On The Scene: Mao Livehouse 03-03-2013

Mao Livehouse is doing great things people. More shows, more names, and a lot less constrictive to one’s wallet, it looks as though the place reaching out to the customer. Their free Sundays showings, about twice a month, is a stroke of genius – a great opportunity to dip your toes into the music here without any regret. So when I heard pagan metal troupe Tengger Cavalry was be playing this particular freebie night my ass was there. How could I miss this?

If he could Genghis Khan would blast this shit across the Great Plains to get pumped before riding into battle. Check out some more Mongolian metal below along with Saving Molly and more.

I arrived that evening to catch hardcore group Saving Molly rallying up the surprisingly bursting crowd Sunday night.

Energetic, fierce, loud and proud, the group doesn’t get nearly enough credit (as say a lot of the other hardcore groups out there) for their solid work. Definitely tips the scale into screamo, but the edges are sharp on these boys.

On the other hand, the next group, who I couldn’t put a name on for the life of me (and clearly not on the original lineup), were a dulled filtered version of every band I listened to religiously as a tween – Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors, yeah, that whole wave.

It’s not bad going down, but it lacks any kind of kick, personal touch, basically anything to get me to ask their name.

But heck, I was here for some balls to the wall Mongolian pagan metal, and Tengger Cavalry delivered. In fact, it looked like all of Mao was waiting for this moment – and I don’t blame them.

While a lot of the metal around town has begun to feel repetitive, Tengger Cavalry feels anything but. Pagan metal isn’t new but their guys’ breathe such new life into the genre by utilizing everything the nomadic Mongolian culture has to offer – instruments, folklore, and the imagery of hordes of Mongolians badasses taking a land by storm.

And though it was only a little more than a year ago that this was a one-man show, it’s starting to feel like a full-fledged group on stage. They’re coming in their own, and at this point I want them to take it even further, conquer the land here and aboard. Spread your seed. Gargle blood out of the skulls of the defeated. Yeah, talk about that imagery.

One can only imagine what the addition of another guitar might entail. Just throwing it out there. March onwards Tengger Cavalry, march onwards!