Fifteen years into building Nine Treasures, founder, guitarist and vocalist Askhan found himself facing one of the most difficult decisions a musician can make. After spending years writing and experimenting with material for the band’s next album, he realised the music simply wasn’t heading in the direction he wanted. Rather than settle for another record built around familiar ideas, he made the decision to leave much of that work behind and start searching for something new.
For a band that has spent more than a decade developing its own unmistakable sound, that’s a pretty bloody significant decision. Nine Treasures have built their identity around traditional Mongolian melodies, rhythms and instruments alongside the power of heavy metal, creating music that has taken them from China’s underground scene to international festival stages and audiences around the world.
Their latest album, Seeking the Absolute, arrived through Metal Blade Records on October 24, 2025, and represents the result of that difficult creative journey. It’s a record shaped by experimentation, frustration and a willingness to question the very methods that helped establish Nine Treasures in the first place.
When I caught up with Askhan for Crannk, he was speaking to me from the band’s tour bus as they travelled along a highway through Texas, right in the middle of their first major American tour alongside Mushroomhead and Fear Factory. The mobile connection occasionally reminded us that interviewing somebody travelling across America isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, but we still managed to dive into his earliest musical memories, the creative struggle behind Seeking the Absolute, his distinctive approach to guitar playing and what finally bringing Nine Treasures to American audiences means to him.
What stood out throughout our conversation was Askhan’s determination to keep discovering something new. Even after fifteen years and an established international following, he has no intention of simply repeating himself.
From Early Morning Radio to Linkin Park
I always love taking musicians right back to their earliest memories of music. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the first metal album they bought or the band that made them want to pick up an instrument. Sometimes those earliest experiences reveal considerably more about where somebody’s relationship with music actually began.
For Askhan, those memories take him back to his childhood in Inner Mongolia, where music was already part of everyday life long before heavy metal entered the picture.
He remembers his family turning on the radio at around six o’clock every morning, with those sounds becoming part of his childhood while he was still half asleep. Some of those memories exist somewhere between dreaming and waking, the music becoming familiar before he could fully understand how important it might eventually become.
Music was also central to gatherings at home, where friends and family would sing together. Askhan explained that singing was something he remembers being particularly common among ethnic Mongolian communities in China, and those experiences helped shape the musical environment he grew up in.
The heavier side of his musical journey arrived during high school, when his first introduction to metal came through a band that might surprise some people.
Linkin Park.
Askhan remembers being immediately impressed by their heaviness and the richness of their instrumentation. That combination opened the door to a completely different musical world, one he would eventually explore through his own guitar playing and the development of Nine Treasures.
I find those early connections fascinating because they show how different musical experiences can shape somebody long before they begin thinking about bringing those influences together. The music Askhan heard growing up and the heaviness he discovered through Linkin Park were very different experiences, but both became part of the musical journey that eventually led him here.
Creating Something of His Own
One of the things I’ve always found interesting about Nine Treasures is that their music doesn’t sound like conventional heavy metal with a few traditional instruments simply added over the top.
The Mongolian melodies and rhythmic ideas are part of the foundation, while the guitars, bass and drums become another way of expressing them. That relationship gives the band its distinctive character, particularly when instruments such as the morin khuur and tovshuur move alongside heavily distorted guitars.
When I asked Askhan about developing his own guitar style, he explained that finding something individual had always been important to him.
Rather than simply following approaches already established within heavy metal, he wanted to discover techniques and musical ideas that felt like his own. Over time, he began experimenting with ways of playing that he believes hadn’t previously been explored within the genre.
What excited him was the opportunity to introduce small differences, unfamiliar techniques and musical details into a style of music that continues to expand.
He spoke about being happy to contribute his own musical “sparkles” to that world, which I thought was a great way of describing his relationship with creativity. It’s not necessarily about trying to reinvent heavy metal every time somebody picks up a guitar. Sometimes the most interesting developments begin with a small idea, an unfamiliar technique or discovering a different way of expressing something you already know.
That willingness to explore would become particularly important when Nine Treasures began working on Seeking the Absolute.
Breaking Away From the Familiar
After fifteen years, most bands develop a fairly clear understanding of what works for them. They know their strengths, they’ve built an audience around a particular sound and they’ve established methods of writing that have produced successful records in the past.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it can also become difficult to recognise when those familiar methods are no longer taking the music anywhere new.
For Askhan, that was the challenge facing Nine Treasures.
“I wanted to make a whole different album, and I just don’t want to copy myself over and over,” he told me.
The problem was that wanting to create something different and actually discovering how to do it were two very different things.
Askhan explained that after several years of songwriting and experimentation, he still wasn’t satisfied with where the material was taking the band. Rather than continuing down that familiar path, he decided they needed to find another direction.
That search became directly connected to the album’s title itself. Seeking the Absolute wasn’t simply a name chosen to represent the philosophical ideas behind the music. For Askhan, it also reflected the struggle to find a creative direction that genuinely excited him.
It was a difficult decision, particularly when Nine Treasures already had an established following.
After spending fifteen years developing a musical identity, there’s always the question of how listeners might respond when you begin changing things. Askhan acknowledged that stepping away from familiar methods carried a degree of risk, but he also believes musicians need to continue discovering new possibilities and expanding what they’re capable of creating.
What I found especially interesting was that he wasn’t talking about abandoning everything that made Nine Treasures distinctive. It was about discovering another way forward, introducing new ideas and techniques without simply repeating what had already worked.
That process demanded considerably more patience than following the songwriting formula the band already understood.
Real Dream and Finding the Confidence to Continue
The turning point eventually arrived with “Real Dream”, the first song Nine Treasures completed while exploring their new approach to songwriting.
Askhan explained that finishing the track gave the band something they had been struggling to find throughout that difficult period: the confidence that their new direction could actually work.
“That song was a turning point,” he told me, explaining that it helped the musicians believe they could complete an entire album using methods that felt unfamiliar.
That’s something I find particularly fascinating about established musicians. You can spend decades becoming comfortable with your instruments and creative process, but the moment you deliberately change the way you work, some of that certainty disappears.
Askhan pointed out that many bands discover a successful songwriting process and continue using it for years, sometimes decades. Moving away from those established habits can be incredibly difficult because you’re no longer relying on the same instincts and expectations.
For Nine Treasures, “Real Dream” became proof that the effort was worthwhile.
It didn’t magically remove every challenge involved in making the album, but it gave the musicians the confidence to continue exploring unfamiliar territory. Once they’d established that this new approach could produce something they genuinely believed in, the rest of the creative process began moving forward.
Askhan described the satisfaction of finally finding something valuable after working through those difficulties, and there was a genuine sense of pride in how he spoke about that achievement.
Listening to Seeking the Absolute with that story in mind gives the record another layer of meaning. Beneath the finished arrangements and confident performances sits a band that had to question its own creative process before discovering where it wanted to go next.
Until Now: Knowing What to Leave Out
Another track I particularly wanted to explore was “Until Now”, especially the sliding technique that helped establish its musical foundation.
Askhan explained that the idea began with a sliding movement on the tovshuur. He started experimenting with the sound, repeating it and gradually discovering different ways to develop the original idea.
It wasn’t simply a case of finding an interesting riff and immediately building a finished song around it.
Instead, he spent time exploring what the technique could do. He described becoming excited by an idea, eventually growing tired of it and then searching for another way to make it interesting again. That process of repetition, experimentation and occasional frustration gradually produced the different pieces that would become the finished track.
What really grabbed me about “Until Now” was the natural movement between its different musical elements. There are sections that have an almost improvisational quality, where the instruments seem to have room to interact rather than every moment feeling completely locked into place.
When I asked how he preserved that feeling, Askhan’s explanation was particularly revealing.
He described how a song lasting less than five minutes might begin with ten or twenty minutes of riffs and musical ideas. Rather than attempting to squeeze everything into the finished composition, he removes the material he doesn’t need and concentrates on the strongest passages.
That careful process of removing unnecessary parts is what helps the finished arrangement feel natural.
It’s an interesting approach because we often associate musical freedom with having more room to experiment, more instruments and more ideas competing for attention. Askhan’s process demonstrates that the opposite can be just as important.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for a song is recognise when you’ve already said enough.
That attention to arrangement helps explain why the newer Nine Treasures material can move through different rhythmic and melodic ideas without necessarily feeling overcrowded. There’s plenty happening within the music, but the individual parts are there because they contribute something to the finished song.
Giving Traditional Music and Heavy Metal Equal Importance
That relationship between different musical elements is also central to the title track, “Seeking the Absolute”.
One of the passages I particularly wanted to ask Askhan about features the morin khuur and slide guitar following the same melody. Both instruments bring completely different tonal qualities to the arrangement, yet neither feels as though it exists simply to support the other.
It’s one of the things that makes Nine Treasures so interesting to listen to. The traditional instruments aren’t there as background decoration, and the guitars aren’t simply providing a heavier foundation beneath the folk melodies.
When I brought up that relationship, Askhan explained that his goal has always been to give traditional music and heavy metal equal importance within the band’s sound.
He described wanting a fifty-fifty balance between those two musical worlds, which helps explain why the arrangements feel so closely connected.
The idea isn’t to make one style serve the other. Both need to contribute something essential.
Unfortunately, this was also the point where the realities of conducting an interview from a moving tour bus caught up with us. The connection dropped before we could explore those musical details further, but Askhan’s central point was clear.
Nine Treasures isn’t about choosing between traditional Mongolian music and heavy metal. The band’s identity comes from bringing those worlds together and allowing each to remain equally important.
Fifteen Years of Work Leads to America
While Seeking the Absolute represents another important stage in the band’s musical development, Nine Treasures have also been experiencing one of the biggest international opportunities of their career.
Their first major American tour alongside Mushroomhead and Fear Factory has given them the chance to introduce their music to audiences across the United States while learning from two established international touring acts.
When I asked Askhan what the opportunity meant to the band, his enthusiasm came through immediately.
“This opportunity is priceless for us,” he told me.
He explained that Nine Treasures had been working towards reaching American audiences for years, and finally being able to join a tour of this size was something they were genuinely enjoying.
What I found interesting was that Askhan wasn’t only talking about the performances themselves. He was also paying attention to the professionalism of the other bands, both on stage and behind the scenes.
Even after years of touring and playing major festival audiences across Asia, there are still things Nine Treasures can learn from watching how experienced international touring acts operate.
That willingness to learn feels closely connected to the way Askhan approaches songwriting. He doesn’t appear particularly interested in reaching a point where he believes the band has nothing left to discover.
And while the entire American experience has been significant, one particular show stood out when I asked him about the highlights.
Cleveland.
Nine Treasures performed there alongside Mushroomhead and Fear Factory in Mushroomhead’s hometown, with Askhan recalling a sold-out theatre holding around 2,000 people.
For a band from China undertaking its first major American tour, it was a pretty bloody special moment.
Askhan was clearly excited remembering that show, and understandably so. After fifteen years of developing a sound that brings together two very different musical traditions, Nine Treasures were standing in front of a packed American audience alongside bands that have played an important role in modern heavy music.
Those are the moments that make years of hard work feel worthwhile.
Could Nine Treasures Finally Make It to Australia?
Of course, being an Australian metalhead, I wasn’t going to let Askhan disappear without asking whether Nine Treasures might eventually find their way Down Under.
The band have already built a substantial following across Asia, and their American tour has opened another chapter in their international journey. With Australian audiences showing plenty of love for heavy music from around the world, I’d certainly be interested in seeing how Nine Treasures would be received here.
When I raised the possibility of Australian shows, Askhan revealed that the band had recently established a connection with a Western booking agent.
He sounded optimistic about the opportunities that connection might create and suggested that reaching Australia could become a possibility in the near future.
Now, before anybody starts clearing their calendars, there are no confirmed Australian dates to announce from our conversation. But it’s encouraging to hear Askhan respond positively to the idea, particularly with the momentum the band are building internationally.
I’d bloody love to see Nine Treasures bring this music to Australian stages. There’s something about the interaction between the traditional instrumentation, the heavier riffs and the natural energy of the arrangements that seems perfectly suited to a live environment.
Hopefully, it’s an opportunity Australian audiences will get sooner rather than later.
Still Searching, Still Discovering
Looking back over my conversation with Askhan, what stands out is how closely the band’s musical development connects with the journey they’ve taken outside the studio.
From hearing music on the radio as a child and discovering Linkin Park during high school to developing his own guitar techniques and building Nine Treasures into an internationally recognised band, Askhan has spent much of his musical life exploring what different musical ideas can become when they’re brought together.
That curiosity is still driving him.
Seeking the Absolute is perhaps the clearest example of that determination, representing a band willing to walk away from years of work rather than release something that no longer felt creatively satisfying. Finding a new direction wasn’t easy, but the confidence that came from finally making it work appears to have made the struggle worthwhile.
And now, while Askhan and his bandmates are travelling across America, performing alongside Mushroomhead and Fear Factory and introducing Nine Treasures to new audiences, that same determination to grow remains part of what they’re doing.
Before we wrapped up, Askhan shared a simple message for everybody listening. He wished people peace and encouraged them to “enjoy music, enjoy life.”
It was a fitting way to finish a conversation with somebody who has spent fifteen years bringing different musical traditions together, constantly looking for new ways to express the sounds and ideas that matter to him.
Nine Treasures’ Seeking the Absolute is out now through Metal Blade Records, and I’d encourage anyone unfamiliar with the band to give it a proper listen before heading back through their earlier releases. Hearing that musical development across the catalogue makes the latest album an even more interesting experience.
As for Australia, we’ll have to see where those new international opportunities take them. After fifteen years, Nine Treasures are still searching for what comes next, and that’s a bloody exciting place for a band to be.
NINE TREASURES — SEEKING THE ABSOLUTE
Release date: October 24, 2025
Record label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Mongolian Folk Metal / Progressive Metal
Interview guest: Askhan, founder, guitarist and vocalist
Interview conducted by: Jai That Aussie Metal Guy for Crannk.com
Official website: https://ninetreasures.net/
Bandcamp: https://ninetreasures.bandcamp.com/
Record label: https://www.metalblade.com/
