In Mongolian shamanism, Tengger (also spelt Tengeri) is the sky-father, lord of the celestial sphere.
I’ve posted a song from this band before, and now I’m posting another because that’s just how good these guys are. Tengger Calvary’s music evokes the raw power of ancient armies on horseback riding across the vast Manchurian Steppe. The band links their music to a traditional Mongolian sound by their use of throat singing – a unique type of vocals in which two different pitches are produced at the same time. This style of singing was developed by the Mongolian people as part of an animistic belief set. Animism is the belief that objects of nature have their own spiritual power. Throat singing takes this a step further by imitating the sounds of nature itself.
In addition to achieving the ambiance and feeling of Mongolian Shamanism, the band’s musicians also implement their own death metal technicality, in terms of powerful guitar solos and heavy drums. Tengger Calvary successfully combines elements of Folk and Death metal in a way that doesn’t feel forced or synthetic. If Genghis Khan and his armies rose from the dead and started playing metal – this is pretty much what it would sound like.
Of course there is also the obvious fact that there are not that many folk metal bands in the world that write songs about Mongolian Spirituality and Myth, so these guys are truly a gem.
Did Amon Amarth just make a movie or a music video? Amon Amarth’s highly awaited “Father of the Wolf” video was just released on January 17th 2014 (yesterday!) Fans who wondered why the video took so long to release now only have to look at the theater quality production behind the video to see why. The song itself is part of Amon Amarth’s newest album “Deceiver of the Gods,” so of course the theme is going to be heavily centered around Loki.
Personally, I actually feel like the introduction to the video was a bit too long. I think it would have been better of they incorporated the cinematics mostly with the music, with perhaps a 1 or 2 minute introduction. I think too much talk in the beginning kind of takes away from the music – or maybe I’m just being an extra splintery stick in the mud.
But with that aside, enjoy the video. It will leave you with a strange desire to play Skyrim and take over the world.
Also, Amon Amarth is headlining at a series of kick ass shows in the U.S. Don’t miss em!
AMON AMARTH + ENSLAVED + SKELETONWITCH
Friday, January 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues
Saturday, January 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
Monday, January 20 – San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
Tuesday, January 21 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
Wednesday, January 22 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
Friday, January 24 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Saturday, January 25 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz
Sunday, January 26 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
Monday, January 27 – Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues (*no Skeletonwitch)
Wednesday, January 29 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
Thursday, January 30 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVA
Friday, January 31 – Silver Springs, MD @ The Fillmore
Saturday, February 1 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
Monday, February 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
Tuesday, February 4 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Wednesday, February 5 – Huntington, NY @ Paramount
Thursday, February 6 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s
Friday, February 7 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
Saturday, February 8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights
Sunday, February 9 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
Tuesday, February 11 – Denver, CO @ Summit Theatre
Wednesday, February 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Murray Theater
Friday, February 14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency
Saturday, February 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Sunday, February 16 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues (* No Enslaved)
In Norse Mythology, “Gleipnir” refers to the bindings on the mighty wolf Fenrir. The Gods attempted to bind him twice before with huge chains of metal, but he broke free both times. Therefore, they commissioned dwarves to create a chain that would be impossible to break. This chain had to achieve the impossible, therefore, the dwarves fashioned it out of six impossible things:
The sound of a cat’s footfall
The beard of a woman
The roots of a mountain
The sinews of a bear
The breath of a fish
The Spittle of a bird
If you ask me, the beard of a woman isn’t hard to find. But I’ll keep my dirty thoughts elsewhere…hehehe
Anyways! The chain of Gleipnir is as thin as a silken ribbon, but stronger than an iron chain. It was forged by the dwarves in their underground realm called Svartálfaheim.
The Gleipnir is said to bind Fenrir until the days of Ragnarok. Then, he will break free and devour Odin.
Metal Gaia 