Tengwar
By Matthew S. Maynard
Photo by Nate Puckett

Tengwar began in 2000 by high school friends from Danville, Virginia who shared a love of both Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series (Tengwar is the name of one of the alphabets invented for the trilogy) and the music of Iron Maiden, Metallica and Pantera. Working around their academic and social schedules, the friends gathered for casual jams. "For a while, [there were] three of us. We would get together in Mike's garage and jam, write music and talk about forming a full band," recalls guitarist Brandon Blair. Over time, the jams became more serious and structured, and after a few preliminary member changes, the line-up solidified to its current order. Featuring Blair, vocalist Jack Bauer, bassist Matt Conner, drummer Cody Watlington and guitarist Mike Conner, the band set about honing its sound. Combining their thrash and power-metal roots with newfound inspiration from Ayreon and Dream Theater would eventually yield a signature style that is extreme while still possessing a clear melodic sensibility - technical, yet epic. The new influences and a certain level of musical maturity began to reveal that Tengwar could be much more than a garage or bar band, so they continued diligently studying and practicing. With the band members being largely self-taught, they maximized their educational resources: the internet, magazines and spare time. "The internet and magazines were my teachers," states Mike Conner. "I would spend hours practicing," adds Watlington, whose initial exposure to music was drumming in his high school's marching band. Only Bauer learned breathing and vibrato through formal training.
The extensive development process undertaken by the band is evident on their latest release, Flight of the Dragon. With potent metal riffs and impassioned melodies, the album provides an intense metallic foundation for their impeccable musicianship and dynamic arrangements - just don't call them progressive metal. "We don't consider ourselves a progressive metal band," explains Mike Conner. "We're a metal band with some progressive elements." These elements include key, tempo and time signature changes that give the songs a sense of direction. Tengwar is quite subtle in employing these changes, though., as demonstrated on "The Ring," where despite three signature transitions in 16 measures, the phrase "comps" itself to have the "feel" of 8/8 time to the listener. Such a maneuver requires an unusually skilled, tight rhythm section. Watlington and Matt Conner definitely fit that description, whether locking into a slow, heavy groove ("Lesser of Two Evils") or galloping double-time rhythms ("Decide"). Bauer's voice adds considerable weight to the mix, whether with Queensrychian operatics or a throatier delivery reminiscent of more contemporary metal. His inflections and cadences add a unique character to his style. As with metal in general, the guitars are the centerpiece of Tengwar's sound. Blair and Mike Conner insert dense, crunchy, mostly minor key rhythms and intricate leads, which sometimes incorporate exotic theoretical modes like Phrygian, Mixolydian and Aeloian. However, the guitarists largely stick to the tried-and-true minor scale, using unique phrasing and picking techniques to take the scale in new directions, much like Kirk Hammett and the late "Dimebag" Darrell before them.
With four members of Tengwar professing Christianity, the band approaches the musician's lifestyle a bit differently than most. However, they don't act condescendingly towards other bands and regularly play alongside those who do not share their faith. As Bauer puts it, "We're not forcing anybody to believe what we believe." They are also wary of being misrepresented as a musical ministry. "We try to separate the two," says Blair, referring to the members' faith and their lyrical content. Still, if art is a reflection of one's deeply held ideals, then the same holds true for Tengwar. Many songs on the band's two releases to date deal with the effects of immorality, the certainty of death and the joys of life.
This could be a breakthrough year for Tengwar. The band intends to write new material and pursue professional business arrangements (labels, retailers, management, etc.) As schedules allow (Watlington is a full-time student), touring and recording a follow-up to the well-received <I>Flight of the Dragon<I> are a priority for the career-minded musicians. "We are going to take Tengwar as far as we can take it," Bauer insists.

www.myspace.com/tengwarband