The HU

The Mongolian ensemble known as the Hu achieved worldwide recognition and commercial triumph toward the close of the 2010s through their blend of heavy metal with throat singing and indigenous Mongolian musical tools. A standout track titled "Wolf Totem" achieved unexpected prominence in America by claiming the top spot on a pair of Billboard rankings, marking the initial instance of any act originating from their nation accomplishing this feat. In the wake of their inaugural full-length effort The Gereg from 2019 attaining breakout status, the Hu embarked on extensive touring, joined a Metallica tribute project in 2020, and commenced previewing material from their sophomore LP Rumble of Thunder during 2022.

Establishing themselves in 2016 within Ulaanbaatar, the capital, were Gala handling morin khuur and vocals, Jaya on tumur khuur and tsuur along with vocals, Enkush also on morin khuur and vocals, plus Temka providing tovshuur and backing vocals. This foursome drew their moniker from the historic Mongolian realm called Hunna, known in Western contexts as the Huns. By incorporating the unique multi-octave droning method of throat singing alongside native string and wind instruments, the Hu, alongside their producer Dashka, integrated electric guitars, bass, and heavy metal percussion with notable effectiveness.

The duo of initial releases "Yuve Yuve Yu" and "Wolf Totem" surfaced in 2018, rapidly gaining viral traction and accumulating vast streaming numbers globally, while the latter secured the number one position on both Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Sales and World Music charts. These compositions featured on the band's debut album The Gereg, issued internationally via Eleven Seven Records the subsequent year.

A productive close to 2019 included the Hu's debut North American tour dates along with the unveiling of remixed versions of "Yuve Yuve Yu" and "Wolf Totem" that incorporated American vocalists Danny Case from From Ashes to New and Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. Additionally, one of their songs appeared on the soundtrack for the widely played Star Wars video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Further joint efforts extended into 2020 via the track "Song of Women" that included Halestorm's Lzzy Hale. During that year as well, they supplied a rendition of Metallica's "Sad But True" for the tribute album known as The Metallica Blacklist. The Hu issued "This Is Mongol" in May 2022 as the premier single previewing their second album Rumble of Thunder, followed two months later by another track called "Black Thunder."