Uuhai – Human Herds
Uuhai – Human Herds
Napalm Records
Release Date: 09/01/2026
Review by Metalphysicist
8/10
Here I am, reviewing my first album of 2026 and celebrating the fifth year that Ever Metal has fostered me in the webzine’s staff. I am the kind of reviewer who usually picks albums from unknown bands on Ever Metal’s album release list. And if there is something that I am definitely up for, it’s reviewing Folk Metal Bands. But, with some stylistic reservations.
I’d rather listen to bands that keep things very deep into their own folk traditions. I mean, when the songs feel to me like the folk elements are deliberately cut by a band as an excuse to raise the flag of exotic musicianship, usually the band fails to provide the listeners with a real experience of travelling to what was the sonority of their ancient inspirations.
Mongolia had already shown the world the diversity of their culture and how their native musicality was attached with Occidental Metal Music, thanks to the debut album from The Hu, “The Gereg”, an instant success following the breakthrough video clip for ‘Wolf Totem’, showing the band members playing exotic instruments on Mongolian mountains in the wild East Deserts.
Yes, The Hu are the biggest influence of what is heard on “Human Herds”, the debut album from Mongolia-based band Uhhai. The opening track, ‘Beginning’, is allusive to typical Mongolian ancient ambience and exotic instrumentals that remain from the old Mongolian chants. The last song of the album, ‘The Secret History of The Mongols’, glorifies their soldiers who ruled the world in the XIII Century.
But there is something quite diverse in Uuhai’s musical style. The songs on “Human Herds” are more synthetic and based on Heavy/Hard West traditions, creating a very peculiar sonority on such songs as ‘Uvids’, making the Mongolian touch much more accessible to the occidental ears. The guitar solo on that song is as epic as Melodic Metal bands use to perform worldwide. On ‘Paradise’ I felt like I was listening to an AOR melodic song played with violins and Mongolian melodic vocals.
That kind of musical landscapes adopted by Uhaii are very peculiar and at the same time sounds very authentic. Maybe it is the opposite of what was heard on The Hu’s previous albums: It felt to me like a perfect blending of local songs with the melodies and musical structures typical of the West.
The production made everything sound very polished – perhaps too polished to the point of draining the strength of the percussion left in the background. That doesn’t mean that this fact detracts from the quality of the catchy songs on “Human Herds” though.
By the way, Uuhai announced a lot of shows booked in Europe; so, if Uuhai comes to your town, I think that you should take a look at how the band sounds on stage with the Melodic Mongolian Metal (I’ve just invented that musical style; well, why not…)
TRACKLISTING:
01. Human Herds
02. Ancient Land
03. Uuhai
04. Dracula
05. Khurai
06. Khar Khulz
07. Paradise
08. Uvidas
09. Secret History Of The Mongols
LINKS:
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