Update on Uuhai

A portrait of the folk-metal-hard rock band, Uuhai.

How This Came About

Just a few days ago, I posted about a Mongolian, hard rock band that was having great success playing to large audiences in North America and Western Europe. It just so happened that the very next day, that band, Uuhai, released a new music video on YouTube simply called Dracula. During this short four minute, raging performance, the all-male troop tore into the horrible legacy of the devilish tyrant.

Dracula is an intense subject. Even more so, when the subject matter is tackled by a hard rock, musical entourage from Central Asia. Listen to the video clip below, and you will hear an almost operatic performance, as Uuhai delivers it bloody take on the cruel historical figure that ruled Romania in the 15th century and is known today as Vlad the Impaler.

Then in 1897, things changed dramatically. This happened when Vlad Dracula, as he was formally known, took on new life, when Bram Stoker created the immortal character, Count Dracula, in his popular novel, Dracula. Even though the original Dracula killed tens of thousands by impalement, the real-life Romanian ruler is often today highly-regarded in his home country as a true Patriot, who defended the homeland from blood-thirsty Turkish battalions and cut-throat German merchants. Unfortunately, just about everywhere else in the world, sees Vlad Dracula as a terrible tyrant.

In this video, Uuhai appears to be all in on demonizing, Count Dracula, perhaps linking him to another Vlad, who is currently terrorizing certain parts of the world. Just for the performances alone, the short video is well worth the watch. Also of importance, is current reign of the other Vlad, the one that rules Russia with an iron hand. How this story ends is still up for grabs, but right now Vlad P. has a host of problems, as he tries to keep his regime together.