Created in 2010 by Nature Ganganbaigal, Tengger Cavalry explores its sound into unique combination – Throat Singing vocal line, Horse Head Fiddle melody, Dombra plucking and Pentatonic Modes, along with heavy distortion and thundering drum pattern – all creating the evocative scene of the grassland and its pagan culture when nomadic warriors, steeds and wolves danced across the great earth. The unique folk melodies and soundscapes Tengger Cavalry brings have broadened the domain of folk metal to a completely new level.
Deeply influenced by Shamanism and Buddhism, All songs of Tengger Cavalry are written to praise the grand of Mother Nature, the wisdom of Buddha, the valor of warrior and the glory of history..
Deeply influenced by Shamanism and Buddhism, All songs of Tengger Cavalry are written to praise the grand of Mother Nature, the wisdom of Buddha, the valor of warrior and the glory of history..
______________________________________
« I just always have a strong connection with Mongolian music, culture and tradition »
Thank you Morgan. Tengger Cavalry is a Folk Metal band that combine Mongolian folk tradition with Heavy Metal, we call ourself Mongolian folk metal (compared to Viking folk metal and Celtic folk metal). We use traditional Mongolian folk instruments such as Mongolian Horse-head fiddle (ED: morin khuur) and Tovshuur (ED: two stringed and skinned instrument) and also throat singing in our music.
What are your influences ?
My main influences including different folk metal such as viking folk metal, celtic folk metal and German folk metal. Also I love tribal music and world music, which share the same primal spirits as Mongolian music. And I am also a film music composer so some of my music has filmic influence.
Tengger is the name of the Mongolian deity. He is the highest lord, the sky father and the creator of all. Tengger Cavalry means the army of the god, or the army of our heaven.
You have left Voodoo Kungfu before create Tengger Cavalry. What experience this first band brought you ?
Voodoo Kungfu is an extreme pagan metal band that incorporate some Tibetan and Mongolian religion music with extreme heavy metal. I accumulated many stage experience with them and it was very awesome to perform with them. But after that I started Tengger Cavalry; I wanted to start writing some of my own sound.
You participated to a shamanic rite to get your Mongolian name, how it was ? Why Mongolian culture is important to you ?
Actually I got my name from my Mongolian horse-head fiddle teacher. It means Beautiful Nature. Back in the history (Yuan Dynasty) Mongolian people spread out through the Northern China; they settled down and blended into the population. The province my family comes from is a very typical Mongolian settlement and they never went back to the grassland. More importantly, I just always have a strong connection with Mongolian music, culture and tradition; it just feels like something deep down in my heart being triggered. Inner Mongolia and Mongolia used to be the same land till recent Russian took it away from the region from China. But people who lives in Inner Mongolia still try to retain their own culture and tradition. It is a beautiful land with friendly people. Yet Chinese people is mining and developing cities on the grasslands, which destroy and offense the Mongolian people who live there.
What is the importance of shamanism in Mongolia ?
Shamanism is the mainstream religion among Mongol, along with Buddhism. Shamanism worship nature, teaching people the importance of respecting the nature and all the animals around us, for we are all the children of our sky father. It is very important in today too cause we have done too much damage to our mother earth.
You mix a lot of folk instruments in your music, why this choice ? What is their musical importance ?
They represent the folk sound of the Mongolia. Horse-head fiddle is the most famous instrument of Mongolia and it always plays the most important melody in Tengger Cavalry. Also we add Yatga (ED : traditional Mongolian plucked zither) and Tovshuur into our music as accompaniment instrument to add more folky flavor.
You releasing at least one album by year so you’re very productive, how do you find your inspiration to progress ?
I think for me, writing music is a spiritual path to respect my own culture. I want to put all my love and passion towards Mongolian grassland, horses and nomadic life into my music. I travel back and forth between cities and grasslands to experience the ancient nomadic life, which is very pure, simple and mindful (ED : mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present).
You started from a quite violent Pagan Black Metal with “Blood Sacrifice Shaman” and your last album “Ancient Call” is a kind of more quiet Pagan Folk Metal, how could you explain this change ?
I think the Tengger Cavalry before 2013 has more anger and aggressive attitude, that's why it sounds more Black. Ancient Call is more like a balance between aggression and inner peace. I think it has something to do with my spiritual life, cause I started to practice mindfulness and tried to write more about the beauty of the world rather than ancient war. So In Ancient Call you will hear more bravery and positive energy than darkness, haha. .
Because it represents both of the modern Tengger Cavalry and the primal Tengger Cavalry back in 2009. I want to add more primal shamanism music into this album and also retain the beauty of the grassland folksong. It gonna be a perfect balance between pure beauty and darkness.
How did you imagine this rereleased ?
I think it will be an interesting album for my audience cause it is the first Tengger Cavalry without Death vocal. But it absolutely doesn't mean the album is not heavy. It is very heavy, even having more Death Metal riff than Ancient Call. But I would love to present this album to people that we could do a pure music album without vocal yet makes it sounds interesting.
Wolf is considered the guardian of the sky father. In ancient Turkish mythology the totem of Turkish is the wolf too (ED : ancient wolf myth is common to Turkish people, Mongolian, Siberian and native American). On the grassland wolf is the main predator so it also keeps the balance of the ecosystem. So wolf is crucial to the entire grassland.
« The Wolf Totem (狼图腾, Láng Túténg) » of Jiang Rong is a novel about a student, Chen Zhen, exiled in Mongolia during the Cultural Revolution in 1967. He discovers great landscapes, nomads life, and Mongolian culture which the wolf, symbol of freedom, is the emblem. Those themes are recurring in Tengger Cavalry, what did you think about this book ?
I have read this novel years ago and I have to say I really love it. Very pure and beautiful story. About the beauty of horse, wolf, grassland and sky, and Mongolian people. A must read for those who are interested in Mongolian culture. (ED : a film adaptation was released on the 25th of February 2015, « Le dernier loup », directed by the French director Jean-Jacques Annaud).
Back in 1998 or even before that there were many illegal metal CDs in China (unbelievable right??) so it was very easy to get a Metallica or Slipknot album. But now you could easier stream metal online, which is much easier to discover metal
In 2013, you’ve signed in American label Metal Hell Records (Dark Ring / Screaming Savior), what this signature at the international brought you (ED : Tengger Cavalry was signed with Dying Art Production, underground Chinese label) ?
It definitely gives us a bigger platform to share our music with the metal fans around the world. As you know making metal is very hard in China so this new progress make it easier to release our music world wide.
What do you think about our last compilation about Asian Metal (where one of your title appears alongside Nine Treasures) ?
I love the idea. Asian metal is not very popular around the world and I definitely would love more people to hear it. I came to know the Korean folk metal band Ghost Wind from your compilation and I simply love it.
Have you planned an European tour ? What are the bands you would like to play with (Asian and/or Occidental bands) ?
No we haven't got plan yet. It is very risky to tour without enough audience, especially in Europe. We would love to play with those amazing European folk metal bands.
Thanks a lot to answer our questions, have you a last word to our readers ?
Thank you and all my fans for supporting us. We will keep making good music for you !
_______________________________________
Interview : Morgan
Interview : Morgan
Translate : Camille
Commentaires
Enregistrer un commentaire