The Hu: HUN
Mongolian folk metal band The HU are back with ‘HUN’, an album that keeps tradition alive by blending their signature throat singing and instruments with a modern rock sound to create the ultimate listening experience.
The album kicks off with nothing short of a determined and powerful start with ‘Warrior Chant’ – and as the title suggests, this is worthy of being the go-to anthem for anyone leading a battle of any kind, both literal and figurative. It boasts the typical khoomei (Mongolian throat singing) and traditional folk instruments that turned the distinctive sound of The Hu into a sensational force in folk metal. As lead singer Galbadrakh “Gala” Tsendbaatar states, the song has “our signature rhythm that our fans fell in love with and everyone who will listen and know us will say that it is ‘our song’”.
This is followed by ‘Lost Soul’ which features Jonny Hawkins, vocalist of American rock band Nothing More. The song, which was released as a single in May, is a melodic blending of The Hu’s throat singing and arena-worthy chorus that sees Hawkins’ vocals soar to new heights that would make any fan want to convincingly chant: “Born to be a lost soul”.
‘Hun’ continues the hot streak with another single, ‘The Men’, which has been out since March. Again, here we notice the band’s emblematic indigenous instrumentation, heavy guitars and hypnotising tribal chanting. This track has every quality to become the perfect accompaniment to an epic battle scene in a movie or a video game, which goes to show the impressive modern sound while keeping the band’s heritage and roots intact. As Gala puts it, the song is based on Mongolian philosophy of ‘Man’s Inner Spirit’ or ‘Khiimori’ to depict “the importance of inner strength and kindness of a man to the world.” The lead vocalist further states: “Energy of men should always be reinforced with positiveness, strength and generosity, so this song tries to encapsulate that ancient wisdom and share it with the rest of humanity. Lyrics are chants that guide young and old men alike to be headstrong and to have a dream that cultivates goodness”.
‘Echoes of My Father’, the latest single off the album, brings a somewhat different mood, with over six minutes of a slower-tempoed example of The Hu’s proficiency in delivering magnetising, meditative chants that tell a story of times old and new.
The energy quickly builds up again to erupt in the highly driven ‘Shadow’ which makes for the perfect soundtrack to an intense gym workout session. A highly impactful chorus hits just the right spot at the right time, making this track a must-listen across the tracklist.
‘Horsemen’ leads us on a journey to the vast Mongolian natural lands, galloping through raging guitar riffs and passionate vocals to reach a state of complete immersion into the world of riding sturdy horses and their power. Upon first listen, one could easily imagine being in the open battlefield with their fellow horsemen, fighting for what they stand for and protecting their homeland with everything they’ve got.
Other titles worth mentioning include ‘Greed’ with an awe-inspiring guitar solo and throat vocals delivery, and ‘The Real You’ which brings out Western music components with a heavy, atmospheric sound, a hard-charging rhythm and gritty vocals.
Towards the end of the album, we find yet another single – ‘Grey Hun’ which “encourages everyone to be comfortable with just being themselves”, explains Enkhsaikhan “Enkush” Batjargal, founding member and lead morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) player of The Hu.
An eyebrow-raiser is ‘Universe’ which is nearly nine minutes long. Starting off with a slower pace, it takes a while to build in intensity, but it does so splendidly towards the middle, making the song a highlight across the whole album.
‘Second Face’ finishes things off on a high, bouncy note, ensuring that any crowd would have the time of their lives with each listen. Indeed, such an end confirms what Gala has been saying about this album: it has “a bit of everything, rhythm-wise, and we see that as a progress of expanding the Hunnu Rock genre”.
With their third studio album, The Hu achieve the rare feat of staying true to their roots while sounding uniquely fresh, making ‘HUN’ one of their most thrilling pieces of work yet.
The record is out on 24 July via Better Noise Music.