Music Without Borders: The HU and the Rise of Mongolian Folk Metal
The Mongolian folk rockers have been carrying their musical heritage on their shoulders since 2018, gaining international recognition and a spot on a horror film soundtrack in the process.
Music has the power to transport listeners to cultures and places different from their own. In Music Without Borders, our writers introduce you to international artists, bands, and genres that explore the sounds that bring us together.
Written by C.S. Harper
Photo courtesy of Tim Tronckoe
Armed with tovshuur lutes and morin khuur horsehead fiddles, The HU has followed in Genghis Khan’s footsteps, setting out to conquer the world — through music, that is. Inspired by the music of the ancient Hunnu empire, the four-piece’s unique production style weaves Tuvan throat singing and folk instruments into a heavy metal sound. Although The HU didn’t pioneer Mongolian folk metal, the band’s music is unique among its contemporaries in that it incorporates folk elements more heavily. Unlike the heavy, gritty sound of artists like Nine Treasures and Tengger Cavalry, Hunnu rock emphasizes traditional Mongolian instruments over Western metal ones. The band also embraces cultural traditions in their lyrics and aesthetic, wearing Hunnu clothing and interpolating war cries and poems from the era.
The HU embarked on its musical journey with 2018’s “Yuve Yuve Yu.” With its tight riffs and folk instrumentals, the track introduced listeners to the band’s idiosyncratic creative vision. The wailing electric guitars and key make “Yuve Yuve Yu” sound like the typical Western metal song in its first few seconds, but the Mongolian folk elements quickly kick in, as frontman Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar (aka Gala) plays lively morin khuur riffs before performing throat singing, a style of overtone singing that layers notes over a low tone. Shot in the landscapes of the Uvs Province in Mongolia, the song’s accompanying music video further showcases the band’s Hun-inspired aesthetic and sound. Standing on rugged mountains and forests, the members don traditional clothes like the deel.
With “Yuve Yuve Yu,” The HU’s message became clear: they’re not just here to make you headbang, they’re here to preserve their history. Throughout the track, Gala sings praise to his ancestors while bemoaning modern Mongolian culture. He peppers the track with historical references throughout to skilfully juxtapose his country’s past and present. “Их л удаан идэж уугаад наргиж цэнгээд хачин юм бэ юу вэ (...) / Эцэг өвгөд Монгол гээд л цээжээ дэлдэн худлаа орилох нь [It has been so long, eating and drinking, being merry / Taking our Great Mongol ancestors’ names in vain],” he sings in a guttural tone. Near the end of the track, however, his distraught tone shifts as he dreams of Mongolia’s return to its glory days: “Хачин юм бэ юу вэ юу вэ юу вэ юу вэ юу вэ [Oh the Khanate (royal power) rise and rise forever].”
This idiosyncratic creative vision took full force with the release of The HU’s debut album, The Gereg, in late 2019. Aptly named after a diplomatic passport used during the reign of Kublai and other Great Khans, the record takes listeners on a trip to discover the beauty of Mongolian history. The standout “Wolf Totem” captures the glory of the Hunnu through vivid poetry that alludes to Mongolian mythology. Over a lively instrumental dominated by the deeply melancholic tones of the morin khuur, the band members describe a Hunnu battle with animal metaphors and references to legendary figures. “Чонын зоригоор асан дүрэлзэье / Тэнхээт морьдын туурайгаар нүргэе / Тамгат Чингисийн ухаанаар даръя [Let’s burn within as the wolves’ hearts / Let’s stampede with our horses / Let’s defeat them with the wisdom of our Great Khan, Chinggis!],” they sing in low growls. Keeping with their Hun influences, the band members interpolate ancient war cries into the track, chanting “Hu” in the chorus.
Photo courtesy of Joseph Opako
Despite having a niche sound that is foreign to many listeners’ ears, The HU has been growing in global popularity. Having received the Order of Genghis Khan, the highest state award in Mongolia, in late 2019, the group has built significant respect in its home country. However, The HU’s American fanbase had been growing since before the band’s breakout record. Hype for the group in the U.S. had significantly increased in the year leading up to The Gereg’s release. As a result, the HU became the first Mongolian artist to reach No.1 on a Billboard chart, with “Wolf Totem” topping the Hard Rock Digital Sales chart earlier in April 2019. Since then, the band’s popularity has grown beyond the music scene, with features on the soundtracks for the horror film “The Retaliators” and the video game “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.”
Most notably, however, The HU released the deluxe version of The Gereg in 2020, signifying a new stage in the band’s crossover into the American music sphere. The rockers recruited popular American metal artists, including Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, on remixes of their songs. Although the group could have resorted to whitewashing its sound to appease American listeners, The HU kept the original Mongolian lyrics and instrumentals, along with added English-language verses from the guest artists.
Beyond this creative storytelling and pioneering sound, The HU’s international rise has important implications for the metal scene. Throughout its history, the genre has been infamous for its perceived lack of racial diversity, as well as the plethora of racist and xenophobic artists in the scene. As a group of East Asian musicians that reject Westernization and revel in their Mongol identities, The HU breaks these conventions, making space for artists of color in the genre and proving that non-Western music has its place in metal. Moreover, performing Mongolian folk in the context of modern rock not only allows members of The HU to preserve their musical ancestry, but to share the beauty of their culture and predecessors with the world.