Yngizarm (英吉沙) - "For The Motherwolf" [2006]

Artist: Yngizarm
Title: For The Motherwolf
Label: Autumn Floods Productions
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: China
Release date: 2006
Size: 35 mb

Track list:

1. 引曲 (Intro)
2. 山川 (Mountains)
3. 为狼王 (For the Motherwolf)
4. 阴山 / Border Mountain

Yngizarm is yet another one-man black metal project from China - more specifically, southwest China, near the rim of the Tarim basin. That region is really on outskirts of the world, but a lot of suprisingly good music comes from there! The man behind Yngizarm uses the moniker "Bloodfire", and he also is a member of Hellward, Midwinter, Varuna and Zuriaake. I haven't heard any music by Hellward, but all the 3 other bands are just great. So does Yngizarm.

As far as I know, "Yn Gizarm" means "new city" in Uyghur language (so it's probably an equivalent to the Russian "Novgorod"). In Chinese it is written 英吉沙 ("yingjisha" in pinyin), but I have no idea what it means (the Google Image search returns a lot of photos of knives for this query, though). The lyrics on this EP seem to be inspired by nature and Uyghur history & mythology. I don't know for sure, but Yngizarm is probably Tengrian, like Tengger Cavalry. The only other Tengrian black metal band I know are Darkestrah - formerly from Kyrgyzstan, now relocated to Germany. Tengrianism is a pretty interesting system of beliefs, so I'd like to hear much more Tengrian metal... but the countries in that area are extremely poor (especially Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), and rock/metal music is almost unknown there.

Many people have compared this EP to Emperor's album "In The Nightshade Eclipse", and I'd agree with them. Not as original as Tengger Cavalry's first EP, though, but still very good.

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Tengger Cavalry - "Tengger Cavalry" [2010]

Artist: Tengger Cavalry
Title: Tengger Cavalry
Label: Dying Art Productions
Genre: Folk / Black Metal
Country: China
Release date: 2010
Size: 25 mb

Track list:

1. 长调 (The Long Tune)
2. 长生天铁骑 (Tengger Cavalry)
3. 狼血 (Wolves' Blood)
4. 风 (Wind)

This is one of the most original releases I've ever came across. Tengger Cavalry is an one-man project from China led by 张天然, who's interested in Mongolian culture, shamanism and Tengrianism (the Altaic paganism). The music is blackened folk metal with some elements of traditional Mongolian throat singing. Really interesting stuff, but this EP is way too short... However, a full-length album titled "Blood Sacrifice Shaman" was released a couple of months ago - but unfortunately I haven't found it anywhere.

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Chinese neofolk compilation: 新民谣印象：像一场年代久远的沉沦

Artist: V/A
Title: 月之深海系列专题之二 — 新民谣印象：像一场年代久远的沉沦
Genre: Neofolk
Country: China
Release date: unknown
Size: 50 mb

Track List:

1. Argine - Memorie
2. Tempesta Noire - Book of Life
3. 夜郎 - 敕勒歌
4. Forseti - Sei Nun Still
5. In Gowan Ring - Two Towers
6. Nebelung - Heimsuchung
7. The Golden Bough - 船歌 (Ship Song)
8. Novalis - Human
9. Tenhi - Kuolleesi Jokeen
10. 野孩子 - 红河谷

Please don't ask me where I found this really rare stuff - honestly I can't remember. I tried to find out more about this compilation, but the google search yields only one result - a post in some Chinese blog, which is deleted by now. So, all i know about this compilation is that it was originally posted at musicmoon.com , and it contains 7 tracks by European neofolk bands (the rest - by Chinese ones).

China seems to be full with good neofolk projects, and I spent a lot of time to find more info about them. Unfortunately, almost all the results were in Chinese, and even Google Translate didn't help much. I could find only a little info about The Golden Bough (they're known to some European neofolk fans because they participated in the sampler "Penumbra over Beauty" with the song "The Fool"), and only in very broken English: "The Golden Bough from Chongqing China is now living in Beijing, devotes in folk in a special grence , whinch contains several styles such as dark folk, dark wave, Chinese characteristic & so on. The songs The simplemindedness & Barcarolle are the most interesting to listen to" (original spelling and grammar kept intact). Anyway, they're the first neofolk band singing in Chinese I had come across. I think they're can be called "the Chinese Current 93". The rest of the compilation is enjoyable as well, and I doubt if you can find it anywhere else.

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Gol Dolan - "The Traces Of Mist" [2009]

Artist: Gol Dolan
Title: The Traces Of Mist
Genre: Neofolk
Country: China
Release date: 2009
Size: 70 mb

Track List:

1. Intro
2. The Traces Of Mist
3. Balmy Of Reminiscence
4. Sorcerer’s Pearl
5. Exercise Of Heart
6. The Memory Of My Islamic
7. Leippya
8. Mermaid
9. Star Atlas
10. The Endless Knot Of Soviet Union
11. The Eternal Return
12. Ataraxia
13. Story
14. The Lay Preacher
15. The Endless Knot Of Soviet Union (Version Guitar)

Gol Dolan is an another Chinese neoclassical/neofolk project, consisting of Do Lan and Bo Wen. The duo was formed in Beijing around 2005, and has four releases (+ one demo) so far. "The Traces Of Mist" is their 2nd full-length album, featuring 15 mostly instrumental tracks. Not as impressive as Bloody Woods or Eltan Renaxy, but still very beautiful music. And some of these track names are, hmm... original. "The Endless Knot Of Soviet Union"?.. Interesting.

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Raksha Mancham - "1.200.000 Dead Tibetans" [1996]

Artist: Raksha Mancham
Title: 1200000 Dead Tibetans
Label: Music Maxima Magnetica
Genre: Noise / Tribal Industrial
Country: Belgium
Release date: 1996
Size:84 mb

Track list:

1. Ganden
2. Sangyip
3. Ngalam Thongla ("A Mountain Pass")
4. Kilalunpa ("Happy Country")
5. Seitru
6. Lithang
7. nGolok
8. Powo Tramo
9. Labrang Tashi Kyil
10. Gutsa
11. Nadnpa
12. Drapchi

"Raksha Mancham’s project 1.200.000 Dead Tibetans combines industrial, noise, harsh electronics sounds with true stories about the victims of the Chinese occupation and genocide on the Tibetan Nation that takes place till this day.
Mostly a spoken word album about torture methods used by Chinese on Tibetans using the genitalia.
Sick stuff" (c) last.fm

Well, it's not so sick as thought after reading this description, but it's quite impressive work anyway. Much better than I expected. According to the reviews, it differs from other Raksha Mancham's works in terms of sound... but I haven't heard his other albums yet, so I have nothing to compare it with. As for the lyrical content (which is all in English) - I take the neutral position in Chinese-Tibetan conflict, but the whole conception of "1.200.000 Dead Tibetans" is very interesting anyway.

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