I have to admit, I discovered Chthonic only because I was researching buying a new guitar, and the specs on Jessie Liu's signature model E-II JL-7 seem very close to what I want (and different from all of my other guitars).
The only thing is that I had no idea who Jessie Liu is. A quick google search revealed that he's the guitar player for Chthonic, so I decided to check them out. I know that Doris Yeh, the bass player, also has a signature model, and I figured they must be pretty influential if they have their own signature model guitars.
In the past week, I've been listening to their latest album, Bù-Tik. To my ears, they sound like a cross between melodic death metal like Arch Enemy, newer black metal like Abigail Williams, and symphonic death metal like Fleshgod Apocalypse, while incorporating what sounds like very classic ethic Chinese instruments and melodies. I find it to be a very sophisticated and "smart" sound, for lack of a better word. They are very talented musically. Lyrically, they are very political, and touch upon historical events in songs like "Supreme Pain For The Tyrant". In fact, the lead singer, Freddy Lim, recently won a seat in the Taiwanese legislature.
Bù-Tik is a great album from start to finish. I love the melodicism in the instrumentation, contrasted with the extreme metal vocals. I think this is what sets me apart from most musicians that I know.... they usually hate extreme metal vocals and dismiss them as Cookie Monster. It's with a deeper ear that one can hear melody in extreme metal.... and I think that comes from shifting the focal point of the vocals as melody, onto the instrumentation. I also think that's why I can appreciate the musicality of non-melodic instruments like drums.
Anyway, this album makes me want to explore Chthonic's back catalog, as well as read about the history of Taiwan as reflected in their songs. I love how music can expand your horizons.
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