Taiwan from 2010 to 2014 and became an elected representative in the
Legislative Yuan.
Formation (1995–1998) Chthonic was formed in 1995, and the band name "
Chthonic" is a Greek term referring to the earth and the underworld. In the west, the term is usually pronounced
thonic. The original members were Freddy Lim and some of his classmates from high school and university. The line-up went through many changes before the band released their debut album in 1998. By that point the line-up had settled around Freddy Lim on vocals and erhu, Zac Chang on guitar, Xiao-Yu on bass, Xiao-Wang on drums, and Ambrosia on keyboards and backing vocals. Chthonic became quite popular in the rock scene in Taiwan. They played to a full house at Vibe, the main rock club in Taipei at the time, and played as headliners for large rock festivals like Spring Scream. They released their first single "Deep Plowing" ("深耕") in early 1998. In their early years, Chthonic tried different styles of heavy metal. Lim sang clean vocals in "The Breath of Ocean" ("海息"); the early song "Cultivating" ("深耕") can be classified as
power metal while "Decomposition of the Mother Isle (Aboriginal Gods Enthroned)" ("母島解體登基") is
black metal. Keyboardist Ambrosia occasionally sang in the early songs as well. From the start, Lim has written songs in
Taiwanese,
Classical Chinese, and
Mandarin Chinese; more recent albums have been released in English versions as well.
Success in Asia (1998–2002) Chthonic's debut album, ''
Where the Ancestors' Souls Gathered (祖靈之流)'', was released in late 1998. The band released the album independently and it reached No. 2 on the Tower Records pop music chart for Asia. In 2004 Alexia Lee replaced Luis Wei on keyboards and Dani Wang replaced AJ Tsai on drums. In 2005 the band released their fourth album,
Seediq Bale, which is based on the
Wushe Incident. In addition to symphonic black metal mixed with Taiwanese elements,
Seediq Bale featured increased use of erhu,
blast beats, and female vocals (including a guest appearance by pop singer
Sandee Chan). The album was released in Mandarin Chinese and English versions, with both integrating some Seediq and Japanese lyrics. This album also supported donations for the movie project
Seediq Bale directed by Wei Te-sheng, who in turn donated the film's trailer for Chthonic's use in the music video for "Quasi Putrefaction." In 2006, Lim founded the annual
Megaport Music Festival, Taiwan's largest rock music event; after a hiatus when he went into politics, Lim continues to organize the annual event. This symbolic protest was covered by the US mainstream media, including ABC television,
New York Times,
Los Angeles Times,
Washington Post, and others. That year they also toured with
Nile,
Dååth,
Obituary,
Cradle of Filth,
Marduk,
Ensiferum, and
3 Inches of Blood while playing in several European countries. A book titled
GUTS!, featuring a diary of the UNlimited Taiwan Tour, was released in Europe and Asia.
International recognition (2008–2013) Chthonic released the album
Mirror of Retribution in 2009 on
Spinefarm Records, produced by
Anthrax guitarist
Rob Caggiano.
Mirror of Retribution is based on the
February 28 Incident and features guest appearances by singers
Sandee Chan and Francine Boucher of the band
Echoes of Eternity. The album was released in Taiwanese and English versions. The British music magazine
Kerrang! called the album "Top-notch" metal, and Freddy Lim appeared on the cover of
Terrorizer magazine. During this period, bassist Doris Yeh became the band's spokesperson and business manager, taking over the roles performed by Freddy Lim since the band's formation in 1995. Yeh has since earned a great amount of publicity, speaking about the band's political beliefs in magazines like
Monocle in the United Kingdom,
Metropolis in Japan, and
Cacao in Taiwan. Yeh has also been recognized as a model and sex symbol, appearing on the cover of the Taiwanese version of
Body magazine and regularly being selected as one of the sexiest women in music by
Revolver and the Taiwanese version of
FHM. Chthonic was named "Best International Artist" in 2009 at the
Tibetan Music Awards. Erhu player Su-nong left the band in 2009, with Lim taking over that instrument. After many early changes, the lineup of Freddy Lim, Doris Yeh, Jesse Liu, Dani Wang, and CJ Kao has remained intact since 2009. In the 2009
Terrorizer readers' polls the band was voted No. 2 for best band, No. 2 for best album, and No. 2 for best performance; Freddy Lim was voted No. 3 for best singer, Doris Yeh was voted No. 2 for best bass player; Jesse Liu was voted No. 7 for best guitarist, and Dani Wang was voted No. 8 for best drummer. Yeh and Lim were also No. 9 and No. 10 respectively as best individual performer, making Chthonic the only band to have two members in the top 10 for that category. In 2009 and 2010 Chthonic continued to tour internationally, including stints with
Satyricon,
Bleeding Through, and
Arch Enemy, plus appearances at several major heavy metal festivals in Asia and Europe. In 2010 the band released the digital single "Painkiller," a
Judas Priest cover. Their sixth album
Takasago Army was released on Spinefarm Records in 2011. This album is based on the story of the
Takasago Volunteers,
Taiwanese aboriginal soldiers who fought for Japan during World War II. The album included guest appearances from singers Yu Tien and Chan Yawen, and
Taroko musician Pitero Wukah on pgaku flute. Main songwriters Freddy Lim and Jesse Liu stated that
Takasago Army marked a reversal in the band's writing, as the songs were first written in a traditional Taiwanese folk format but were then played with heavy metal techniques. Doris Yeh stated that the Western definition of "heavy metal," whether it is black metal or death metal, cannot easily define Chthonic's style; thus, having to choose a term, the band uses the term "Orient Metal."
Takasago Army reached No. 109 on Japan's
Oricon music chart, and the video for the song "Takao" was nominated for the 2012 Golden Melody Award in Taiwan for best music video. The album was featured in the international metal magazines
Revolver,
Terrorizer, and
Metal Hammer, and was named the year's best melodic black metal album by the critics' webzine
Metal Storm. Furthermore,
Boulevard Brutal, a French music critics' site, selected
Takasago Army as the best black metal album of the year; and the Japanese rock magazine
Burrn!! awarded the band a No. 7 rank for best album of the year and No. 23 for best heavy metal band. After more international touring in North America, Europe, and Asia, including stints with
Arch Enemy,
DevilDriver, and
Skeletonwitch, in October 2011 Chthonic organized a concert at Taiwan's remote Sing Ling Temple, a historical landmark mentioned in their last three albums. This concert featured a guest appearance by singer
Randy Blythe of
Lamb of God, while selected fans from outside of Taiwan were given free plane tickets to travel to the concert. The competition for tickets was covered widely in Taiwanese media. In early 2012 Chthonic released a DVD of the Sing Ling Temple concert and also made some acoustic appearances at Eslite bookstores in Taiwan. In 2012 Chthonic supported Lamb of God in Asia, while
ESP Guitars released customized models for bassist Doris Yeh and guitarist Jesse Liu. Chthonic continued to play major festivals in Europe and Asia, with former
Megadeth guitarist
Marty Friedman appearing with the band at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival. The band's seventh studio album,
Bu-Tik, and was released in June 2013 worldwide through
Spinefarm Records. The album cover for
Bu-Tik depicts a nude female with white hair wielding a sword in her right hand and a prosthetic gun on her left arm. Freddy Lim then expanded his political activities, founding the
New Power Party in early 2015. In January 2016, Lim was elected to Taiwan's
Legislative Yuan representing
Taipei City Constituency 5. He was then assigned to the Foreign and National Defense Committee and has formed a caucus to address issues in Tibet. In March 2017, Chthonic played at the
Megaport Music Festival; bassist Doris Yeh was absent due to recently giving birth and Shingo☆ of
Sex Machineguns filled in. A new song titled "Souls of the Revolution," featuring
Randy Blythe, was released in December 2017. The song is featured in the band-produced film
Tshiong, which was released in Taiwan on 29 December 2017. The film, in development since 2015 and also featuring Blythe, is an action-comedy starring the members of Chthonic as political activists trying to stop a development project in a small Taiwanese village. A soundtrack album featuring "Souls of the Revolution" and incidental score music was released in Asia. At the 2018
Megaport Music Festival, Chthonic performed another new song called "A Crimson Sky's Command". Chthonic's eighth and most recent album
Battlefields of Asura was released on October 10, 2018. In December 2018, Chthonic was unable to perform with
Cantopop singer
Denise Ho in
Hong Kong since their work visa application was rejected due to domestic security reasons. The band ultimately ended up performing the song "Millennia's Faith Undone" remotely via
Facebook. Thanks to Taiwan's success in handling the
COVID-19 pandemic, the country authorized a return of the
Megaport Music Festival in March 2021, organized by Freddy Lim and headlined by Chthonic, with 100 mostly Taiwanese rock bands. In March 2023, the band issued their first release in five years, the single "Pattokan", which addresses Taiwan's
White Terror period. Since 2023, Chthonic has reduced its studio activity and live performances, mostly due to Freddy Lim’s political career. He has since reduced his political activities and the band has returned to studio work. ==Activism and lyrical themes==