CHTHONIC

Taiwan stands out as the homeland of relatively few rock ensembles that have reached listeners across North America, among them the melodic death metal outfit Chthonic. Their compositions integrate facets of conventional Taiwanese musical traditions, most notably through the hena—an Asian instrument comparable to the Western violin—while their lyrics routinely draw on historical narratives from the island nation. The group cultivated a local audience through the albums 9th Empyrean (2000) and Seediq Bale (2005), then extended its reach worldwide, attracting supporters in Japan and the United States via Takasago Army (2011) and Bu-Tik (2013). Outside metal circles, the band draws notice for frontman Freddy Lim, who entered Taiwan’s parliament as a legislator in 2016.

Chthonic formed in 1995, taking its name from a Greek term denoting “of the Underworld,” and comprises Freddy Lim (aka Freddy, Left Face of Mardou) on lead vocals and hena, Jesse Liu (aka Jesse, the Infernal) on lead guitar, Doris Yeh (aka Thunder Tears) on bass and backing vocals, CJ Kao (aka CJ, Dispersed Fingers) on keyboards, and Dani Wang (aka Azathothian Hands) on drums. The band issued its debut single, “Deep Rising” b/w “F--- or Die,” in 1998, followed by the first full-length album, Where the Ancestors’ Souls Gather, in 1999. Its second album, 9th Empyrean from 2000, appeared in both English- and Chinese-language editions, as did Seediq Bale in 2006.

Relentless Recurrence emerged in 2007, the same year Chthonic joined the annual metal package tour Ozzfest in the United States; the group became the first Asian metal act on the Ozzfest bill and used tour off-nights for club shows with Cradle of Filth and Nile. Also in 2007, Chthonic received the Best Rock Group award at the Golden Music Awards—the Taiwanese Grammys—with Taiwan’s president, Chen Shui-Bian, presenting the trophy. The fifth album, Mirror of Retribution, arrived in 2009 and centered on the historic 228 Massacre; Takasago Army followed in 2011, its title referencing the Taiwanese soldiers compelled to serve Japan during World War II.

The seventh album, Bu-Tik (roughly translated as “the virtue of war”), appeared in 2013 and broadened Western exposure through English translations of songs such as “Set Fire to the Island.” An acoustic EP of earlier material, Timeless Sentence, surfaced in early 2015. Stripped of its chugging riffs and screaming vocals, the release emphasized the mournful and vulnerable aspects of the band’s intensely political lyrics and lush Chinese instrumental orchestration.

Lim’s political activism advanced in fitting fashion when, campaigning under his New Power Party, he won election to Taiwan’s legislative Yuan on January 16, 2016. The following year the band released its first film, Tshiong, which also starred Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, who appeared on the movie’s theme song, “Souls of the Revolution.” Chthonic returned in 2018 with its eighth album, Battlefields of Asura. Drawing on ancient deities and the radical shifts between the 1930s and 1950s, the record included the single “Millennia’s Faith Undone,” featuring Hong Kong songstress Denise Ho.