Folk fans, raise your horns for TENGGER CAVALRY, INFINITYUM and TELPERION - Le Klub - 12/08/2017

Sadly, I arrived a bit late to a concert room almost filled up by fans and I just watch the last songs played by INFINITYUM, the first band to play tonight. All I can say is that the crow is ready to get crazy! The songs are full of energy, led by the stage presence of the singer who never takes a break. The band plays a traditional Folk Metal with some Black Metal traces, with a real importance given to the sample, which constitutes a musical background. During the last song, we discover one of the guitar player’s clear voice, with the singer’s screams, and I must admit that this guy, who stayed discreet so far, has an amazing voice! I somehow regret that INFINITYUM does not use more of this scream-clear voice combo since one of their musicians clearly has the ability to give life to this potential vocal duo. After a last goodbye, the band leaves the stage for their friends from TELPERION.

INFINITYUM’s Setlist:
1- The Beginning Of A New Story (Intro)
2- Once Upon A Legend
3- Ready For The Battle
4- Live to Fight
5- Holy Warrior
6- Corrupt Kingdom
7- Brothers Of Drink
8- Darkest Era

From the beginning of the first song, the band sets the tone! It will be some atmospheric but really intense Folk Metal. I often say that music is not to be listened to but to be felt, and so I can tell you that these guys totally get that! Their songs remind me of the amazing DORDEDUH’s show at the Cernunnos Pagan Fest 2017 (if some of you were there, I’m sure they see what I mean). Some explanations from the singer allows me to understand that the keyboardist is in New-Zeeland for holidays and that the violin player recently left the band, but this double absence is not a problem at all since the quartet on stage perfectly works this way. The small technical problems (quickly solved by the way) offer an occasion to discover the band’s universe because the singer takes time to explain the stories behind some of the songs, such as the Beast of Gévaudan (Here Comes The Wolf), the troll Grendel (Grendel) or Merlin the Enchanteur’s love story (Broceliand Forest). Even if he is less demonstrative than INFINITYUM’s singer, TELPERION’s singer asks the public to take part in the concert by singing with him. He is helped by the bass player, shouting to get some wall of death (I assure you that it is possible, no matter how small Le Klub is) and circle pit. The magic happens almost by itself, uniting the fans to have a great time in the pit! The band plays some of its last songs as some from its first record, which gives a good idea of their musical evolution. According to me, it’s great to see that they made their compositions more complex, without giving up on the dancing aspect of their first songs. Their set ends with The Final Hour, which is another occasion to shout altogether to answer to the guitar melody. My opinion: I didn’t know TELPERION before this show, but the next time they come to Paris, I’ll rush to see them because they have a really unique identity and a universe which can carry us away during a song or an entire concert; but I won’t play longer on your nerve, here are the stars of the evening: TENGGER CAVALRY!

TELPERION’s Setlist:
1- Wind Rose
2- On The Slopes Of Gergovia
3- Embrace Of The Endless River
4- Release Your Soul
5- In Broceliande To Rest
6- Here Comes The Wolf
7- Grendel
8- Final Hour

The public is about to have a great surprise since the American band also has a missing member: their drummer! But don’t worry, they’re totally ready and they broadcast the drums recordings while they play. Nature’s outfit (made of pale blue silk and a red and gold fur toque) and Philip’s long black coat throw us easily in the unique Nomadic Metal played by the band. However, TENGGER CAVALRY’s true strength comes from the diphonic vocals since all the pit gets quiet as soon as the singer starts to sing a cappella. Every song is more epic than the previous ones which provides the public enough energy to do some pogos until the end of the night! But that’s exactly what you expect when you go to see the warriors of TENGGER CAVALRY on stage! Between the songs, Nature tells us the adventures of the band through the European festivals such as the flood of the tent he was sharing with Alex, who heroically saved it from a wind gust (brave action, hailed by the applause and laugh of the public). The musicians’ pleasure to be on stage in front of us is clear and their energy is incredibly catching. The legendary War Horse, an eagerly awaited song tonight, is the peak of the show! Nature’s vocals and Philip’s screams remain powerful and take us to the Asian steppes. The tovshuur, a traditional Mongolian music instrument which looks like a two strings lute, reinforces the band’s identity during the whole concert. For a song, Paul De Sanctis, MALPHAS’s singer and guitar player, joins the band on stage. We are said that the two bands just finished a tour in the US but since Paul was in Paris in August, TENGGER CAVALRY invited him to share the stage with them tonight. After a few more songs, the band leaves the stage, without succumbing to the call from the public who is craving for more. Nonetheless they take a lot of time to shake everyone’s hands and to throw the first guitar picks of the night. I’m somehow sad that the two first bands to play had 45 minutes each, which left only 50 minutes for TENGGER CAVALRY, but Le Klub’s organization makes the concert end at 10 p.m because of another party. Almost right after they left the stage, the musicians join the public to talk, take some pictures and sign their CDs.

Setlist TENGGER CAVALRY :
1- Cavalry In Thousands
2- Die On My Ride
3- Cursed
4- Hymn Of The Earth
5- Independence Day
6- To The Sky
7- War Horse
8- A Blade Of Time
9- Tengger Cavalry
10- Wasted
11- Me Against Me

The three bands will finally stay in front of Le Klub for a really long time, surrounded by a lot of fans, delighted with talking so easily with them. Most of us will finish this evening at the Black Dog, to remain in the friendly and festive ambiance that was set up during the show. TENGGER CAVALRY’s tour in Europe, and more especially their concert in Paris, is something I wouldn’t have missed for anything in the world. And the band went far beyond my expectations with such an amazing concert! The artists’ accessibility was a huge advantage which made this show ends as well as it started. But let’s not forget INFINITYUM (which I couldn’t really discover unfortunately) and TELPERION (which, as you probably get it, won my heart), two bands that I would love to see again on stage!

Pictures by: Matthieu Lelièvre, Acta Infernalis – Deathlinger's Review