The Hu Don’t Sell Out

Bringing traditional music to the masses without losing what makes it special is no easy task. But a group of traditional Mongolian musicians have succeeded on that score, in part by combining the music of their ancestors with a modern form: heavy metal.

The Members of the Hu are all formally trained musicians, deeply immersed in the historic music of their native Mongolia. Formed in 2016, the group features Galbadrakh “Gala” Tsendbaatar and Enkhsaikhan “Enkush” Batjargal, both of whom play the morin khuur, an ancient bowed fiddle instrument with historical designation from UNESCO.

Nyamjantsan “Jaya” Galsanjamts plays a Mongolian instrument known as the tumur hhuur; Western listeners might call the instrument a Jew’s harp or jaw harp. The fourth member of the group, Temuulen “Temka” Naranbaatar plays the tovshuur, a handmade plucked instrument similar to a lute. All four musicians sing, often in the traditional and distinctive tuvan throat singing style. Also known as khoomei, that vocal tradition is known for its creation of overtones, an effect that creates a kind of auditory illusion of multiple singers.

If the Hu’s music went only as far as what those details suggest, it would likely be a kind of fascinating Eastern/Asian folk, rooted in tradition and somewhat foreign- and exotic-sounding to Western ears. Their releases might be stocked in a music store’s “world music” section along with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Youssou N’Dour, Fela Kuti, Ravi Shankar and other esteemed creative figures whose artistry has existed largely outside of European and American musical traditions.

But the Hu stand apart from those and others, because the group really, really rocks. The Hu seamlessly and creatively meld their traditional instrumentation with electric guitar, electric bass and a full drum kit. The result, as heard on a pair of albums (2019’s The Gereg and 2022’s Rumble of Thunder) is Mongolian heavy metal.

Producer and songwriter Bayarmagnai “Dashka” Dashdondog put the group together, selecting top students from the Mongolian State Music and Dance Conservatory in the country’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar. “We were hand-selected by Dashka,” Enkush explains through a translator. “He has 40 years of experience in the music industry.”

As revolutionary and groundbreaking as the idea of Mongolian metal might seem, the Hu aren’t the first group to combine the two disparate styles. Enkush says that he and his band mates grew up listening to Egschiglen and Altan Urag, pioneers in the hybrid form. But while Egschiglen saw some of its music released on a German label, neither of those groups had their music distributed in the U.S. So for Western listeners, the Hu makes a sound like nothing else.

Music is often called the universal language, and the Hu are a testament to the truth of that axiom. While Western listeners won’t understand any of the Hu’s lyrics, the thoughts and emotions at the songs’ core still get through. “I personally don’t think that you guys are missing out on anything,” Enkush says. “Every fan I talk with says that they get the feeling of what we’re trying to say. They understand that we’re singing about inner power and strength as well as the history of our ancestors.”

The group’s debut album demonstrated the appeal of their unusual music. The Gereg charted in ten countries, climbing all the way to the #11 spot on Australia’s album chart. In the U.S., the album made it to a perfectly respectable #103. Rumble of Thunder performed well, too; within a year of its release, the album was reissued with – depending on the format – three to ten bonus tracks. Four of the Hu’s singles made it into the Top 40 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, spending a total of 78 weeks on the chart.

The group’s live show brings tradition and modernity together. Augmented by four additional Mongolian musicians handling the modern metal firepower, the Hu is currently touring major and mid-sized markets across the U.S. and Canada. And Enkush says that he is constantly surprised by the enthusiastic reaction his band receives. “In every corner of the world, we find people who are passionate about the music that we perform,” he says. Noting that many fans discover the Hu’s music on YouTube, Enkush says that listeners then come to concerts familiar with their catalog, often chanting along with the songs. “Everywhere we go, they chant, and that really fascinates me,” he says.

The music of the Mongolian metallers is proving its appeal even beyond albums and concerts: The Hu has been featured in two popular Star Wars Jedi action-adventure video games. “Our music has no limits,” Enkush says with pride. “We can even create something extraterrestrial.”