Nine Treasures

The folk-metal heroes – whose members derive from the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia in China – formed in 2010 with one simple goal: to take Mongolian heavy metal worldwide. Three albums, millions of streams and several European tours and festival shows (Wacken Open Air, Woodstock Poland) later, Nine Treasures are well on their way to accomplishing their goal of a Mongolian metal revolution. The band’s music is a unique combination of old school heavy metal and traditional Mongolian folk which sees them utilise both conventional vocals and Mongolian throat singing. Likewise, guitars, bass and drums collide with traditional string instruments such as the balalaika and the morin khuur, resulting in a sonic kaleidoscope that follows no set template. Unlike much of contemporary rock and metal, there are no rules when it comes to Nine Treasures – something which makes the quality of the band’s output all the more impressive. Now, Nine Treasures head into 2021 armed with a new ‘Best Of’ album titled Awakening from Dukkha that collects songs from their three studio LPs (2012’s Arvan Ald Guulin Honshoor, 2013’s Nine Treasures and 2017’s Wisdom Eyes). A celebration of the past it may be, but for the band, this decade-spanning collection is as much a rebirth for Nine Treasures as it is an acknowledgment of their achievements to date.