The HU and Apocalyptica Roar with Legendary Noise in Las Vegas [Film Forward]

East met west, and ancient collided with cutting edge in Sin City. The HU and Apocalyptica set fire to the night at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. V13 captured their performances in unique analog photos for its Film Forward series.

Hunnu music is high-energy rock for the high-minded.

The HU artfully embodied the harmonious balance that their tradition-rich homeland, Mongolia, instilled in them as youth. I witnessed their ancient instrumentation and throat singing for the first time, and I’m forever haunted. The HU were one of the most dynamically exciting live acts I’ve experienced in years.

“Hu” translates to “intelligent being,” and it implies a collective consciousness. All people on Earth are custodians of the planet’s care because we’re made from the cumulative wisdom of our ancestors. Mongolia’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs honoured the HU for promoting this message in their name, lyrics and tours.

The group first toured with their metal and rock-infused riff on 2,000-year-old folk traditions in 2019. Fans of heavy live shows showed up with barbaric fervour ever since the tireless nomads built their empire one stage at a time around the world.

Musicians this proficient transcend performing and seem to draw power from a spiritual realm. The HU channel the spirits of Randy Rhoads and Ronnie James Dio as much as they did Mongolian conqueror Chinggis Khan. The ghosts of metal past are ancestors to the HU as much as the early Hunnu nomads that first charged on their horses across Mongolia’s steppe grasslands.

The Finns don’t just play metal expertly; they redefine how it’s performed

Before the HU, spectacular Finnish rockers The Rasmus first ignited the night’s feral energy. The former Eurovision Song Contest competitors lit up the stage with musical fire as the lineup’s only four-piece combo, led by electric bass and guitar.

Apocalyptica followed and set the night ablaze. Their three cello thrashers performed with uncommon fury and wielded their classical instruments like weapons. Apocalyptica intertwined beloved Metallica hits with their originals in mind-bending ways. Metallica’s opus of suffering, “One,” was their final song, and it hit my chest like a freight train as much as the original first did years ago.

Finally, The Hu proved that their ancestors’ music is immortal with their headlining set. The sea of devil horns throughout the crowded theater proved metal’s power to unite rockers from every far-flung part of the world.