Such is the strong impression Mongolian metal band The HU made on our collective consciousness that it seems like only yesterday they were last in the UK. As it transpires it was in June 2023 and as part of their Rumble Of Thunder tour. Those who’ve experienced their live show will never forget, but for the multitudes who’re yet to make their acquaintance (shame on you!) the band’s set at last year’s annual knees-up at Worthy Farm was caught on tape and now gets released as Live At Glastonbury. Originally released on vinyl for Record Store Day, this album gets its first digital release and comes armed with four bonus cuts.
I must admit that until I caught The HU at last year’s Download festival, the idea of a metal band originating from Mongolia was beyond my comprehension. That a large, sparsely-populated, landlocked country in central Asia would birth one of modern metal’s hottest bands was a surprise to many, but a nice one nonetheless. Since forming in 2016 in the country’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar, The Hu have released two studio albums, so a live offering was very much on the cards and it is fitting that it was recorded in the UK, the home of heavy metal. However, I feel the aforementioned Download would have been the better choice of a recording venue, with decades of metal history, whereas heavy metal is often seen as something trivial at Glastonbury. Yet, The HU seem unaware (or indifferent) to metal’s status at Glasto, and they proceed to lay the venue to waste with their crushing sound. Like an angry Golem/Goliath (take your pick) ‘Shihi Hutu’ is the opening blast and if there were any present who doubted the band’s prowess before the band arrived, then they’re blown to smithereens by the song’s conclusion.
It’s always interesting to hear what spin different cultures put on heavy metal, and a band should really soak up their native environment and incorporate it into their sound, and that’s precisely what The HU do. They take traditional instrumentation and turn it into some of the heaviest metal known to man; the sound created on cuts such as ‘TATAR Warrior’ is huge and appears on the horizon like a dark, angry cloud. The band are lucky that they have a tongue that transfers well to heavy metal, and their utilisation of low throat singing fits the music very well, and especially on a cover of Metallica’s ‘Through The Never’. Musically, it’s a faithful rendition, although the morin khuur and tovshuur add a touch of litheness to a heavy beat and the lyrics, translated into Mongolia, seem to pack more punch. ‘Yuve Yuve Yu’ really swings (like, a wrecking ball swing) whilst ‘This Is Mongol’ makes for a cataclysmic conclusion, which is surely the only way for The HU to depart.
Live After Death, Unleashed In The East, No Sleep At All…now you can add Live At Glastonbury to that illustrious list.
- Live At Glastonbury (Digital Version) is available digitally via Better Music on 7th June 2024.
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Track List:
1. Shihi Hutu
2. The Gereg
3. Shoog Shoog
4. Eseerin Vasahina
5. TATAR Warrior
6. Upright Destined Mongol
7. Black Thunder
8. Through The Never
9. Yuve Yuve Yu
10. Wolf Totem
11. This Is Mongol
