Chinese rockband Tengger Cavalry reaches out
Tengger is the name of the deity that stands for the boundless welkin of North-Asia; the wolf, as the guardian of Tengger, keeps the balance of the Mongolian grassland and punishes the evil. Based on the legend of the ancient Mongolian grassland, Tengger Cavalry, the name of the band, expresses deep admiration towards the steed, the wolf, the holy grassland and the nomadic tradition.
Created in 2010 by Nature Zhang, Tengger Cavalry blends its sound into unique combination – Overtone Throat Singing vocal line, Mongolian Fiddle melody, Dombra plucking and Pentatonic Modes, along with heavy distortion and thundering drum – all creating the evocative scene of the grassland and its nomadic culture when warriors, steeds and wolves danced across the great earth. The unique folk melodies and soundscapes Tengger Cavalry creates have broadened the domain of folk metal into a new cultural experience.
Deeply influenced by Shamanism and Buddhism, the songs of Tengger Cavalry are written to praise the bravery of the steed, the valor of the horseman, the beauty of the grassland and the enjoyable life of the nomad.
Tengger Cavalry was initially formed as a one-man project by Nature Tianran Zhang, who had been taught by Mongolian musicians for years. By September 2010 he released an EP called Blood Sacrifice Shaman, which got review from German magazine Legacy.
After one year’s rest Tengger Cavalry released a double album (which was only available in the China region) in November of 2011. Sunesu Cavalry combines North-Asian folk song with heavy metal more smoothly compared to the first album, and the sound quality along with mixing production improved vastly. Mantra is an experimental folk album using solely acoustic instruments to interpret diverse kinds of North Asian folk music.
The release of the double album brought Tengger Cavalry greater attention. In December of 2011, MTV published an article Tengger Cavalry’s Black Metal For Pagan Hordes and gave high comments on the music. At the same time, China National Radio gave high recommendation on the new songs too. The success of the albums brought the music to the live stage. The Horse-head Fiddle (Morin Khuur) player Xin Wang, who was also the student of the famous fiddle artist He Xige, joined in the band at the beginning of 2012, after which the drummer Kai Ding and bassist Wei Wang joined in and the band started to perform in Beijing.
In the December 2012, Tengger Cavalry signed with American metal label Metal Hell Records and released its first album Sunesu Cavalry (US edition) in US & EU region with 3 new works composed by Nature and Xin together, after which the UK metal magazine Terrorizer did an interview for the band.
In February of 2013 Tengger Cavalry released its newest album Black Steed in the Chinese Region; several months later Metal Hell Records released the second album of Tengger Cavalry, The Expedition, in US & EU region; The Expedition incorporates 5 old songs from Black Steed and 5 newly composed tracks.
In April of 2013 Tengger Cavalry attended the Wacken Metal Battle Competition in China and won the Best Songwriting Awards. In May 22, Tengger Cavalry did the opening show for the famous metal band Turisas in Beijing, and Turisas gave high comment on the music Tengger Cavalry.
In 2014 Tengger Cavalry released its new album <Ancient Call>, with Nature being the main songwriter and Xin Wang, the fiddle player, as the cooperative songwriter.
