Chthonic Taiwan

"Chthonic pretty much swept the feet away under the world with "Takasago Army" last year, but the band actually released a good handful of releases prior to the brilliant "Takasago Army". One of these is "Seediq Bale" from 2005 which was re-released on Spinefarm last year, too.

And, this one is no less spectacular than "Takasago Army". Stylistically, the music on the album is epic and symphonic black metal akin to Dimmu Borgir's more recent releases, but with a ubiquitous oriental character derived from the band's Taiwanese cultural hinterland. Thus, amidst the black metal evil and the symphonic synths, we find the er-hu and traditional (I assume) female vocal lines. And this results in an overall sound which is truly unique and compelling.

Also, while there are elements from more traditional black metal - such as blastbeats and tremlo-picking as well as growled and screamed vocals - which makes for a dark and chaotic atmosphere, Chthonic also include elements from other metal genres. For example, melodic death metal is a genre that the draw on consistently throughout the album, which suits the epic and symphonic black metal sound extremely well.

Any fan of melodic black metal with an epic atmosphere and a symphonic touch should give this album a listen. It's brilliant and one of the most original black releases you will probably ever hear.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"

"Hey, this is pretty cool - and quite versatile, in a way. The style sounds like death metal meets black metal meets power metal, and, with its symphonic layer, Chthonic's music comes across as being very epic, and there is even a sort of folk element to it, as they use traditional Taiwanese instrumentation, and there are also passages sung in the Taiwanese dialect (I think), as the chorus of "Takao" and a passage presumably sung by bassist Doris 'Thunder Tears' Yeh. In addition, there is also a modern feel to the band's music and sound which sometimes even sounds thrashy.

Now, some might think that what I am describing is an erratic and unfocused mishmash of styles. But that is not the case. It is true that Chthonic draw on a number of metal subgenres, but the album is actually very coherent and focused, as the band manage to capture all of these elements and integrate them into some very well wrought and captivating songs. Needless to say, the music, while extreme, is also quite melodic, and, perhaps the symphonic and traditional Taiwanese elements and the use of keyboards might put some purists off, I think it just works perfect in creating a unique and haunting atmosphere.

for my money "Takasago Army" is very close to being a heavy metal masterpiece. Fans of epic and symphonic metal will cheat themselves if they do not give this album a listen.

(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"