CD 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.

The lyrics are comprised of three different languages, Chinese, English, and the aboriginal Seediq language. Of course, most of the time (OK, just about the entire time) I could not make out what was being sung, and reading the lyric sheet did not help entirely, as it is not translated, it is represented in each of the three languages used. Still, the conceptual nature is fascinating, and offers yet another change from the mainstream of black metal.

Seediq Bale has an epic feel as each song flows right into the next. While a few of the songs stand out, it is the album as a whole which makes it work. Each piece fits into the next, distinguishing itself as an individual, yet remaining a solid piece of the whole. The songs which stood out the most are "Indigenous Laceration" with its blend of metalcore riffs with black metal, "Bloody Gaya Fulfilled," with its double bass backed melody, and the progressive extremes of "Quasi Putrefaction."

As an added bonus, the album includes three music videos, but the problem is that they are the first four tracks on the disk (the first being a data track list). It is a rather weird setup, but the videos are pretty good. First is a fuzzy black and white "live" video for "Indigenous Laceration," second is a pretty impressive video chronicling the Seediq tribe's battles with "Quasi Purtrefaction," finally there is a live video for "Bloody Gaya Fulfilled."

Bottomline. This is a very impressive album, tight songwriting, interesting real world history backing their concept, and strong performances from all involved. The sound is massive, punishing, and intimately melancholic at the same time. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on. They are the leaders of the Taiwan metal scene (often referred to as the "Black Sabbath of Taiwan" due to their influence). This band could be on their way to international success and challenge the success of their influences.

Highly Recommended.