Metal fans from around Eugene banded together at the McDonald Theatre to see Mongolian folk metal band The HU on Oct. 22. 

Fresh off their highly anticipated 2022 album Rumble of Thunder, the throat singing Mongolian metal powerhouse began their Warrior Souls tour Oct. 9 in San Francisco with special guests Blind Channel and Nerv, with their last stop Tucson, Arizona, on Oct. 26 at The Van Buren. 

San Francisco-based rock band Nerv opened up the show, giving the crowd something to be excited about. With their high energy and grateful attitude, Nerv wasted no time giving the crowd what they wanted. The next set was the self-proclaimed “Backstreet Boys of the metal scene,” Blind Channel from Finland. Pounding drums, a nu-metal-esque sound, and the ability to create a mosh pit is what gives Blind Channel their violet pop sound. 

As the stagehands added more drums and changed the background, the venue packed fast. All it took was one initial bang from the drum and a powerful voice from lead singer Nyamjantsan “Jaya” Galsanjamts to feel a noticeable change of energy within the venue.

You could feel the Earth’s crust split in two as The HU’s sound reverberated through the McDonald. Typically just a four-piece band, The HU hired four additional touring members to take an already massive studio sound to something that would please the gods of metal. 

With the power of Mongolian throat singing and Mongolian instruments such as the tsuur, (an end blown flute), electric tovshuur (a two string lute) and electric morin khuur (a bowed fiddle), The HU were able to blend two very different worlds together seamlessly. Despite the traditional heavy metal sounds coming from their Humbucker pickups, kickdrum and bass, The HU has a sound that is also soothing, which gives the band a mass appeal to every type of metal and music fan alike. 

With softer songs such as “Mother Nature” to the Earth-shattering vocal performances and guitar riffs on tracks like “Black Thunder” and “Tatar Warrior” and an encore cover of Metallica’s “Sad But True,” The HU is a band every metal fan ought to listen to. They are simply one of those bands that has taken metal towards another dimension altogether with their versatility and sheer might.

The HU’s next stop on their tour is The Observatory in Santa Ana, California, on Oct. 24. 

Upcoming shows at the McDonald Theatre include STRFKR, Stephan Sanchez and Portugal. The Man. More information at McDonaldTheatre.com  and TheHuOfficial.com.

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