The HU + Apocalyptica at The Van Buren
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.
A listen to Apocalyptica’s Apocalyptica brings with it the nagging urge to figure out where, exactly, the music fits. Certain moments — entire tracks, even — are given over to classical formality, and it is in those moments, steeped as they are in traditional loveliness, that a listener can come dangerously close to thinking he is hearing something lofty and important. He is not. Apocalyptica, the genre-splicing Finnish instrumental band that changed headbangers’ perception of the cello, is not pretentious exactly, but its effect is the same as that of a rock band whose lead singer is audibly British: it sounds smart. Too smart, for instance, to issue from the headphones of a kid just discovering Black Sabbath or lining up for Slipknot tickets. Where Apocalyptica might fit, then, is not with heavy rock scenesters but with aging metal heads. It is not hard to envision tracks like “Fatal Error” and “Fisheye” booming from the speakers of a splashy convertible with a bald guy at the wheel. Elaborate fantasy-concocting gamers — Dungeons & Dragons players and their descendants — also stand a better chance than most of finding relatable rock bliss here.
The album Weirdo (2025) is The Rasmus’ 11th full-length outing, produced and co-written by Desmond Child and Marti Fredriksen. The band was formed in 1994 while the members were still in high school. Their debut, Peep, rapidly went gold in Finland, making them rock stars at the age of 16. The follow-up, Playboys, also went gold and earned the group an Emma, Finland’s version of a Grammy. Their third album, Hell of a Tester, included “Liquid,” a track voted Best Single of the Year by Finnish music critics. 2001’s Into went double platinum, with its debut single, “F-F-F-Falling,” topping the charts. An international audience started to build, and the band toured Europe. Their fifth album, Dead Letters (2003), became their breakthrough, due in large part to the single “In the Shadows.” 2005’s Hide from the Sun went platinum in Finland. Their fourth Finnish chart-topper, Black Roses, was released in 2008, also produced by Desmond Child. After the Best of The Rasmus: 2001–2009 compilation, they released their self-titled eighth album in 2012. The band returned in 2017 with Dark Matters. In January 2022, they announced the departure of founding guitarist Pauli Rantasalmi and introduced new guitarist Emilia ‘Emppu’ Suhonen. The album Rise was released the same year, including “Jezebel,” Finland’s entry in the Eurovision competition. The Rasmus are vocalist Lauri Ylönen, bassist Eero Heinonen, guitarist Emppu Suhonen, and drummer Aki Hakala.