What do you have in common with a successful Chinese graphic designer and composer for CCTV? You both love metal. If the two of you are wires, metal is the filament. And, the burst of joy you get from jamming his band, Tengger Cavalry, is the nitrogen. TING! Right after the dombra begins doing its thing on Ancient Call, the Beijing sextet’s newest album of rollicking blackened folk, the world lights up. In a flash, you’re on the back of a horse, wind whipping through your hair, barreling down a Mongolian mountainside. You can feel the invigorating chill of the high altitude, the da-dun da-dun of landing horse hooves rattling your rib cage, and the incessant nudge of a life that’s fast, short, and little purer because of it. Hit pause and the cube farm walls close in. Hit play again and Nature Zhang — graphic designer, composer, shredding badass — is rasping tales as old as time over a raging fire. You think you might be drunk. Metal is the best.
But, don’t mistake Tengger Cavalry for something akin to a trollish lark. This is legit with its storming power, inspiring a greater number of raised fists than a Manowar pop quiz when the entire hall knows the answer. Ancient Call is grounded with gravitas, giving these songs a cinematic sweep via the sawing of dual morin khuurs. It’s as much black metal as it is the kind of epic saga that swallows you whole. You lose yourself in these 10 tracks, these 40 minutes. Whatever you’re doing is put on hold. You reserve for it the attention dedicated to a favorite flick popping up on basic cable. It’ll be your Fifth Element of albums: whenever you catch it, you’ll want to finish it.
So, when the sun sinks in the western sky today, you’ll be hit by a reaffirming, universal truth: great metal feels great. It’s what allows you to wordlessly bond with a gentleman half a planet away. That’s a beautiful thing.
Of course, we had to know more. We got in touch with Nature Zhang. We asked five questions, he gave us five answers.
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First off, congratulations on Ancient Call. It’s your fifth album since forming in 2010 and the hard work has definitely paid off since I’m hearing a new depth and complexity. And, that’s definitely something I wanted to ask: five albums in four years! How have you managed to stay so busy without losing the fire to continually create? Do you foresee TC keeping to this schedule and is it a necessary outlet of expression for you?
It is all my love towards the Mongolian grassland that drives TC so far. I didn’t expect it to become anything. Actually it is…4 albums maybe?
We indeed have a folk album that has not been released in EU and US market yet. My music is just a messenger, one that delivers the neigh of the horse, the howl of the wolf.
I think Western audiences are quite intrigued by the Tengrism theme. Do you mind explaining it and how it relates to you music? Then, to go further, how did you know it would fuse together so well with blackened folk metal? What are your influences regarding the former and the latter?
The theme is about respecting the nature, living in a nomadic way that does no harm to the mother land, understanding and respecting every creature lives around you, and being brave, faithful, and loyal. I just use folk metal music as a tool to convey my agreement towards the theme.
In the last few years, you’ve expanded the project into a full band. Has this changed the way the songs are written? Specifically, what was the recording/writing process like for Ancient Call?
Yes, it changes the way we work. I will be the main songwriter, but Xin Wang, the fiddle player, will compose the main melody regarding my harmony structures. This makes it both full of details and the full orchestral richness.
What’s the metal scene like in your area? Is there one dominate metal genre or are there many bands of different varieties? Plus, how does everyone interact? Do you play shows with Nine Treasures, for instance? Is there a community? Finally, what has the reception been like? Have you been embraced by local listeners? Is there any pressure from outside forces?
We are close friends with Nine Treasures. We did two theme show together, which was called Nomadic Legend. But the music market in China is really not good. So we just do what we do.
What’s on your playlist right now? Anything outside of metal catching your ear?
I listen to Julie Fowlis a lot recently, she is a famous Celtic singer that provides the song in Pixar’s Brave, which is my favorite movie ever.
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Tengger Cavalry’s Ancient Call is available now through Metal Hell Records.
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