Nine Treasures

The Chinese quintet Nine Treasures combines the speed, power, and amplification of modern metal with the traditional sound of the group's origins in Mongolia. The result, heard on albums like 2017's Wisdom Eyes and the 2021 compilation Awakening from Dukkha, combines the familiar -- headbanging guitar chords, punishing percussion -- with the unexpected: augmentation from Eastern stringed instruments like balalaika, morin khuur, and tovshuur, and vocals that blend Tuvan throat singing with aggressive growls. Nine Treasures formed in 2010 in the Hailar district of inner Mongoli...