The debut album from the Mongolian folk-rock-metal band has been rather highly anticipated, as they have been gaining a lot of momentum lately. The singles that have dropped prior have all been great, and I am so curious to hear if the rest of the album lives up to them. They’re already signed to a major label so clearly are doing something right, and I’m sure this release will show just how earned that shot is!
The opener perfectly builds everything up, starting ominous before adding in more strings, more drums, and their incredible throat singing as it goes. It sets the tone perfectly and epically, and leads so fantastically into the title track. Speaking of, ‘Human Herds’ goes hand in hand with ‘Beginning’ to make an excellent introduction to the album, and to the bands sound for anyone jumping on board with this debut album. The two different vocals, the low and high, work so well together. They somehow root the band in their throat-singing style while also giving it a melodic, catchy, almost power metal edge. Plus, the harmonies between them are awesome, too! And not only that, but we get a pretty metal bridge, with some amazing string soloing. It’s am amazing song from start to finish, and I love that it follows the traditional song format; being radio-friendly while also still having plenty of Mongolian folk stuff. An excellent start to the album and a track that easily makes the playlist!
‘Ancient Land’ picks up the pace and rockiness a little, definitely feeling closer to a traditional metal song. However, it still has plenty of their folk stuff infused too, particularly with the string focus and throat-singing vocals. It all builds to an awesome chorus, being surprisingly catchy still despite it being in a different language and a completely different vocal style than the West is used to! It’s a really interestingly crafted track, and it’s so cool to see both sounds collide so well! And still, it ends up getting pretty epic by the outro, feeling powerful and grandiose, finishing the song off perfectly. Another great track!
The bands namesake is up next, leaning back heavily into the folk to open it up. It builds perfectly, soon busting into a pretty metal riff just like the previous song. The vocals almost have a growl edge to them for the opening of the verse too, sounding awesome and only adding to the heaviness. The chorus is another catchy as anything one, and honestly reminds me of Gojira’s ‘The Chant’ from, well, the chanting! We even get some awesome, Metallica-style guitar soloing in the middle, adding even more epicness to it all. This is an absolutely phenomenal song, and another easy highlight!
Tracks like ‘Dracula’ and ‘Khar Khulz’ are more metal-infused, stomping rock tracks. The pace, the energy, the structure, all of it is a lot more metal leaning than the folk stuff. It’s awesome! Heck, ‘Uvdis’ also has a bit of a similar feel, though slower. Though, it’s so incredibly similar to ‘Sad But True’, especially The Hu’s cover of it, that I almost convinced myself it was another reimagining of the track at first. It’s very Metallica, and a great song, but was hard not to compare. All three break up the album well though, and are great songs in their own right. Heck, ‘Khar’ is another personal highlight of mine!
‘Khurai’ is an absolutely incredible, epic song all about the build-up. It almost feels like more of a soundtrack than something you’d hear on a metal-adjacent album, but I love it! It won’t be for everyone, but it fits into the album perfectly and sits between the two rockier tracks incredibly well, adding to the relistenability.
‘Paradise’ is a lighter hearted track that, while still having rock elements, definitely feels more folk. It’s another different, really interesting song, and another I couldn’t not love. It’s another MASSIVE highlight track for me, and gives off slight Volbeat vibes in all the best ways. It’s huge, catchy, and with plenty of great playing and vocals throughout! If you check out any track from this release, make sure it’s this one!
The album closes like the opener, ‘Secret History of the Mongols’ being the closest track to compare to The Hu on the release. It’s a great song in its own right, and is a pretty grandiose way to close out a pretty epic album. It fits well with the rest of the tracks, but honestly I did feel like it wasn’t anything we hadn’t heard already. It’s definitely not a bad song, but there are other tracks on here that certainly stood out to me more. It’s not quite an ‘album track’, but does seem like a slightly interesting choice for a single. I imagine it has helped draw more listeners though; even I’d checked out the track and video before this review! A fitting conclusion!
Overall: This is a great release, and a phenomenal debut album! It’s still a pretty new genre in of itself, and UUHAI have already established themselves at the forefront of it with this. It’s a damn fun listen, and an album I will certainly be revisiting in the weeks and months to come. If you are at all curious, I’d definitely recommend checking this out. They are certainly going to be a big name in the future, and this will be the album that is pointed to as the jumping off point to that!
The Score: 8/10
