Tengger Cavalry - Ancient Call - guest review
Tengger Cavalry - Ancient Call - guest review
Tracklist
01. Dance With The Wolf02. Galloping Towards The Great Land
03. Battle Song From Far Away
04. Hymn Of The Earth
05. Echo Of The Grassland
06. Brave
07. Summon The Warrior
08. The Battlefront
09. Chant Of The Cavalry
10. Legend On Horseback
Guest review by
flightoficarus February 10, 2015
My favorite starting point to help readers understand what to expect from an album is to offer comparisons to similar outings. I find this task more difficult with Ancient Call. While there are similarities to the epic soundtrack qualities of early Equilibrium on songs like "Brave," it shares none of the self-aware cheesiness. Rather, compositions come with a level of gravity that is rare to find, especially in 2014. But for all of its graveness, songs consistently had me raising sabre, spear, or bow while galloping to victory.
Tengger Cavalry achieves this balance through high levels of both innovation and musicianship. You've heard your share of folk with bagpipes, flute, fiddle, etc. What about something decidedly more Eastern? How about a Morin khuur? Or Dombra? Throat singing? Even if you aren't familiar with the names, you have almost certainly heard these instruments before. My daughter watches a lot of Mulan, I played this for her and told her it was the soundtrack. Yeah, she rolls her eyes a lot. Also, lyrics are in Mandarin, which I prefer to the ESL slipshod approach many take to gain a wider audience. It just wouldn't carry the same weight.
But is it all just a gimmick? Don't make me get my halberd. Nature Ganganbaigal (yes that is his name) and the gang know their instruments and songwriting chops. This is actually their 6th full length album, and it shows its maturity with flowing compositions that skillfully infuse crunchy, marching guitars, blackened vocals, and traditional Chinese arrangements. The dynamics are equally impressive. While the up-tempo battle songs will get you banging your head, the softer moments are rich and immersive with a sense of culture.
By far, this is the best extreme folk metal album I heard from 2014. There were plenty others that passed my ears, and I was sure to check out all of the annual nominations, but this one took the Genghis Khan-shaped cake. It is an original take on an old idea that never slouches on fun or musicianship. Furthermore, it is a step forward in songwriting for the group and rivals some of my favorites in the genre altogether. Listen to this album NOW.
Enjoyability=10
Musicianship=9
Innovation=9
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by flightoficarus | February 10, 2015
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
Comments:
7
Visited by
57 users
 Posts: 5989 |
Posts: 5989
Good review, but not entirely necessarily I would think, given the close proximity in score to the other one
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
Loading...
|
 Posts: 1127 |
Posts: 1127 Written by Auntie Sahar on 13.02.2015 at 00:06 Agreed, I just got excited listening to this one. Very cool stuff.
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
Loading...
|
| Posts: 5989 |
Posts: 5989 Written by flightoficarus on 13.02.2015 at 00:21 It is, slightly too polished in my opinion, but that's more a preference than anything else. I like the band's earlier material when they were a little more gritty more, I'd recommend you check out Blood Sacrifice Shaman if you haven't already.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
Loading...
|
| Posts: 1127 |
Posts: 1127 Written by Auntie Sahar on 13.02.2015 at 01:01 Listened to it. I felt like they weren't as good at infusing the folk aspects on the earlier stuff.
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 5824  |
Posts: 5824
Look. Sunny is posting on the forums =]
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
Loading...
|
 Posts: 4280 |
Posts: 4280 Written by Sunny Pagliaccio on 28.04.2015 at 23:29 Nice job at spamming his reviews 
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 1334 |
Hits total: 3424 | This month: 4