E-an-na – Nesfârşite

On the really heavy and dark side of things, opener “Viu” and follow-up track “Aer” have Romanian folk lines intertwined with hefty riffs, pounding drums and Andrei Oltean’s signature screams. There’s a nice piano line in “Aer” that almost carries into the next track, the intense interlude “Fiecare gest al nostru”, where you can hear one of the most creative and original musicians in Romania, Robert Cotoros (The Bipolar Disorder Project, ex-Hteththemeth). But for me the essence of E-an-na is “Epitaf”, it has all the trademark elements on full display, from the fury of Ovidiu Ban’s guitars and Paul Bucătaru’s drums, to deep lyrics, to incredible vocals and all around great songwriting. “Frica” and “Zadar” follow on the same heavy and dark path, with some nice keyboard moments from Ioana Popescu and an urgent feel brought by the guitars and drums. Daniel Neagoe (Clouds, Eye of Solitude, Shape of Despair and Aeonian Sorrow) brings a healthy dose of sorrowfulness and darkness to both “Zadar” and closing epic track “Mashiara” with his low vocals, which blend quite well with the powerful backing instrumental and Andrei’s screams and growls.

 On the other hand, we have such fun cuts as “Pielea” where the folk element is more front and centered with Roxana Amărandi’s vocals as the driving force of the music, and the instrumental “Pânda”, parts of which remind me of Emir Kusturica’s music. “Izbândă şi a râvni” is a rather catchy tune with a very headbang-ish rhythm to it while “iO.ta” has a nice flute melody, which is accompanied by bursting guitars and a powerful bass line from Dragoş Geomolean. “În frânt” features both the earthly tones of the hurdy gurdy courtesy of Eluveitie’s Michalina Malisz as well as the cristaline vocals of Archy Jay, which gives the track a certain orinetal vibe, but it never seems to go to far in either direction, though I like the middle part. It is between these tracks where the band’s uncommon musical (and, in some cases, lyrical) choices shine brightly. “Apele îngheţate” is the ballad of the album, as it is mostly an overlap of clean male and female vocals with some piano lines in the backdrop, which make for an emotional ride, especially considering that it is about depression and the way we deal with it.