The Hu
The Gereg

It would appear that Mongol metal/hard rock is on the rise these days, just from the top of my mind I can think of at least three Mongol rockers that spice up their hard rock/metal with traditional Mongol folk music touches. The Hu is one such band, they have made quite a stir on the web-tube and amassed over 30 million views on the Yuve Yuve Yu track and over 20 million for another track, quite impressive. Some claim that they are doing something unique but is it really, folk music infused rockers and metallers have been around for quite a while and they are not the only one to focus much on such elements. Tengger Cavalry and Mongol are two other bands that use the same folk musical influences like traditional instruments and throat singing.

As folk metal/rock bands that are heard here in Europe are mostly influence by European folk music it feels quite different to hear bands like The Hu who take their influence from folk music that is quite different from the one we are used to. And they can even be thought of as a bit of a breath of fresh air even though they aren’t that different from many other bands that do the same, though more extreme metal are more commonly combined with folk music so for that reason they might be a bit different. It feels quite different and fresh but the vocals quickly becomes quite annoying, especially if you play through the albums a few times in a row as I often tend to do when writing about it. Combine that with insignificant variation and you have an album that could feel a bit tiresome after a little while. But with good production and a style that at least tries to think outside the box they have a good deal going for them and it seems like there are quite a few fans out there as well.

Why these guys have 30 million views and Tengger Cavalry have 30 thousand is a tad puzzling, probably down to promotion or exposure but I think both Tengger Cavalry and Mongol are better than these guys. They are a bit more towards the extreme metal and probably somewhat more conventional with less throaty singing than The Hu, so perhaps it is the fresh thinking that does it. But is it really so unique to take something old and slightly modernise it? Perhaps it is and I think The Hu deserves praise for daring to make their thing, a think that is both catchy and feels fairly fresh. But it isn’t that amazing, almost a little bit boring. It is rather great in small doses but not listening to for any extended period of time.

A pretty amusing album with pretty good tracks etc. but not a great one and not one that I would really buy, but thinking outside established boxes is always a good thing so they deserves praise at least for that. I do however think that there are better choices when it comes to Mongol-infused metal/rock, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth checking out The Hu.

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