Mongolian metal band The Hu sing odes to Genghis Khan and the sky god Tengri

Heavy metal band The Hu’s folk-metal music and warlike appearance are underlain by a shamanist spirituality and devotion to a sky deity

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(From left) Temuulen “Temka” Naranbaatar, Galbadrakh “Gala” Tsendbaatar and Nyamjantsan “Jaya” Galsanjamts of The Hu perform with the rest of the Mongolian heavy metal band at the Tacoma Dome in the US state of Washington on October 16, 2024. Photo: AP

Published: 4:15pm, 5 Nov 2024Updated: 7:50am, 7 Nov 2024

An eight-man heavy metal band from Mongolia known as The Hu have done what few thought could happen in the 21st century: create a new genre of folk-metal music.

Decked out in black war regalia straight from the 13th century, they sing invocations to a Mongolian sky deity and odes to 13th-century warlord Genghis Khan.

Not that many fans follow the lyrics. At a recent performance opening for heavy metal superstars Iron Maiden at the Tacoma Dome in the US state of Washington, the band’s lead singers – swinging their long black hair to the raucous beat – belted out their lyrics in a deep, guttural, drone-like style, known as throat singing, in Mongolian.

Their success – The Hu is the first Mongolian band to top a US Billboard chart (in 2019) and they have been streamed 780 million times on Spotify – arguably has little to do with their message, which includes thoughts on war, destiny and climate change. It has everything to do with their style, from their entrances under a black Mongolian war banner to their wild Mongolian vibe.

But underlying their metal chops is a shamanist spirituality and a devotion to the sky deity Tengri, a folk pantheism they share with some 5 per cent of Mongolians.