The Hu/Apocalyptica: House of Blues - Anaheim, CA - 6/7/26
Mongolian folk metal band The Hu and Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica announced a USA tour. This was a tour that metal fans wouldn’t want to miss. After a long tour, the final stop was at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. Even before doors opened, there was a line outside with fans eager to get in and enjoy some beautiful music.
In 2024, Apocalyptica released their tenth album Plays Metallica, Vol. 2. It is their second album to feature Metallica covers with the first being Plays Metallica by Four Cellos in 1996. As the name suggests, they’re most famously known for playing their music using cellos. Ever heard Metallica played using cellos? No? Well, Apocalyptica is the perfect band to show you how it’s done. Apocalyptica was ready to take the stage, and the fans were more than excited to see them. The lights went out and the venue cheered with excitement as “The Ecstasy of Gold” played over the speakers, which is the intro song that Metallica uses for their shows. The first played was “Ride the Lightning”, the first song from the newest album. Right away, you could hear how cellos make a metal song sound classical. It sounded so well done and you could still sing along to the song if you know the lyrics. Up next was one of Metallica’s most popular songs, “Enter Sandman”. The crowd naturally sang along to the chorus. Apocalyptica played a few more Metallica classics which included “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Blackened”, and “Battery”. Apocalyptica next took a quick break in order for Eicca Toppinen to speak to the audience how it felt great to finally make another Metallica record even though it took 19 years after the first one came out. Even when using cellos, Apocalyptica knew how to rock out and turn classical music into metal. They next played “The Four Horsemen” and “Master of Puppets”, which are two more of Metallica’s best songs. Next, the venue went dark as chairs were brought out. The next song to be played was “Nothing Else Matters”. A slow and beautiful song as the crowd sang along to the chorus. The final song of the night was “Seek and Destroy” and the crowd got up from their seats to rock out and also sing along to the chorus. Apocalyptica finished the song, then walked off stage as the show had apparently ended. After a couple of minutes, the lights flashed and sounds of war filled the venue. Apocalyptica came out for an encore to play “One” and it was perfectly done with cellos. The song even includes a voiceover by Metallica frontman James Hetfield of the lyrics to go with the song. Nine minutes of cello brutality later, the show came to an end. Apocalyptica thanked the audience for coming out once again, then left the stage. A perfect night for metal and hopefully it’s not long before they come back to play more cello.
The Hu will be releasing their third album Hun on July 24. For now, you can enjoy some of the music by seeing them live before they release the album. The stage went dark once again and the packed venue cheered with excitement. All the members came out and started the show with "Lost Soul." The song originally features Jonny Hawkins from the band Nothing More. Right away, you could hear the throat singing that makes The Hu who they are. The next two songs performed were two unreleased songs from the new album which are "Horse Men" and "Khukhuchu Zairan." Being from Mongolia, it obviously makes sense that their songs are sung in Mongolian. Even then, it's always amazing to listen to music in other languages. The fans clearly loved the music as the raised their horns, banged their heads and sang along if they knew the lyrics. They also moshed to songs like "Upright Destined Mongol," "Yuve Yuve Yu," and "Warrior Chant." Seeing different instruments aside from the typical guitars and drums was a nice sight to see. One of the best songs performed is also one of their best songs, "Wolf Totem." It has the crowd singing along to the chorus saying, "Hu! Hu! Hu!" To end the set, the song "This is Mongol." The show came to an end and The Hu let the audience know that this was the last show of an amazing tour and it was hard to say goodbye to everyone. The other bands came out to the stage to hug it out and take a picture with the audience. When the other bands left, The Hu asked the audience if they liked Iron Maiden. Naturally, the crowd cheered. The encore song is an Iron Maiden cover of "The Trooper." The cover was played beautifully in the style of The Hu and sung in Mongolian. The song itself is available to stream. The show came to an end and The Hu said goodbye to the audience. This was a great show and no doubt everyone had a great time. Hopefully it's not long before The Hu and Apocalyptica return to the U.S.A.
