Austrian-based band Luna Rise caught my ear a little while back, and I became captivated by the way they combine well-composed melodies with heavy and passionate music. I've listened to a few of their tracks, and their song, "Valentine" really stood out to me:
This song alone is a great introduction to Luna Rise, with powerful vocals that transition into light and lyrical bridges, and guitars that range from power chord progressions to intricately composed prog-rock flourishes. Undeniably metal, but with evident roots in garage punk, grimdark goth, and a touch of old school New Wave - Luna Rise is as enjoyable to listen to while sitting and writing, as they are when you're driving as fast as you can down empty roads in the middle of the night.
To get the latest news on what Luna Rise are up to in the studio, playing around, information about live shows, or if you want o get to know a great band - you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
It's not often that something completely new comes across my radar - and less frequently than that do I have a chance to review it. Tengger Cavalry recently announced their new album, Blood Sacrifice Shaman, and it will be available May 18th via Metal Hell Records.
Tengger Cavalry infuse heavy metal with traditional Mongolian folk and primal Shamanistic tradition, including chanting and the Shaman bell.
A symphony of diverse ethnic musicality and exploration, Blood Sacrifice Shaman is the next step in the evolution of the first Mongolian metal band. This is the album which takes the band full circle, as it includes as a bonus track Tengger Cavalry's very first song, recorded in 2009, representing the original hybrid philosophy behind the band.
The brainchild of composer, guitarist and vocalist Nature Ganganbaigal, Tengger Cavalry are now in their fifth year, having previously released an album per year. A band who have opened for Turisas as well as playing Beijing and New York's Strawberry Music Festival, Tengger Cavalry are a truly unique and exciting prospect in the world of international metal.
For the latest news from Tengger Cavlry, you can follow the band on Facebook as well as Twitter.
Now, I want you to get in a car, get on a horse, get on a bike, run through the woods - it doesn't matter. I just want you to go forward, as fast as you will allow yourself to go. When you are done listening I want you to stop and feel your pulse, take in the world around you and where you have been. Then I want you to listen to the tracks again and again until you want nothing but rest. I love this music and what my imagination paints while listening to it.
Educational background provided by the band:
Tengger
is the name of the sky god of Mongolian grassland. Created
in 2009 by the bandleader Nature
Ganganbaigal in China, Tengger
Cavalry blends overtone throat singing, Mongolian
horse-head fiddle and other nomadic music tradition
of North-Asia with heavy metal music, creating an unique
music genre – Mongolian folk metal.
After
the release of four studio albums in Europe and United States,
Tengger Cavalry has become known as one of the most unique,
innovative and exciting metal bands in Asia.
Crossover band F@B is poised to released their upcoming album, TALMBOUT'DAT. Hailing from the Ukraine, F@B (which stands for Fragment Antigen Binding) combine Rapcore, Nu-Metal, Grunge, and other avante-garde genres to create untamed, fantastic tracks that will bend your concept of music.
Drawing from artists such as Faith No More, System of a Down, Nirvana, and may others, the upcoming album, TALMBOUT'DAT - which stands for "Tell Them About That," a release of emotions that people usually keep hidden under a mask of politeness and social dignity imposed by society - will be a 9 track album.
Here's a mixtape video for a sample of TALMBOUT'DAT:
TALMBOUT'DAT is currently available on iTunes, and through other digital media stores. The CD release will be forthcoming. Check out F@B now, and get the album the critics are calling the reinvention of genre-bending metal for a new generation!
