(September 2024) Episode 600 is TENGGER CAVALRY. As I wrote in the episode on Nine Treasures, heavy metal seems a natural medium for expression of Mongol culture and mythology, similar in a way as it does for Nordic/Viking. And throat-singing and death growl provide similar vocal textures. Tengger Cavalry is fusion of genres and people: it was formed by a Beijing-born man of Mongol-Chinese heritage while a student in New York, and the band included both Mongols and non-Asians. I enjoyed their first couple albums, but after that it seemed to fall into a pattern of a drop-tuned metal riff followed by a melodic string line, repeated over and over. Thus, overall the fusion feels somewhat artificial rather than transformative. I’m going to try other Mongolian folk metal to see if I can find that.

Favorite album: Sunesu Cavalry

Favorite song: Cavalry Folk

Compared to expectations: ↓

Recommendation: Sunesu Cavalry is all you need.

(January 2024) Episode 540 is NINE TREASURES, a folk metal group from the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region in the People’s Republic of China. Its members are ethnically Mongolian (calling themselves Southern Mongolian), and the music blends heavy metal guitars and drums with traditional Mongolian musical instruments and throat singing. The fusion is quite enjoyable. And maybe there’s a logic to it. Historians have noted parallels between the warrior cultures and civilizational paths of Scandinavians and Mongolians. And since Nordic mythology and imagery seem a natural fit for metal music, as well as offer an explanation for its popularity in Scandinavian countries, perhaps we can see the same with Mongolians. Nine Treasures’ lyrics evoke Mongolian history, landscapes, legends and mythologies.

Favorite album: Wisdom Eyes

Favorite song: Black Heart

Compared to expectations: ↑

Recommendation: Try it. I dislike most forms of fusion, but this one feels genuine and instinctive.