Rock Monsters Romania

Text and photos by Ionela Pleșan

On Saturday, October 21st, I arrived at I-auzi una to listen to Fittonia and Reverse the Moment live. I know Fittonia thanks to the catchy content they create on TikTok, and also because of Irina Marinescu from RockFM, who praises them on every occasion. Reverse the Moment was a new discovery for me, as I hadn’t listened to them before Saturday.

I-auzi una is a conventional space in the center of the capital, located at 33 Bărbăției Street, which provides a fairly spacious area and a stage for performances. I had been to I-auzi una once before for a poetry evening where everyone was okay and open-minded. I was ready to see how the place would transform into a concert hall. 

When I got there, I took a tour of the space to see how many people were already ready for the concert, and I waited a bit before Reverse the Moment took the stage. In a few minutes, people gathered from unexpected places, and the guys started the show.

Reverse the Moment is a metalcore band from the Bihor region. What more could I ask for, especially since I was wearing my Architects t-shirt? The band consists of Bogdan Hasas on vocals and rhythm guitar, Denis Olar on lead guitar and backing vocals, Seba Ionuț Cefan on drums, and Alex Marcon on bass.

On Rock Monsters, more has been written about them, and you can find everything here.

The sound at I-auzi una wasn’t good at all; during the first few songs, Bogdan’s voice and Alex’s bass were barely audible. However, the guys had a great stage presence and managed to energize the audience even with these inconveniences. The sound improved after a few songs. The audience was ready to move. I even tried a “wanna be mosh pit,” which was fun. Since my obsessions don’t want to leave me, I focused on the drums and bass. The drums from Reverse the Moment were really cool, with a touch of While She Sleeps in some parts, if you ask me, and great stage presence. The bass was dominant as far as I could hear it, and Bogdan’s voice was just right. The guitar had some cool riffs, and overall, Reverse the Moment is a band to keep an eye on. They played over 10 songs, including “Overthrow,” “Hollow Eyes,” “What It Takes,” and “Lost Years.”

I’m a big fan of metalcore, so there was no way I wouldn’t like them. The specific riffs, drums, and appropriate growls convinced me to listen to them at home. The guys finished their show to the applause of the audience, and something tells me they will be back in Bucharest soon because there is demand for them and their music.

Next up was Fittonia, and the first thing that struck me was that each member looked like they were from a different movie. The keyboardist seemed to come straight from Skid Row, the guitarist from a 2012 video with a t-shirt with Rihanna and a Michael Jackson Thriller jacket, and the frontman was the typical metalcore singer. I was already intrigued, and when they started to play, they drew me in even more, but in a good way.

It’s hard to categorize these guys. They have a mix of things that can both please and displease you. Progressive metal combined with funk, electronic, metalcore, melodic death, a lot of influences and it’s evident in each member of the band. Each one puts their own stamp on the songs. You can see that they don’t all listen to the same genre of music, but in the end, they manage to come together and produce something cool.

You can find more about Fittonia on Rock Monsters here.

So, who are Fittonia? 

Fittonia is a band from Cluj that was born in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic. The band is composed of Raul Dorian Rațiu, also known as Milu, on vocals, Vlad Joldis on guitar, Emil Dorian on keyboards, Rareș, also known as Mapex, on drums, Cătălin Laslo on bass, and Daniel Moldovan on guitar. Fittonia knows how to work the crowd and how to dose the energy of the audience. It was as if they were plugged in the whole concert. Cătălin and Daniel were making all sorts of moves to catch attention and get the audience moving. I wasn’t embarrassed at all with the left side of the stage, where Vlad and Dorian were keeping the atmosphere lively. The audience was a bit confused because they didn’t know where to place them. “Are they glam or not glam metal?“

What I really liked about them was their eagerness to perform. It’s an eagerness to perform that I’ve only seen recently with Private Verganza. They enjoy being heard and playing. Cătălin impressed me with his attitude while playing the bass. He had the attitude of a guitarist 100% and not a bassist. I haven’t seen a guitarist get so involved and be so energetic before. Milu has a very good voice and handles the songs well. The drums in the background help a lot, but what’s important is that it’s a unique and unprecedented combination. The audience liked what they heard and became more and more energetic as the show progressed. Fittonia is a very promising band that can satisfy any elitist with specific tastes. Why? Because they have it all. The guys finished their concert with a thunderous round of applause, and the promise was made. We hope to see them at Quantic next time.

Reverse the Moment and Fittonia are two bands with a lot of potential. They have a lot to work on, and the foundation they started with is very good. You can follow them on social media and catch them at the upcoming concerts:

October 27th in Sibiu at Rock N’Bike Club

October 28th in Zalău at Rock’n Roll Center

November 11th in Timișoara at Nemesis Art Club

November 25th in Oradea at Moszkva Kávézó