STACK #263 September 2026

FEATURE MUSIC

HU-RAH! A lthough it’s been three years, it seems like only yesterday The HU return with their boldest, most assured album yet.

been around far longer. That experience is evident here. Hun is their most polished, rhythmic, and assertive work to date, with the band sounding increasingly confident in their melding of traditional Mongolian music, rock, and metal. Interestingly, it’s also

that now-iconic Mongolian folk metal band The HU wowed us with their live JB STACK Sessions performance. Now they return with their atmospheric new album, Hun . Opening with a

The HU In November 2019, The HU received the Order of Chinggis Khaan, Mongolia’s highest state decoration, recognising their role in promoting Mongolian culture internationally. HIGHEST HONOUR!

stomping, swaggering banger that sounds like something Tom Waits might have dragged out of a smoky back alley

the Mongolian steppe for centuries. Elsewhere, The Men, Horsemen, and Grey Hun keep the rhythmic machinery humming, while the sprawling Universe demonstrates just how comfortable The HU have become with atmosphere and scale. Hun doesn’t simply double down on what came before. It broadens the horizon. The HU remain unmistakably themselves, but they’re no longer proving a point. They’re setting the pace. Glenn Cochrane

More. His English-language vocals introduce a surprisingly punky edge, with Hawkins’ melodic delivery bouncing against the band’s deep Mongolian chants. It’s an unusual combination, but one that works, proving The HU can stretch their sound without snapping the cultural thread at its core. Then there’s Echoes of My Father , a six-minute-plus ballad that slows the galloping pace and reveals a more reflective side. There’s something wonderfully ageless about it, as though its melody has been drifting across

not as relentlessly heavy as The Gereg or Rumble of Thunder . Instead, The HU are clearly more interested in exploring the space between folk, rock, and metal, with layered traditional instrumentation, pounding percussion, and a stronger

bar, Hun hits the ground running. Deep marching beats, infectious rhythms, trademark throat singing, and primal chants set the tone. Surprisingly, this is only The HU’s third studio album. Given how prolific they’ve become, not to mention their relentless touring, collaborations, and appearances on soundtracks, it feels like they’ve

Hun by The HU is out Sep 11 via Better Noise Music

emphasis on groove. The result is eclectic without ever losing its identity. That’s particularly apparent on Lost Soul , featuring Jonny Hawkins of American rock band Nothing

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