CHTHONIC (Eng.)
– Hi Doris, thanks for taking your time. First off, what’s the band currently up to?
We are going to release new album《TAKASAGO ARMY》 in this summer, and now we’re also looking forward to play our Asian tour in July and August, North America tour in September and European Tour from this October to December.
– You are not too known in Spain yet so, could you please introduce a little bit the band to all those who haven’t heard you yet?
We’re from East Asia, our country called ‘Taiwan’. We wrote songs about mythology/horic/historical issue of East Asia, sometimes it related to some sentitave history issue and politics over those aera, but we don’t care, especially some hidden side of the history should be revealed so the truth will get more clear, and won’t be hided and cheated by government anymore.
If you never ever tried the taste of ‘Orient Metal’, now it’s time to have a try for CHTHONIC! 😉
– If I’m not wrong, «Chthonic» comes from Greek mythology. That’s something I’m curious about; why to choose a name
from the Greek mythology and not something what could fit better your lyrics?
I have to be very honest to say: The band have this name when it formed in 1995. At that time we only have our own Taiwanese name, no English name. And one member started to check the dictionay, then he found out this word, that means: “The Gods in the underworld”, it matches the songs they’re writing at the time even though it’s Greek, and looks simple except the pronouncation. So they decided to use it. But if we can go back to the time again, I will definetely say NO to this word. Just because the pronounciation is really annoying! 😀
– Soon your new «Takasago Army» will come out. What are your expectations for it?
“Takasago Army” is kind of a spirit of Taiwanese spirit. We’re talking about the struggle and pain of the young Taiwanese soldiers who fought for Japanese Empire that ruled our country before WWII, and also the uprising to against Chinese army that occupied Taiwan after WWII. We try to reveal the hidden history by our government for long time, and we hope to inspired the living people nowadays to find the truth and find their ownself diginity.
We expect this album can have a very good sale of course, seconday, we hope this kind of ‘Orient’ taste and spirit will inspired people, and get them try to know more about the issues and intersting history over East Asia. J
– This is the end of a trilogy you started with «Seediq Bale». What does putting now the end to this trilogy mean to you?
It’s just a coincident that when we wrote about the story of new album, it’s the stroy we always want to talk about, but suddently we found out that the ‘time line’ can make it connected with former two albums into a trilogy! And actually, we have already wrote the end of the trilogy in 
former album(5th album), so our new album(6th album: TAKASAGO ARMY) actually is the second part of the trilogy! 😉
– And will you be doing things like this in the future?
We’re not sure yet. We always like to try something new, so let’s see! 😉
– For those who don’t know about the story behind this trilogy, could you please shed some light on this?
It’s the series story base in Taiwan before/during/after WWII over East Asia. It talks about different destinies and values of different generations when they faced to the oppression by different other countries.
Every generations found their own dignity through different difficulity, most of them found their own values of being a human through the process of facing and deciding to battle til die on the battle ground. It’s a chaotic and dangerous era, and this part of history also been hiden by our government. So we choose this way to reveal it and give more inspirations to our offspring.
– And about this concrete album? What was the Takasago Army?
It’s the name of one of bravest army formed by “Austronesian Taiwanese” who were living in the high and deep mountain. Their grandfather might fought with Japanese army before but failed, and now they were sent by Japanese Empire to the most difficult battle grounds, and they always achieved the mission, even though they died or injured seriously, but they won the respect from all the Japanese soldiers, and gradually, they found out their own diginity belong to themselves, and also belong to their ancestors.
– There’s an obvious influence from Oriental music in your sound. What does exactly influence you from it?
Mainly it’s Taiwanese folk music “Enka”, then some extreme metal, sometimes ‘post rock’ give us some influences also! J
– And how important is for CHTHONIC the mix and/or balance between Metal (or extreme Metal) and Oriental music?
I think what we made is not just ‘metal’ music, 50% of our work is the ‘story’ we talked about. So the story is connected to the history, so we naturally use many ‘Oriental’ elements like the melody of traditional folk music ‘Enka’, as well as some Oriental instruments like Hena(two-string violine), Shamisen, Koto, Tibetan Bells, Shakuhachi Flute, Pgaku Flute.
– I think in this album you have gone a step forward in terms of innovation. How positive is this for you as a band? And not only in musical terms.
It’s good for members to keep having the ‘passion’ to make music because we always create new things, new melody and new story, so the band will keep rolling, it’s the good thing for us beside the achivement of musical terms. J.
– I noticed is also more brutal, was this something intended?
From my point of view, I think it’s because the ‘emotion’ of every songs is quite different. From ironic feeling to fight for Japanese, then the heroic pride to join the war, then the self-diginity have been found by Taiwanese soldiers but they have to face to lose of the war and submitted to do some suicidal mission.. After WWII, their tragedic fate hasn’t gone to the end, because then Chinese army came, another battle and uprising start again… So I think the ‘wave’ of the emotion changes a lot according to different songs, very dramatic.
– You have been around now for over 15 years, you have released a compilation album, a book… Do you have any aims left to get?
Somehow, I was always thinking about to make a ‘movie’ for this trilogy, that will be SO cool and really meaningful to our whole lives. We’ve been discussed with some directors, but haven’t had a confirmed schedule because now we’re totally focusing on our new album. So maybe next year, we will really have time to discuss this plan! 😉
– Will you tour to support «Takasago Army» live?
As to the tour, we’ll have some headlining tours and festival shows in Asia over this summer, then we will tour with Arch Enemy and Devildriver over North America in September. In this winter, we will tour with Arch Enemy again over the whole Europe! J
– From Queens of Steel we have always brought special support to women into the Metal scene. Are there any interested bands with female members in their line-up from Taiwan?
Yes, there’re more and more female musicians join metal bands in Taiwan nowadays, from drummer to guitarist, bassist, vocal and keyboard player. You can check some metal bands in Taiwan: “Crescent Lament (female clean vocal)”, “Hekate(female guitarist and bassist)”, “Alien Avenge(female keyboard player), “Solemn(female harsh vocal)”, “Catapult(female drummer)”, “Blair Witch(female harsh vocal and bassist).
– And finally, what are your near-future plans? Do you already have in mind any concept for any upcoming record?
We are going to release our new album ‘TAKASAGO ARMY’ in Taiwan, Japan and Finland around July, in the UK and Europe countries, the release date will be around August, then September in the US and Canada.
We have many materals in hands now but haven’t decided the concept of our next album, but there’s one thing for sure, that is no matter what concept we wrote, we will never disappoint our fans! 😉
– That has been all, thank you once again for your time. If you want to add some final thoughts to the interview; is your time.
Please come to our facebook (www.facebook.com/chthonictw), you will find different aspects of the views to see our music, and we usually hang out with fans up there. For the lateset information and tour dates, you can go to our official website: www.chthonic.tw
