The Hu are a Mongolian band whose fusion of heavy metal, throat singing, and traditional Mongolian instrumentation brought them global attention and commercial success at the end of the 2010s. Their single "Wolf Totem" enjoyed a surprising run in the U.S., topping two Billboard charts, making them the first band from their country to do so. Following the breakout success of their 2019 debut, The Gereg, the Hu toured heavily, took part in a 2020 Metallica tribute album, and in 2022 began teasing singles from their follow-up LP, Rumble of Thunder.

Formed in 2016 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar by Gala (morin khuur, vocals), Jaya (tumur khuur, tsuur, vocals), Enkush (morin khuur, vocals), and Temka (tovshuur, backing vocals), the quartet take their name from the ancient Mongolian empire known as the Hunna, which in Western culture is referred to as the Huns. Utilizing the distinctive, multi-octave droning technique known as throat singing as well as the traditional string and wind instruments of their homeland, the Hu and their producer, Dashka, married this sound with electric guitars, bass, and heavy metal drums to great success. Their first two singles, "Yuve Yuve Yu" and "Wolf Totem," appeared in 2018 and went viral, notching millions of streams worldwide; the latter song hit number one on Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Sales chart as well as the World Music chart. Both tracks appeared the following year on the Hu's debut album, The Gereg, which saw international release from Eleven Seven Records.

The end of 2019 proved to be a fruitful period, with the group's first North American tour and the release of collaborative mixes of "Yuve Yuve Yu" and "Wolf Totem," featuring American singers Danny Case (From Ashes to New) and Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), respectively. The band also landed a song on the soundtrack to the popular Star Wars video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The collaborations continued into 2020 with another Hu track, "Song of Women," featuring Halestorm vocalist Lzzy Hale. That same year, they contributed a cover of Metallica's "Sad But True" to the Metallica Blacklist tribute album. In May 2022, the Hu delivered "This Is Mongol," the lead single from their second album, Rumble of Thunder. A second song, "Black Thunder," arrived two months later. ~ Timothy Monger