Sometime last year, I remember my Facebook wall being flooded with videos of this unique band named Tengger Cavalry performing live. Well, it wasn’t an easy thing to achieve given the current times when there is more music than ever was before, and at the same time, when the average listener who has grown far more sophisticated and doesn’t get easily impressed anymore. The reason why they stood out was because they had combined heavy metal music with Mongolian Folk music incorporated by the use of traditional instruments such as Igil, Sanxian, Morin Khuur and “Throat singing” thus creating a sound absolutely unique and never heard before.
I had learnt that the band was a brainchild of prolific musician and film producer Nature Gaganbaigal and they had been active since and constantly been releasing tons of music in the form of full lengths, EPs, Lives and singles. With that being said, they are back with their latest full length titled ‘Die on my ride’, which is scheduled to be released on May 5th 2017. After a folky intro to the album in the form of the track “Snow”, comes the title track “Die on my ride” built across dense grooves and an eerie atmosphere created by the folk instruments. Vocally, the song comprises of clean vocals and what they refer to as “Throat singing”.
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I really love the interweaving of the mean and distorted mid-tempo riff with the drenched in sorrow folk tones on the song “Independence day”, while “To the sky” sounds like an otherworldly yet beautiful ballad. It is definitely one of the most different varieties of music I have listened to. The music is great, and the throat singing sounds amazing, however at times, it starts to feel monotonous and repetitive. Nevertheless, that could hardly be considered a drawback and the music is beautiful in every sense of it.
“Prayer” lives up to its name and sounds like a ritual in the middle of a dense forest. As the song goes on, it feels like a ritual is being conducted by a priest who chants verses and summons up the nocturnal creatures of the night. “Strike” is a rather traditional and groovy heavy metal track backed by the atmosphere conjured by the folk elements, whereas “Ashley” is much difficult to describe. It is an ever-changing piece of music, which at various timestamps is electronic, acoustic or simply depressive. “Cursed” is similar to the other groovy tracks on the album.
Intro to “The Frontline” is when the craziness kicks in. With respect to the album being inclined more towards the folk side, the track contains some of the heaviest parts of the album. The vocals suit this track more than the others. “The choice of my Mind” is a calm and beautiful acoustic driven song, which serves as an interlude to the last track on the album named “Me against Me” which is a killer track and my favorite of the album. It begins as rifftastic and groovy, and turns very atmospheric towards the end. Two bonus tracks are also included, namely “We will Survive” and the eerie track “Burn”.
With “Die on my Ride”, Tengger Cavalry establish a grand foothold on the signature sound they have garnered over the period of their existence. The are the sole bearers of the Nomadic Folk metal genre and they hold it high with this one.