Rock Monsters Romania

On December 18, E-an-na is going to celebrate 10 years of existence at Arenele Romane, in what will probably be the biggest and longest concert in the band’s history, alongside artists they have worked and/or collaborated with over the years.

But what is so special about this band that I am writing an editorial about their anniversary? Besides the fact that they are the most listened-to Romanian rock band on Spotify (even if you don’t like it, Rockstadt – I’m looking at you), their songs are more than just songs. They are stories about their own experiences, told through different musical genres and approached with different emotional perspectives.

The band also has its place in the history of Romania Rocks. I first heard about E-an-na in high school, back in 2016, and became obsessed with “Sârbă Ciobănească” when it had around 20k views on YouTube. At that time, I kept wondering why more people didn’t know about this band. That question got me the idea of creating a website to promote Romanian bands, not just an Instagram page.

They quickly became my favorite band and remain so to this day, attending no less than 11 concerts before their anniversary show. Of course, I chose them for my very first interview with a Romanian band, marking the first Romania Rocks article in the series, back on December 1st, 2018. At the time, I wasn’t expecting them to accept an interview with a small publication that had just appeared and that almost nobody knew about (including myself, as I didn’t yet know its direction or goals). Through this experience, I discovered how kind and genuine they are with their community and how much they truly care about the people they meet, from the guy playing the flute in the front row alongside Solomonar at most concerts, to the hours spent after shows meeting fans, even when they know they’ll get almost no sleep before another long concert day.

Besides the fact that, for a small group of people, their music became controversial with the release of “Malere,” for me it was the perfect move to attract new listeners and explore new artistic directions. This is something that has defined the band since 2022, through collaborations across different genres with artists like Dora Gaitanovici, Paulina, HVNDS, and even SPP. And even though I still love their old folk-metal direction the most, I would be lying if I said I’m not listening to the “Nomad” album and the singles released in recent years on repeat.

E-an-na should also be an example of how a band can use social media and build real connections. Besides having a truly dedicated manager like Ștefan, you also need that slightly crazy guitarist who sleeps less than four hours a night and turns every idea in his head into reality, organizing community meetings, Instagram lives, catchy TikToks, and sharing random memes from the fans. In the digital era, success isn’t only about music. Some bands need to learn that even if they play amazing music, they also need to be active on social platforms and build a community so devoted that it will travel anywhere for them, from the northernmost city where concerts can be held in Romania to the southernmost.

And even under these conditions, I still feel like E-an-na is underappreciated, especially within the so-called “true” metal community. But it’s nearly 2026, so maybe they’ll soon realize how wrong they are.

I could write a lot about the memories and the amazing people I’ve met at their concerts, but that wouldn’t be a short editorial, it would be a book. So why not come to one of their shows yourself and experience it?

And even if this isn’t a goodbye or the start of a completely new chapter for the band, I want to say a special thank you for how they’ve reshaped the rock community and brought more and more people to love rock… and dinosaurs.

Text by Radu Mihai