It’s not every day you get a band from Taiwan in your home town. Still, black metal merchants CHTHONIC have deserved their amazing rise from far eastern obscurity to western popularity, which has included a US Ozzfest slot, and an appearance at the legendary Wacken festival. Tonight’s small crowd were unlikely to have seen the band before, and so it was a chance for CHTHONIC to continue to build on their European following.

CHTHONIC have five albums under their belt, and have been in existence since 1995. Their on stage appearance is very much akin to the black metal standard, with all band members sporting black and white make-up, and the drummer and keyboard player both wearing scary masks. Frontman Freddy Lim is the linchpin of the band, and his howling screams instantly give the band a striking and obvious resemblance to the UK’s very own CRADLE OF FILTH.

CHTHONIC’s music is fast and powerful, and it is performed very well by a band who appear at first glance as being quite young. Female bass player Doris Yeh chugs out a fantastic rhythm, and it’s hard to believe she can produce such power given she has a similar frame to that of a stick insect. Guitarist Jesse Liu is an excellent player, and his riffs are good enough to ensure the band still sound the part with only the one guitar.

The vast majority of the set came from latest album ‘Mirror of Retribution’, and all the material sounded very impressive on first listen. Particular stand outs were the pummelling opener ‘Rise of the Shadows’, and the equally brutal ‘Forty-Nine Theurgy Chains’. Although extreme metal in nature, these songs are good examples of CHTHONIC’s ability to mix melody with awesome power.

CHTHONIC are a great band, and on the basis of tonight’s performance, they are sure to keep winning more fans in Europe. Few bands can pull off black metal without looking completely stupid, and one of those bands is certainly CHTHONIC. Recognition for such bands is usually in the form of festival invites, and I’m sure that Wacken won’t be the last European festival which is glad to showcase such a talented act.

Setlist: Rise of the Shadows / Bloody Gaya Fulfilled / Forty-Nine Theurgy Chains / Hearts Condemned / Blooming Blades / Relentless Recurrence / Spell of Setting Sun: Mirror of Retribution / Sing-Ling Temple / Grab the Soul to Hell / Venom in My Veins / Quasi Putrefaction

Photography by Alexander Shaw (Photo Gallery)