Chthonic
| Chthonic | |
|---|---|
 Chthonic at Wacken Open Air 2012 |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Extreme metal , folk metal |
| founding | 1995 |
| Website | http://www.chthonic.tw |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
Freddy, Left Face of Maradou |
| Jesse, the Infernal | |
| Doris, Thunder Tears | |
| CJ, Dispersed Fingers | |
| Dani, Azathothian Hands (since 1999) | |
| Su-Nung, the Bloody String (since 2003) | |
Chthonic ( Chinese 閃靈 樂團 / 闪灵 乐团 , Pinyin Shǎnlíng Yuètuán ) is a Taiwanese extreme metal group named after Hades , the Greek god of the underworld . The band members, especially band leader Freddy Lim , are known for their political activism, which is also reflected in the lyrics of their songs. Singer Freddy Lim is the chairman of Amnesty International's Taiwan division .
Band history
Chthonic was created in 1995 at the suggestion of Freddy Lim, at a time when the metal scene in Taiwan was still non-existent. Influenced by bands from the black metal environment such as Cradle of Filth , Dimmu Borgir , Immortal , Enslaved , Emperor and Mayhem , the first black metal-heavy arrangements based on the pentatonic scale combined with oriental melodies were created. In contrast to their role models, Chthonic's texts did not deal with the problems of Christianity, but with the history and culture of Taiwan and its heroes and tragedies.
In 1998, the debut album Where the Ancestors' Souls Gathered was released in Taiwan and China . The second album 9th Empyrean was released in two versions, one Taiwanese and one English.
In 2007 Chthonic was the first Asian extreme metal band to take part in the Ozzfest in the USA , but interrupted the tour for a few days to perform in Europe at Wacken Open Air . In autumn 2007 they embarked on a European tour through eleven countries and appeared among other things as the opening act for Ensiferum .
Music style and lyrics
Björn Springorum from Metal Hammer describes the music of Chthonic as "a juicy metal club somewhere between Cradle of Filth , summoning and melodic Death Metal , gracefully padded with Far Eastern choirs or the use of traditional instruments such as Asian flutes or violins".
According to bassist and background singer Thunder Tears, the musicians are not religious; she herself reads "although I enjoy reading the Dalai Lama 's works because I like his philosophical views, religion for me is only one way of understanding the universe". Instead, the band covers Taiwanese history and culture. The debut album Where the Ancestors' Souls Gathered is about the dream of a better future for the Han ancestors in the promised land and their journey across the Taiwan Strait to Taiwan. The second album 9th Empyrean tells of the fights and conflicts between the Han and the indigenous people of Taiwan and an epic battle between their gods. The third album Relentless Recurrence takes the legend of Na Tao Ji ( Chinese 林 投 姊 , Pinyin Líntóuzǐ ), a young woman who committed suicide after being raped by a Han and who takes revenge as a ghost. Seediq Bale , the fourth album, is about the struggle of the Taiwanese Seediq tribe against Japanese colonization from 1895. Takasago Army is about World War II and "is dedicated to the Taiwanese soldiers who involuntarily fought on the side of the Japanese in the Pacific" a mostly hidden topic.
Discography
- 1998 - Deep Rising ( Chinese 深耕 , Pinyin Shēngēng , single)
- 1999 - Where the Ancestors' Souls Gathered ( Chinese 祖 靈 之流 / 祖 灵 之流 , Pinyin Zǔlíngzhīliú )
- 1999 - Nightmare ( Chinese 夢魘 / 梦魇 , Pinyin Mèngyǎn , single)
- 2000 - 9th Empyrean ( Chinese 靈 魄 之 界 / 灵 魄 之 界 , Pinyin Língpòzhījiè )
- 2002 - Relentless Recurrence ( Chinese 永劫 轮迴 / 永劫 輪迴 , Pinyin Yǒngjiélúnhuí ; 2006 re-release)
- 2003 - Satan's Horn ( Chinese 極 惡 限 戰 / 极 恶 限 战 , Pinyin Jíèxiànzhàn , EP)
- 2005 - Seediq Bale ( Chinese 賽德克巴萊 / 赛德克巴莱 , Pinyin Sàidékèbālái ; 2006 republication with English texts, Down Port Label)
- 2006 - A Decade on the Throne ( Chinese 登基 十年 演唱 會 / 登基 十年 演唱 会 , Pinyin Dēngjīshíniányǎnchànghuì , live DVD + 2 CDs)
- 2007 - Pandemonium ( Chinese 鬼 脉 转生 帝 轮 十年 经典 - 精选 集 / 鬼 脈 轉生 帝 輪 十年 經典 - 精選 集 , Pinyin Guǐmàizhuǎnshēng Dìlúnshíníanjīngdiǎn-Jīngxuànjí , Greatest Hits Collection)
- 2009 - Mirror of Retribution (CD)
- 2011 - Takasago Army (CD)
- 2013 - Bú-Tik (CD)
- 2014 - Ián-Bú (DVD)
- 2018 - Battlefields of Asura (CD)
Awards
- 2003: Best rock group at the 14th Golden Music Award (East Asian version of the Grammy )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Erich Haberzettl: Interviews: ChthoniC. Lord of Metal # 145, March 2014, accessed March 29, 2014 .
- ↑ washingtonpost.com: A Voice for Taiwan's Freedom, History (accessed November 5, 2007)
- ↑ Heavy metal band ChthoniC on tour in Europe ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Radio Taiwan International , October 6, 2007
- ↑ a b c Björn Springorum: Chthonic . Far Eastern warriors . In: Metal Hammer , September 2011, p. 113.
