Chthonic
interview By Metal Mick (the beard) Staley
MG: I was very surprised to hear that there was a metal band from Taiwan, so how is the metal scene in your country?
C: “The metal scene in Taiwan is getting much better than before. It’s easier to get different kinds of music via the internet and some indie labels nowadays, so there are more and more bands coming out.”
MG: I love the way you have blended the oriental music with metal, was that what you set out to do from day one or did it just evolve?
C: “Because the stories we tell behind the albums are about the history and the mythology of Eastern Asia, it’s natural for us to include some elements of oriental music. CHTHONIC formed in 1996, and we used traditional Taiwanese instrument the Hena (a two-string violin) right from that time; the sound of the instrument is similar to a person crying and sobbing, and it’s suitable for expressing some of the feelings in our songs.”
MG: Your album ‘Mirror of Retribution’, will certainly cause a stir as its so different, what feedback have you had so far?
C: “Our music video ‘49 Theurgy Chains’ got over 80,000 views in 10 days. The story behind the video concerns a young man who is also a medium, who goes into Hell for stealing the book of Life And Death to kill the tyrant of the infamous ‘228 Massacre’, which was a true story that happened in Taiwan 60 years ago.
“In this video, we cut down the head of the tyrant and burn the flag of his party ‘KMT’. The party formed in China 100 years ago – they lost their inner war in China then retreated to Taiwan, where they occupied the land and killed over 100,000 people.“After our video went onto the internet, all of the TV news programmes in Taiwan were broadcasting the video for a whole day, because the ‘KMT’ is the ruling party of the country now.
“Outside of Taiwan, most of our fans have been seriously looking forward to listening to our new album, as they’ve been waiting for it for almost four years!”
MG: What are the oriental instruments called that you use?
C: “In the Taiwanese language, it’s called the ‘Hena’, and it’s a two-string violin. It’s a very popular traditional instrument that you can see being played at funerals or at the Taiwanese opera.”
MG: How did your collaboration with Spine Farm come about?
C: “Our manager from the US reached out to many labels after we recorded our new album at the end of last year. Several labels were really interested in working with us, but after a lot of thought & discussion, we decided that Spinefarm would be the best choice.”
MG: You are getting labelled as extreme metal, but I really don’t like labelling bands as it will narrow your audience, but if I had to label, I see you more as a new genre we could call, melodic oriental metal, what do you think about all this labelling?
C: “We’re always being called black metal or death metal or folk metal, etc., and we’ve been asked to put ourselves into a genre before to make it easier for people to recognize what it is that we do.
“You can’t stop people judging you,
of course, and there’s so much information available these days for people to tap into, but we’re hoping to be able to transcend all of the different genres and ultimately be known for a style that is truly our own.”
MG: You are involved in the Free Tibet Campaign, is this something that is dear to your hearts?
C: “Freedom, justice & human rights are the common values we share with the Tibetan people. We all hope to have a completed life based on a completed country, including an independent life based on an independent country. We’ve been invaded by other countries, cultures and languages for hundreds of years in Taiwan, and now we’re still living under the oppression and military force of China.
“So the success of the Free Tibet Concert connected the hearts & minds of those people who want real peace, justice and freedom…”
MG: Are there any plans to come to the U.K. after your album release here in August?
C: “We’ve played the Wacken Open Air festival in the past, and we toured Europe in late 2007. We hope we can come to the UK at the end of this year or perhaps early next year – we can’t wait to see the fans there, and we have a lot of good memories that make us want to return.”
MG: Can you tell us an unusual fact that we may not know, about one of the band members.
C: “Well, I used to be an elementary school teacher… oh, and the twisted hand on the album cover is mine!”
MG: Finally, what would be your dream venue to play in the U.K.?
C: “The Download Festival!!”
MG: Thanks so much for taking time out to answer my questions, hope to catch up with you soon, all the best from me, Mick
C: “Thank you too J Hope to see you soon in the U.K.!!”
