10 years ago, Goodbye to Gravity was getting ready to release its sophomore album, Mantras of War through a celebratory concert. The enthusiastic reviews and the success of the first three singles promised an exceptional record, with a strong anti-corruption message, expressed through lyrics centered around resilience and courage. After the first show, the band had plans to embark on a national tour and play abroad as well. Everything pointed towards a successful career, both locally as well as internationally, and the artists were close to fulfilling their dream: to change the world for the better with their music.
But this dream was broken by the very evil Goodbye to Gravity fought against through its art: corruption. The Colectiv Club fire from October 30th, 2015 took the lives of 65 young people, both directly, but also as a result of the deficient healthcare services in the Romanian hospitals, which concealed the nosocomial infections. Another 180 were injured. It was the worst tragedy of modern-day Romania. Alex Pascu, Vlad Țelea, Mihai Alexandru, and Bogdan Enache, the bassist, guitarists, and drummer of the band lost their lives. Andrei Găluț, the lead singer, was severely injured. His chances of survival were minimal. The irreplaceable human losses silenced Goodbye to Gravity’s music. The stillness of mourning settled over the families of those killed, over the suffering of the wounded, and over the band’s creations. The story of a metal group eager to contribute to Romania’s evolution seemed to have ended forever.
But the force of Goodbye to Gravity’s music was not silenced by the flames. “The day we give in is the day we die” turned from a line in an underground single into an anti-corruption slogan, and the band’s songs rose from the ashes as anthems for a generation that had had enough of Romania’s deadly dysfunctions. Today, GTG’s work is more relevant than ever, because the tragedies did not stop with the club fire. On the contrary, they have followed one after another, year after year—terrible and avoidable—highlighting the immense need for change in Romania.
10 years after the Colectiv club fire, as a symbol of resilience in the face of suffering caused by corruption, Andrei Găluț, together with 10 survivor-musicians, is releasing “The Memento Project,” a charitable endeavor dedicated to honoring the victims of the tragedies that have marked Romania over the last decade. It consists of new acoustic, re-orchestrated recordings of two of Goodbye to Gravity’s emblematic songs, The Day We Die and The Cage, presented as a studio-session video. The project brings together well-known names from the Romanian underground scene and the lineup is as follows:
The Day We Die: Cristian Răducanu (Bucium) on drums, Vlad Bușcă (L.O.S.T.) on bass guitar, Cosmin Lupu on guitar & vocals, Mircea Becherescu on guitar, Mihai Grecea on guitar, Alex Penescu on piano, Costin Dumitrache on mellotron, Mihai Balabaș (Bucium) on violin, and Andrei Găluț (Goodbye to Gravity) on vocals & guitar.
The Cage: Pavlos Popovici (The Longest Heartbreak) on drums, Andrei Zamfir on bass guitar, Cosmin Lupu on guitar & vocals, Mircea Becherescu on guitar, Mihai Grecea on guitar, Costin Dumitrache on guitar, and Andrei Găluț (Goodbye to Gravity) on vocals & guitar.
The songs were recorded at Mihai Grecea’s studio, El Studió, where the video was also filmed. Mixing was handled by Dan Georgescu, and mastering was done by Costin Dumitrache at Constantine Mastering.
The Memento Project is vocalist Andrei Găluț’s first public appearance after 10 years of absence from the music scene due to medical treatments and reconstructive surgeries—procedures he still has to undergo regularly. The artist explains the motivation behind the commemorative effort in a comprehensive message:
“When I first came up with the name, I thought that Memento fits this 10 year commemorative mark very well. The two songs represent both of the band’s albums. The Cage was the single for which we filmed our very first artistic video back in 2012, and The Day We Die is the song that became emblematic for the anti-corruption civic movements in the country. I saw its lyrics written on placards and on cars, embroidered on clothes, and carried in the hearts of people who want Romania to change for the better. I started working on these versions as part of my recovery process, while I was still lying in the hospital bed. I used my guitar both as a tool in the painful medical procedures I underwent in order to rehabilitate my hands and arms, as well as psychological support in the troubled and difficult years that followed the fire.
The project of re-orchestrating Goodbye to Gravity songs in an acoustic manner began with Back to Life – Acoustic Reprise, released in 2014 with a video on YouTube. Later, I noticed that people had turned it into a bittersweet symbol of the joy of discovering the more melodic side of our music, but also of the regret that they had not done so earlier, before the tragedy.This perspective inspired me to put into practice the recurring theme of resilience in my lyrics. I have always encouraged listeners to never give up. I took that exhortation to heart and decided to do everything I could so that our music would carry on. So, this summer, when Mihai Grecea invited me to see his new studio, I brought my guitar with me. From the very first visit we started recording my ideas for these songs. They were later enriched and orchestrated together with the other 10 survivor-musicians, whom I would like to take the occasion and thank for their courage to accept such a daring collaboration. I know it was a near-impossible project to complete, given the fact that we are not a tried-and-true band and had not worked together before. However, despite all the challenges, we succeeded in giving the songs this unique form. I am sure that the passion we have put into the project and the immense meaning it holds for us will reach listeners and it will resonate with them, whether they already know our story, or are only now discovering it. I think people need to remember what happened to us 10 years ago and I hope this project inspires them to bring their share of good into the world. We can only leave this place safer, fairer, and more beautiful if we act together to effect positive change.”
All funds raised from promoting the video and the songs will be donated to the “În numele lui Alexandru” (In the Name of Alexandru) Association, founded by Narcis Hogea, the father of Alexandru Hogea, who died as a result of nosocomial infections contracted in the Romanian hospitals. He was only 19 years old. The NGO offers support to burn victims and their families. Those who wish to donate directly can do so via IBAN, by directing 3.5% of their income tax or 20% of their company’s profit tax. All details are available at https://www.innumeleluialexandru.ro/doneaza/.
The Memento Project is not only a musical endeavor. It’s a testimony to the resilience of people—and of art—in the face of the worst circumstances that a corrupt system can create. 10 years later, 10 survivor-musicians, together with Goodbye to Gravity’s singer Andrei Găluț, honor the memory of the victims of the fire, as well as all those who have died or have been injured in the tragedies that have continued to occur in Romania—a searing sign that we are far from having learned anything from the tragedy of Colectiv.
The songs are available for streaming here https://GoodbyeToGravity.lnk.to/ThisIsGTGPR and the video can be watched below:
The day we give in is the day we die!