BIOGRAPHY
The Samans is an Chinese Industrial Metal/Alternative Metal band formed in 2006 and its members came from the northeast China and inner Mongolia. The Samans’ music focus on epics and mythologies and mixed with some national elements from Helvetic, viking and China on the basis of four traditional instruments of metal music. The Samans is widely accepted by the audience for their delicate instruments and profound skills on composing. .A weird hybrid of Death Metal and Folk from China, sung in English. A true example of a band that may not seem appealing but end up impressing once they are heard.
It is very aggressive and the Death Metal spoken growls are definitely not for everyone. But having been a fan of folk metal and variations of Thrash/Death Metal for decades I thought I’d give them a try. And I now have a new favorite Chinese Metal band.
The closest comparisons to other bands would be with the Swiss band ELUVEITIE. They wrap their version of Death into grandiose melodies using folk instruments and programming. Evoking much “softer” music to offset the spoken monotone vocals and Death Metal moments. And even though the vocals by band leader Wang Lifu are in-distinctive and similar from song to song, they have a surprising amount of emotion on key tracks.
The band's debut EP Weltreich was released on 24th Oct 2009. They released an EP almost every year since 2009.
Changchun-based folk metal outfit The Samans have earned quite the following since their formation in 2007. Their latest Lionheart continues to follow their love for all things Celtic, Viking, and of course metal. And while it most certainly lacks the punch their live performance garners, I dig the composition and detail given to melodic drive. Utilizing electronic samples that could of easily come across as cheesy, the album really does invoke some epic imagery.
Formed in: 2006
Status: Active
Years active: 2006-Present
LINE UP
Yaxin Gao - Programming/Samples
Lifu Wang - Vocals/Songwriter/Tin Whistles
Zhichao Ren - Guitar
Xiaoyu Zhai - Guitar/Accordion/Tin Whistles
Ji Qi - Bass
Chenglin Ji - Drums
Location: Changchun, Jilin Province
Genre: Folk Industrial Metal
Current label: Unsigned/independent
Official WebSite: http://site.douban.com/thesamans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesamans
Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/thesamans
Souncloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-samans
Myspace: http://www.myspace.cn/thesamans
Last FM: www.last.fm/music/The+Samans
DISCOGRAPHY
Lionheart ( Few Tracks EP - 2013)
Whalesong (EP - 2012)
Khan ( EP - 2011)
Weltreich (EP - 2009)
