Thanks to a grueling touring regimen in 2007, many metal fans in North America and Europe were introduced to Taiwan's Chthonic for the first time. Those people might be forgiven for thinking that Chthonic is a new band; the latest breakout sensation. But they should know by now that there is no such thing as an overnight success. That band that just seems to “come out of nowhere” has probably been slogging it out in godforsaken live houses and rehearsal spaces for a long time before their music finds its way to your ears, and Chthonic is no exception. 2008 marks an even dozen years of existence for the Taiwanese six-piece, and in early 2009 they will release their fifth studio album. So for the uninitiated, here’s a brief history of a band that has become the pride of the Taiwanese metal scene, and an increasingly visible and ever-vigilant advocate of Taiwan’s fight for international recognition as an independent state.

TaipeiMetal: Chthonic is well known for incorporating Taiwanese folklore and history into its music. On the new album, what sort of stories were you writing about?
 
Freddie Lim: It’s kind of complicated but it’s related to the 228 incident*. The main character is a young priest in a temple in Nantou County. The temple was the final battleground of the 228 incident.
 
TM: Do you ever see Chthonic going in a different direction lyrically, or will it always be about Taiwanese folklore?
 
FL: Mainly we will keep this direction. This album is about Taiwanese folklore and Taiwanese history but also reveals the philosophy of Oriental hell. It’s not just about the old stories of Taiwan but we try to have some new creative themes in the album too.

TM: Do you think because you incorporate history into your music that’s what gets you noticed in the metal world?
 
FL: Yeah I think that’s one of the reasons. But I think most importantly, Chthonic doesn’t just follow the other metal bands in the world. We have our own concepts and values and we always follow that. f

The P.A. cuts in and out, and the crowd surges forward past a lone security guard, who isn't really a security guard at all but the band's local handler pulling double duty as a the world's smallest and most frequently overrun crowd barrier. Put yourself in between Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth and 200 rabid fans, 99.9 percent of whom are even frothier at the mouth given that they have never seen the band perform live before, and see how well you fare. Effects pedals are knocked out of commission, and microphones inexplicably cease to function. Such was the scene when Behemoth, making their first visit to Taiwan, took to the tiny stage at V.U. Live House in Taipei on November 1st, 2008. Such a combination of misfortunes would be enough of an excuse for many bands to cut a set short, call it a night, and pass the buck. And so when the metal gremlins run rampant over a show, does Nergal, a.k.a. Adam Darski, front man and guitarist for Behemoth pack it in and sulk? In his immortal words, "I didn't give a fuck"-a true metal axiom if there ever was one.

有時候啟動熱血模式只需要簡單的幾個riffs而已

熱血是一種無可救藥的精神過度亢奮症候群，在看球賽的時候會熱血，看摔角或是K-1的時候會熱血，打三國無雙的時候會熱血，聽重金屬就更不用說啦! 它會透過多重的型態滲入人體，順著生物電流直達大腦，就好比破門而入的歹徒拿著尖刀抵住你的喉頭要你照著他的指示動作，熱血，就這麼硬生生的挺進你，告訴你起身甩頭、旋轉並且揮舞著你的拳頭。

一切都好，就是____出了問題......

相當主流的歐式風格走向，編曲頗具水準，不是一路熱血幹到底的高速衝刺，而是使用多種方式來呈現細膩的旋律，解掉了Power Metal難以擺脫的油膩感，而Power Metal的不成文規定－吉他英雄式的吉他表現也沒有少給你喔，不過，有個砸鍋的部份讓Black Masquerade黯淡不少，沒錯! 就是主唱(你啦!)壞了一切!  

為了飆高音而飆，反而讓中氣不足的事實曝了光，少了該有的渾厚，高亢的歌聲真真讓人高亢不起來，有幾首曲子還疑似有不對key的嚴重問題!!! 無奈可圈可點的表現被疝氣的歌聲拖累，可惜啊可惜。

最後有感而發的說，Deep Purple還真是一切速彈旋律派金屬的始作俑者，應該沒有人會反對。而日本人不僅恪遵所有條例，還打從心裡的崇拜啊!