A little history is in order here so if you just want the album review skip to paragraph two! Taiwan’s Chthonic seem to get on some Westerners’ wrong side. Some of it is the usual knuckledragging misogyny (they have the effrontery to have a drop dead gorgeous woman on bass and somehow the fact that she comes from a highly musical family and is in the band because she’s a heckuva bassist is ignored in favour of the fact that outside of the band she is a popular model for tech magazines and the like). Other criticisms though are more musical if a little wrong-headed. The band formed in 1998 inspired by and in touch with European black metal bands (check out the ‘A Decade On The Throne’ compilation if you can find it, for their earlier sound and a live DVD too) and yes they moved away from what was a more orthodox black metal/Cradle Of Filth sound to the gorgeous melodic symphonic and ethnic black/death sound they have today. In the same way Dimmu Borgir did. Except for Chthonic the driving force appears to have been linked to their fiercely proud nationalism and their cultural interests. Bear on mind this is a country that China still refuses to acknowledge because they claim it is part of China, and a history in WWII that is as intriguing as, say, Finland plus a religious background very different from a Western European nation you have a huge well of inspiration, emotion and pride to draw from. And as they travelled they seemed to turn more and more inward for their inspiration and as they did their soul truly blossomed. Here in Europe they are mid festival bill and support slots. In the Far East they are stadium fillers. When they toured the UK with Turisas a couple of years back they were greeted by the Taiwanese ambassador as cultural ambassadors. They work their asses of, are acutely politically aware, and you won’t meet many bands as polite and thoughtful of the fans after the show.
Chthonic really hit their stride with 2005’s Seediq Bale album followed on by Mirror Of Retribution and haven’t looked back since. Their last album ‘Takasago Army’, which rounded out the three album concept they call The Souls Reposed, was a milestone of symphonic extreme metal, a gut wrenching emotional journey following Taiwanese soldiers who fought for the Japanese in WWII because they were fighting the Chinese who were the threat to Taiwan (see, said it was an interesting history) but inextricably woven in with the ancestral spirits and folk lore of Taiwan because that is the cultural reality of the tale. Bu Tik is in essence more if the same only…. Only more. Once more we have a bit of WWII history, a futuristic tale and a palace this time but that is stuff best found out for yourself when you visit the website. Go on, learn a little more history. The band have written it all out for you. The symphonic intro ‘Arising Armament’, replete with the Taiwanese rhythms and traditional instruments builds a fine epic stage before the heavy crunch of ‘Supreme Pain For The Tyrant’ hits us right between the eyes. The riff is choppy, the rhythm section tight as a ships hull and the classic black metal vocals frankly superb in being hard, aggressive, full of range and mostly decipherable without the lyric sheet. It’s a hard number but also classic Chthonic as when the traditional violin coffers in with the melody the whole riff rides to meet it and everything takes flight. The emotion folded within those wings is immense and within two minutes I’m kind of lost in its world. The sort of thing that should have a huge historical epic built around it.
‘Sail Into Sunset’s Fire’ is a harder, harsher affair until it clambers to its peak and reaches something not unlike Amon Amarth and Turisas in its hook but with that ever present Eastern flow. ‘Next Republic’ has a little more of heavy metal in the thunder and a gang style chorus part that I may have to learn the words to just to join in. It’s a glorious bit of fist pumping stuff regardless of subgenre. ‘Rage Of My Sword’ mixes black metal throat ripping assault with supremely melodic death metal pounding and a superb interplay of lead and backing vocals driving the urgency and violence.
By this point I want to be standing on some huge cliff edge screaming defiance at the heavens, urged on by the ancestral spirits…
‘Between Silence And Death’ almost guts me with an emotionally charged hook that seems to bleed both sorrow and determination. It’s a complex track too, multiple strands weaving together for those huge melodies, shifting like a snake and frankly brilliant. ‘Resurrection Pyre’ is at turns more sombre with the traditional melodies often dominant but still full on and with another fine lead break. ‘Set Fire To The Island’ has a galloping feel, almost old Cradle Of Filth before the occasional bass driven lower gear twists it into a slow chorus. There’s even a snatch of clean vocals here. ‘Defenders Of By Tik Palace’ is the last song proper and for me it really is a case if leaving the best until last. With a five and a half minute sing that has black metal, drum heavy death metal and glorious, surging melody driven heavy metal and still sound life one coherent song is nothing short of stunning and it gives me goose bumps when it hits the clean vocals.
Criticisms? Barely a one. Some might bemoan a similarity of pace but when they have these five minute songs that can go up and down the gears in one and still sound amazing not bitty then the flow is fine and make no mistake these songs sparkle.
If anything this is harder and more direct than Takasago Army whilst still raising the melodic bar and leaving the emotional impact intact. There are more classic metal lead breaks here, cutting through the thrashing and more hooks than any sane band could produce. The vocals are sharper. The sound and the songs hit harder. And, dare I say it the tour with Turisas may have helped as some aspect of the gloriously mad Finns talent for compelling storytelling in theatrical form has been added. Chthonic are a very visually aware band and if the spirits are willing maybe we will get to see a full Chthonic show sometime this next tour to prove this.
In the meantime, the more I listen to this the more I believe that Taiwanese warriors Chthonic have given us their masterpiece. Fifteen years on the throne and still ruling by right.
Album of the year? So far, yes.
(9.5/10 Gizmo)
http://chthonic.tw/2009/us/news.html
02/07/2013 at 4:59 pm
I’m buying it. Obviously I’ve not heard this yet, but the previous albums are just amazing and grow on me every time I hear them. “Takasago Army” is like being swept along on a spiritual wave. They’re even my Mrs’s favourite band (she who likes classical music and Chinese opera). Chthonic just effortlessly combine history, culture and metal. I’m not surprised they’re regarded as ambassadors.