TENGGER CAVALRY is a Folk/Rock/Metal band currently based in New York, New York. The band was founded on March 1st, 2010 and currently just released their latest full-length effort titled "Blood Harvest Shaman" via AFM Records on May 18th, 2015.

TENGGER CAVALRY is a genius mix of Folk and Metal music. It reminds the listener of some sort of tribal "Survivor" theme song crossed with a Heavy Metal tinge. The album opens with "Soyombo" which possesses a thundering drumbeat crossed with a castaway-sounding vibe to it. "Tengger Cavalry" turns to a more heavy metal sound with a lower-register guitar solo and the drumbeats are thundering in the background while the tribal-sounding chants of the lyrics talk about rituals of the shaman and the history of the people who live in these tribal lands. "Horseman" begins with an obscure drumbeat before turning heavy with more thundering drumbeats, and alternates between those heavy beats and a Folkier sound that is a little lighter and more tropical-sounding. "Rootlessl" begins with dreamy sounding guitars before lower-register guitars kick in and make it a heavier, more metal sound after a Folkier sound opening the track. "The Wolf Ritual" is a low, slow track that turns heavier and faster as it goes on. The entire song sounds like a Caribbean dance theme song tinged with a Heavy Metal flavor. It goes together impressively well, and is a great, unique sound to the listener. "The Native" is another low, slow song with a Folkier sounding track. The closing track is a remix of "Blood Sacrifice Shaman" that is slower and more quiet than the original mix at the beginning of the album, and it makes it sound completely different yet awesome in both cases.

TENGGER CAVALRY have mixed a unique blend of both Folk and Metal music, and it shows off their heritage and love of Folk music combined with a heavy sound that work shockingly well together. It gives the band a unique sound that other bands in Metal do not have. It's a new front that people have not really explored in Heavy Metal until these guys decided to do it. It works out very well, and they can definitely carve out a niche in the Metal world playing a unique blend of Folk-Metal that no other band today is known for being able to play. It will be exciting to hear more from these Folk-Metallers in the coming releases, to see what other unique sounds and combinations they can create.

Songwriting 8


Production 8