I wish I could properly emphasize for you what a pain in the ass it has been to put this post together. Doesn’t look like much, I know. Another news post, another day, another one of the few black metal bands whose work I enjoy who I don’t often write about because no one else who reads this seems to care. Fine.

However, on the back end, this ties into a problem I’ve had with how this site works since its inception 12 years ago, and that is getting accents beyond the usual Western-Euro-style Latin characters — your ‘é’ and so on — to show up in the text. UTF-8 is what I need and what I can’t seem to make happen with my theme. I spent 90 minutes yesterday trying to make the words ‘Negur&#259 Bunget Z&#259u’ happen and not have the band’s name or the album title show up with a question mark where the accent should be. If you look back over years of posts, you’ll see those question marks where accent characters should be. Even right now, in switching between the visual editor and the raw HTML, right this second, I’ve undone all the work I put it already this morning putting the code, helpfully given to me my June No (credit where it’s due) on FB, which was so fucking frustrating that I actually had to get up and walk away from the computer because of the time I’ve lost on this bullshit.

Could I just write Negura Bunget? Yup. Would anyone care? Nope. Would anyone remark on it? Nope. If I started this post with the standard-issue informational sentence “Romanian progressive/folk black metallers Negura Bunget will release their final album, Zau through Prophecy/Lupus Lounge on Nov. 26 and there’s a new video up now,” would anyone even blink? Nope. Why does it matter? I don’t know. I’ve even had to do it in the header.

And here we are.

The struggle is… stupid?

All of this for a single called — wait for it — “Brad.” And I know it’s in another language, and the translation is right below –BELIEVE ME I’VE READ THE PRESS RELEASE — but still. “Brad.” But yeah, the real version of the song is 15 minutes long and it’s glorious.

I can’t even get the characters to stay when I save. I might’ve wasted this entire time for nothing. Oh god damn it.

From the PR wire:

NEGURĂ BUNGET unveil details of their final album “Zău” and release video single ‘Brad’

NEGURĂ BUNGET are now unveiling the video ‘Brad’ (“fir tree”) as the first single taken from the Romanian black metal pioneers’ final album and conclusion of their “Transylvanian trilogy”, which is entitled “Zău” (“Old God”). “Zău” has been slated for release on November 26.

“Zău” is the legacy of drummer and mastermind “Gabriel “Negru” Mafa, who tragically passed far too early at the age of 42 years on March 21, 2017. This album has been completed and respectfully created upon Negru’s original drum-track recordings by the last line-up of NEGURĂ BUNGET.

Tracklist
1. Brad
2. Iarba Fiarelor
3. Obrăzar
4. Tinerete Fără Bătrânete
5. Toacă Din Cer

Release date: November 26, 2021

Line-up
Gabriel “Negru” Mafa – drums, percussion
Tibor Kati – vocals
Adrian “OQ” Neagoe – guitars, keyboards
Petrică Ionutescu – kaval (flute), nai (pan flute), tulnic (alphorn), duduk

Guest musicians
Manuela Marchis – vocals on ‘Brad’

Visual design by Daniel Dorobantu

Mixing and mastering by Attila Lukinich
All music and lyrics by Negură Bunget

Pre-sale link
http://lnk.spkr.media/negura-bunget-zau

Available formats
“Zău” is available as a hardcover 36-page CD/DVD artbook, gatefold white vinyl LP, gatefold black vinyl LP, and on Digipak CD.

www.facebook.com/negurabunget
www.instagram.com/negurabunget

Negură Bunget, “Brad (Edit)” official video