There’s no shortage of folk influence in the world of metal, but the vast majority of it is undeniably Eurocentric, which is to be expected, given England’s (and later Scandinavia’s) claim to its birth and subsequent rise. In the past decade however, we have been fortunate enough to see a rise in Eastern influences in metal, and one up and coming band leading the pack is Mongolia’s Tengger Cavalry. Their self-referred breed of “nomadic folk metal” has set them apart as a unique cultural force in metal, landing on the pages of mainstream news outlets CNN and The Huffington Post, not to mention the usual metal circles of Terrorizer and Metal Hammer.
As the group gear up for the release of their upcoming album Die On My Ride (out June 2nd via M-theory Audio) they gave us a rundown of the most important metal records that informed their collective growth as not just fans of music, but as musicians in this iteration of The Anatomy Of.
Massacre – From Beyond
Alex Abayev, bass: I was about 15 years old when I heard the song called “Chamber Of Ages” by Massacre on the radio. I was hooked to that song immediately. I felt enormously powerful listening to it. By a miracle, I got the full From Beyond album to listen to and I knew right the way that I wanted to be a metal-head and I had no other interests except listening to rock and metal and trying to learn how to play it.
King Diamond – Conspiracy
Alex Abayev, bass: Another album that opened my musical portals in the beginning. It was hard to choose a song that I loved the most from this record but those mysterious intros on organ and harpsichord, King’s vocal range, melodic and fast leads of Andy Larocque and dark atmosphere of the album kept me glued to it for many years. Since then my musical tastes and playing abilities have shifted to many different styles and directions but the honesty, brutality, mysticism and creativity of the first two records that influenced me back then are still present in my works to this day.
Rush – Moving Pictures
Josh Schifris, drums: The album that most inspired and still inspires me as a drummer is Moving Pictures by Rush. Everything about this album has already been said by other drummers and musicians alike but this was the first Rush album I ever heard and bought.
Motörhead – Motörizer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4b3MBkOx5k
Josh Schifris, drums: The album (or the band, rather) that first got me interested in playing heavy metal was Motörizer by Motörhead. Again, it was the first album I bought from the band back when the album came out in 2008 or so, but still to this day Motörhead is the reason I play heavy metal.
Slipknot – Iowa
Nature G, vocals: This record is pure, rude sound. It’s chaotic, angry and hateful, yet there is still some intricate compositions and melodic writing involved if you pay attention to the variations and details. This album was one of my very early influences as a guitarist for writing these kids of metal riffs.
Die On My Ride is available June 2nd through M-theory Audio. The album’s title track is available for streaming below:
You can also catch them touring North America this summer with Felix Martin. Catch dates below:
6/03 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
6/04 – Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks
6/05 – Toronto, ON @ Hard Luck
6/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo
6/08 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
6/09 – Indianapolis, IN @ Taps Live
6/10 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
6/11 – Fargo, ND @ Aquarium
6/13 – Winnipeg, MB @ Windsor Hotel
6/14 – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos
6/15 – Edmonton, AB @ Brixx
6/16 – Calgary, AB @ Distortion
6/18 – Vancouver, BC @ The Astoria
6/19 – Seattle, WA @ Highline
6/21 – Portland, OR @ Dantes
6/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
6/24 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
6/25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
6/27 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
6/28 – Kansas, City MO @ Riot Room
6/29 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
6/30 – St Louis, MO @ Fubar
7/01 – Nashville, TN @ East Room
7/03 – Atlanta, GA @ 529
7/04 – Asheville, NC @ Mothlight
7/05 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
7/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Fire
7/07 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus
7/08 – Manchester, NH @ Jewel