line-Up vollendet und soll als zweiter Teil der „Transilvanischen Trilogie“ zu den stärksten der Bandgeschichte zählen – aber welche Band würde von ihren jüngsten Taten auch anderes behaupten? Daneben soll das Jahr für alle NEGURA-BUNGET-Fans noch einige Re-Releases, Liveshows und weitere Überraschungen in Petto haben. Weitere Details könnt ihr dem englischsprachigen Statement der Band entnehmen, das wir unten im Original-Wortlaut wiedergeben.

2016 is a very special year for Negura Bunget, as several celebrations are coming to turn. We’d like to take this moment to look back on our past, take some reflections and share them with you, and then see what future lies ahead of us. For sure, we would have been nothing without you, the people that helped and supported us over the years. We’d like to thank you for everything, and let you know that our commitment to Negura Bunget is stronger than ever!

Firstly, in 2016, we celebrate 20 years of existence as a band (well, 21 if you count the one year we existed under the Wiccan Rede name). Then 2016 also marks 10 year since the release of our album OM. That has been undoubtedly the album that changed our path forever. Alongside with the 20 years celebration and 10 years of OM celebration, we will also have a new album to present, which makes this a triple anniversary! As we always saw different elements going hand in hand to create a wider picture, we are preparing a generously layered experience for you in the year to come.

The current line-up of the band, consisting of Gabriel Mafa / Negru on drums, Tibor Kati on vocals and guitars, Adrian Neagoe / Oq on guitars and vocals, Petre Ionutescu on traditional instruments and Ovidiu Corodan on bass and vocals is for sure one of the strongest we have ever had. In the 3 years that we’ve been together we performed more than 250 gigs all over the world, and started the most ambitious project in Negura’s history – The Transylvanian Trilogy. 2016 will see the second part of the trilogy finished and released.

But before we get to that we have a series of re-releases coming along. Aural Music will release a special edition of the OM album, with some extra elements never seen before. Blood Music is also releasing another edition of the OM vinyl. Prophecy Production will also release some special limited vinyl editions of our early albums (some never released before on vinyl), as well as a special collector box edition with lots of extras.

Along all these releases we will also have a wide array of additional elements produced to celebrate the history of the band, including graphic and visual creations, merchandise, old video and audio footages, and lots of other surprises.
The summers & autumn of 2016 will be for sure a very special period for us. We are working on a special series of events to celebrate this triple anniversary, with a special set-list including old songs that we rarely played live, as well as brand new ones we never performed before.

We would also like to acknowledge that we are at a changing point in our evolution where past, present and future arc and influence each other throughout time. Anybody is bound to make mistakes, and we have certainly done enough of them in the 20 years we existed as a band. We’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for any of the wrongdoings that we might have made, willingly or unwillingly. If there’s anybody that feels we can make up for something, please get in touch, we are here to make amends for everything. At the same time if someone feels they may have mistreated us in any way, you can consider it fixed. We are here to start something new, past be past, bygones be bygones.