Music Review: ChthoniC - Seediq Bale

ChthoniC (pronounced THON-ick) is a black metal band in the vein of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, both of which are claimed as inspirations. However, they step away from the Satanic styled lyrical content, rather they focus on something considerably different, one could even say more important. Their lyrical content is tied directly to their homeland. They are not another Norwegian black metal act, they are, in fact, from Taiwan where there are at the forefront of the extreme metal movement in the country. Their lyrics tie in directly to the heritage and mythology of the small nation, and they are bringing that to the United States with Seediq Bale, their first release in the US, and fourth album overall, not to mention being the first Asian band to be featured on the annual Ozzfest tour. Now, the question is, how does it stack up? Quite well in my estimation.

I may not be terribly well versed in the world of black metal, but I know what I like, and I have always liked the way that black metal incorporated melody into their brutality. ChthoniC is no stranger to either, delivering both in equal proportion. They add in symphonic black elements with their use of keys and operatic female voices in counterpoint to the jackhammer guitars and drums, and the throat bloodying screams of the lead vocals. In addition to that, they include the use of an erhu, a two stringed traditional Chinese violin. The use of the erhu brings a sad, morose quality to the music with its weepy sound. There is a beauty to their sheer aggressiveness, bringing together the sadly sweet melodies into contact with a more percussive quality.

As I mentioned earlier, their lyrical content is derived from their heritage and the history of their island nation, a nation struggling to be truly independent from China's proclaimed sovereignty. This album centers on the Seediq tribe. They are an aboriginal tribe of Taiwan whose tradition of facial tattoos was banned under Chinese occupation, the tribe rebelled leading to a bloody incident where most of the tribe was either killed or committed suicide.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

Visit Chris Beaumont's author page — Chris Beaumont's Blog