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Awakening from Dukkha
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Wisdom Eyes
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Nine Treasures
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Arvan Ald Guulin Honshoor
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Thanks to three acclaimed albums, millions of streams, and European tours and festivals (Wacken Open Air, Woodstock Poland), alt-metal heroes Nine Treasures are well on their way to accomplishing their goal of a Mongolian metal revolution. Formed by vocalist/guitarist Askhan Avagchuud in 2010 in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia in China, Nine Treasures are a unique combination of heavy metal and traditional Mongolian instrumentation, utilizing both conventional vocals and Mongolian throat singing. Guitars, bass, and drums collide with indigenous string instruments including the balalaika and the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), resulting in a sonic kaleidoscope that follows no set template. Playing 100-plus festival shows and headlining gigs per year in Asia, to audiences of up to 50,000, Nine Treasures are at the top of their game.
The lineup signed to Metal Blade in 2024 and will re-release the 12-song compilation album Awakening from Dukkha as well as 2017’s Wisdom Eyes. Nine Treasures has nearly completed an epic new record, more than five years in the making, which will drop on Metal Blade in 2025.
Awakening from Dukkha collects songs from Nine Treasures’ three studio LPs, 2012’s Arvan Ald Guulin Honshoor, 2013’s Nine Treasures and Wisdom Eyes. The band’s evolution has been profound. “We experimented a lot and through our entire journey, we felt like we were getting better with each album,” Askhan says. “But the main vibe for us has always been the same, which was the pentatonic eastern music mixed with heavy metal. We don’t do half step notes often, that’s why the energy is similar throughout all three of our albums.”
That said, the brand-new music on the as-yet-untitled 2025 LP will be a giant step for the band, as the frontman explains: “This new album is different from any of our past releases. We added so much detail and changed the way we write music. Now we are singing on the riff and got rid of chord progression. The American audience likes groovy riff driven music; that’s part of the tradition,” he observes. “We’ve always been inspired by heavy American and European bands. America and Europe are very important for us to tour and hopefully create new fans of our music and meet all our longtime fans.”
The singer/guitarist grew up listening to the Big Four, nu metal and European bands like In Flames, Children of Bodom. And he was careful to make Nine Treasures’ melding of genres an organic thing. “It’s not as simple as just putting a guitar chord behind some Mongolian melodies,” Askhan explains. “Our music is so much deeper than that. We work to ensure the two distinct facets of our sound complement one another. I’ve changed the way I play the guitar to accommodate the Mongolian elements, and vice-versa. To do this takes a lot of analysis and experimentation.”
The band takes its name from a group of objects referenced in ancient Mongolian poems, and in music, lyrics and visuals, Nine Treasures touch on the mythology and fairy tales of their homeland. But the band’s songs contain more universal references, too. Askhan, a practicing Buddhist, is intent on using their music to bring comfort and ease the suffering of others. “I want to share the teachings I’ve learned with others like me who have experienced anxiety,” Askhan says. “We want Nine Treasures to bring some positive energy into the world – the greatest thing we can do with this is to help people.”
Achievements to date have been noted by the press worldwide, with publications including The Quietus offering rave reviews: “There are no compromises on sonic assault for the benefit of the traditionally acoustic instruments. Tracks borrow gleefully from a range of metal techniques, taking the tuneful riffs of melodic metal, the momentum of hardcore and the knack for complexity from progressive styles, using these in tangent with throat singing techniques to hammer home the vocal hooks, which are sprinkled liberally.”
Nine Treasures move easily from a straight-up headbanging style to the more atmospheric progressive style of their upcoming album. Guitar-wise, Askhan uses a lot of Mongolian playing techniques and songwriting logic into his playing and is excited for the “fresh blood” it adds to the band’s sound. The quintet’s varied approaches and universal messaging will allow them to tour with any musically progressive band, be it Amon Amarth or TOOL. And Nine Treasures are looking forward to 2025 and beyond, spreading their distinctive sound and positivity worldwide. “Our new music fits with our history, but also gives the audience more surprises thanks to tons of new elements that we added. Our message is simple,” Askhan concludes. “We just want everyone to be happy and enjoy themselves at our shows.”
Askhan Avagchuud – guitars, vocals, balalaika, tovshuur
Orgil – bass, backing vocals
Saina – balalaika, backing vocals, guitars
Namra – drums
Nars – morin khuur, backing vocals