Chthonic Bio

CHTHONIC is derived from the Greek god of the underworld with the phonetic translation into Mandarin as 閃靈 or Shan-ling.

CHTHONIC seeks to bring ancient legends and myth into the modern era. There is much sadness in this eastern island of Taiwan, especially some of Taiwan's lost history which extends back 1,000 years but was destroyed as Han Chinese came to the island 300 years ago. The arrival of this group subjugated native and aboriginal culture to the margins. Nearly 1,000 years of history, which disappear as quickly as smoke and fire. With every spirit there are taboos, tales, and traditions. CHTHONIC seeks to resurrect these old spirits and legends, drawing inspiration and reviving these myths, as well as start to build new legends.

Formed in 1995, CHTHONIC has recorded three albums. The first album Where the Ancestors' Gathered describes a journey across the sea, with the "Black Water Ditch" referring to the Straits of Taiwan, and the difficult and daring passage from China to Taiwan. The group's second album is 9TH Empyrean deals with the subject of " Mother Isle Disintegrated, Aboriginal Gods Enthroned" or the epic battle between Chinese Han spirits and the spirit gods of Taiwan's aboriginal people. The third album Relentless Recurrence opens with percussion instruments, creating a cacophony to tell the story of local demon Na-Tao Ji and his story of revenge, and transcending mortal limits, and releasing souls from purgatory.

CHTHONIC's melodies can be characterized as extreme metal with a central inspiration and folklore coming from the black metal movement. CHTHONIC uses the traditional Chinese stringed instrument, Er- hu, which can be compared to an eastern violin. The sound of the Er-hu is one of grief and sorrow, which CHTHONIC accompanies with heavy drums, guitar strings blending into a harmony. The music undulates and flows with the tempo of ancient mythology, and often, through lyrics, conveys an abbreviated version of a traditional myth or legend. Freddy Lin, lead vocalist, uses his voice to tear and rip melodies, using both ancient and modern language and energy which mixes easily with the music. The music swings from cool despair, to the heat of shock and anger. By wavering between these emotions, and CHTHONIC is unparalleled in the world of black metal song composition.

CHTHONIC holds a legendary status. For back then, no one would have predicted that a black metal band could have risen so fast and far in the pre-dominantly commercial/pop music of Taiwan's music industry. Since the formation of the band CHTHONIC in 1995, it has become one of the most prominent Taiwanese band in Asia. Having performed in many famous music festivals and organizing solo concert, it is still garnering many prestigious music awards to this very day. Their music is even discussed in top Taiwan universities in classes and are often the subject of graduating theses.

CHTHONIC has achieved many awards in Taiwan and has attracted the attention of many overseas audiences. In 1996, CHTHONIC received the "Golden Melody Award" and later, in 1997 received first place in original music composition national with another first place in both a northern district of a popular music competition as well as first place in the overall national competition. CHTHONIC also began participating in the annual Spring Scream festival held in Kenting, Taiwan and Formoz Festival in Taipei. In 1999 the band issued its first album, Where Ancestors Souls Are Gathered and embarked upon a tour of 15 colleges and universities throughout Taiwan. In 2000, the band issued its second Album, 9th Empryean, and was invited to perform at the Fuji Rock Festival which was one stop on the Ghost Moon Asia Tour that visited other cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. In 2001 the band held CHTHONIC Five Years of Hell and signed a contract with a US-label, Night Fall records for the English release of 9th Empyrean.

In 2002, CHTHONIC spent a month in Denmark recording new material, eventually releasing their third album Relentless Recurrence with an April appearance at the US Metal Meltdown Festival, receiving a special award from the Internet site for the festival as Best Band. In the same year, CHTHONIC performed at the Milwaukee Metal Festival, and in August of the same year, launched a Relentless Recurrence Tour through 8 different cities and counties in Taiwan. Also in August, CHTHONIC teamed up with the Swedish band Dark Funeral for a Japan tour performing in Nagoya, Osaka, Nagano, and Tokyo.

In December, CHTHONIC cooperated with the classical Chinese orchestra group Eastern Music and lion drum performers to present the 7th Anniversary Concert in Taipei. The event lasted in excess of 3-hours and was held at the gymnasium of National Taiwan University.

In July of 2003, CHTHONIC was voted Best Band at the Taiwan National Music Awards, which is the most famous music awards over East Asia, CHTHONIC received the awards from Taiwan president Chen. In August, CHTHONIC returned to Denmark to add finishing touches to the English-language version of Relentless Recurrence, which is scheduled for release in December of this year.