C H T H O N I C

Maybe this is just me but I find it fascinating to find out what it was that turned people on to metal. Do you remember the first metal record you heard and what your thoughts were?
- Metallica's "Master Of Puppets" was the first metal record I heard, and I liked it a lot. I liked the feeling of THRASH. If you mention extreme metal, Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse" was the first black metal album we listened to. We really love this kind of music.
Speed, Power, Brutal, beautiful, symphonic is it!

You've released three albums and some singles so far. How have you gone about spreading them across the World and what kind of responses have you had on them?
- The first album, we never planned to distribute to the world, just so some oriental fans could buy it. And about our 2nd album, we recorded an English version, and Nightfall records released it in the U.S. The English version of our 3rd album will finish mixing before the end of 2002. Some labels have contacted us to release it. Other labels are still welcome to contact with us about it.

For your third album "Relentless Recurrence" you went to Borsing Recordings in Aarhus, Denmark. Why did you choose this particular studio and not one of the more well known ones in Sweden?
- I liked a Danish band called Illdisposed very much, and I found that they recorded in Borsing Recording, it made me decide to go there. We mixed our 1st album in that studio, and it has built a great relationship between the engineer Jan Borsing and us. And then we have been to another studio here in Taiwan to record our 2nd album, but it's not good enough, and we decided to go to Borsing Recording again for our 3rd album.

Taiwan, as the rest of Oceania, is far from the rest of the Metal community. Not many bands from there manage to come to Europe or USA but you've played in USA and recorded in Denmark. How have you managed to do so?
- We go to record in Europe for a good quality album. And we plan to go all over the world to play, because it's great to play in front of different audience, and feel all kinds of different powers from the different metal fans.

When you put on make up and dress up the way you do, does it bridge the geographic gaps there are between Taiwan and the rest of the World's metal scenes? Does it make you feel that you're just another metal band in the World?
-We have not felt anything, but power, when we put on make up. It's great that when you play with makeup, you will just let go! And we will try some different local make-ups instead of the Western black metal make-up. In Taiwanese religion, there are some make-ups that represent gods, evils etc.

Through books and movies we've come to know that Chinese folklore is rich of stories, but is there such a thing as a Taiwanese folklore?
- Yes, there are lot's of Taiwanese folklore. Chinese folklore always end with a comedy, but Taiwanese folklore always ends with a beautiful tragedy.

When you plan and write a new album, do you have a concept you follow strictly or can the story be about anything? What's "Relentless Recurrence" about?
- We will have a concept before we write a new album. Like the 2nd album "9th Empyrean", it's about the War between Taiwanese(Our) Gods and Chinese Gods. "Relentless Recurrence" is a famous old Taiwanese ghost story "Natao-ji". Even the young people who can't really tell the story know the name Natao-Ji. In 16 to 19 century of Taiwan, Hans (Sinoin) were forbidden to come across the strait to Taiwan. Taiwan was a lone island. But some Han businessmen often illegal entered Taiwan to cheat and made unfair business with Taiwanese. Sometimes they even claim the fortune of the Taiwanese and rape the women. Then the story " Natao-Ji " has come and described about a family has been raped by a Han businessman, and the woman, Natao-Ji, committed suicide and returned to the Human world to revenge. At last she revenged successfully. Which was the original end of the story. But we, all Chthonic members, love tragedy, so we compose the new end, which is the 10th song, 'Relentless Recurrence'. Natao-Ji was punished and has to suffer the whole disaster again and again.

What role does Internet play in the marketing of Chthonic? Do you think you would have reached as far as you have without the help of the Internet?
-Internet is an important tool to communicate in this modern world. Not just for musicians, but also for every kind of people. Maybe it plays a part in our development, but I do think our music is the most important part.

Is metal a big thing for Taiwanese music fans or do you fight an endless battle to get your voice heard?
- The metal scene is getting bigger and bigger. Now, there are about 30 black/death metal bands in Taiwan. Some of them focus on Anti-Christ, Satanism issue, some of them focus on just the things unpleased them, like schools, cops, moods...etc, and few of them will have different issue. After 7 years fighting, we are doing well in Taiwan now. Our albums have been to the champion of the Tower Records Chart, and our concerts always gathered hundreds and hundreds people. I think if you keep the faith to your music, and work hard, you will be heard.