Band leader Freddy Lim has certainly found himself in the spotlight of late with his involvement in political activism. Along with band mate Doris, he has long been campaigning for the independence of Taiwan and in 2007 organised a concert in memory of the 228 Massacre; an event which occurred in the mid 20th century during which many were killed by the Chinese, and one that is also acknowledged on this album (and can read about in far more detail in this month’s interview). Anyway, it’s reassuring to know that they have taken some time out from their campaigning to record their first album in four years since the release of the much acclaimed Seediq Bale.
I must confess that while I was rather taken by 2002s Relentless Recurrence, I haven’t really delved much further into their catalogue. I guess had I heard Seediq Bale I would have noticed a very sturdy progression between the then and the now, but having only that album for comparison, the first thing that really strikes me is that there has been a rather drastic change, to these ears at least, in their sound. Take from that what you will, as whether this is a positive or negative feat I’m actually in two minds about and it is probably easier to just mention that these are two very different albums that really can’t be compared and I guess as with any shift in sound, as the saying goes, you win some, you lose some.
The horror-drenched atmosphere of RR really struck a chord with me, and I’m not sure this album does quite so much. That’s of course not to say that this element is no longer there, but it has toned down considerably and given way to a far thrashier sound. It is unarguably more accessible and I can see now why they have only recently tapped in to western markets. ‘Rise Of The Shadows’ demonstrates some particularly strong melodic death riffage which also presents itself on ‘Hearts Condemned’ as a more modern thrash attack is intercepted with black metal choruses that make use of some fast as fuck drumming. In places on this album I’m reminded quite a lot of Cradle Of Filth, not least in the vocals on this track and ‘The Aroused.’ The latter in particular is overlaid with an array of vomitous screams and high pitched yelps that if I didn’t know any better I would solemnly swear belonged to the midget of British black metal that is Dani Filth. There are some haunting keyboards on this track and a mystical atmosphere while the backing warbles of Doris add a nice feminine touch to the mix. In a way, I find it a shame that more is not done with her lovely vocals, in fact, I don’t recall her singing a single word but rather her tones linger ethereally in the background purely working to add to the ambience. On ‘Blooming Blades’ they seem to wail in the mix giving off a wistful essence amidst the heavy pummelling that makes up the track.
We are taken to the ‘Sing-Ling Temple’ with a deathly thud and there seems to be a real heavy edge to this number in particular that verges on grind. Going back to my intro, the Sing-Ling Temple holds great significance as this is the place many Taiwanese militia were slaughtered at the hands of the Chinese during the 228 massacre and this segues into the entirely instrumental ‘1947;’ i.e. the year the massacre began. This is a dramatic interpretation of the great sorrow that must have been felt by the country at the time and both the anguish and the heroism really comes across in this bombastic piece. I just learned one of the instruments that gives them their unique haunting sound is the Erhu which is a 2 string violin indigenous to East Asia, which I am guessing is what gives the music such a seemingly authentic feel of the Orient.
Overall this is a solid album and while I previously criticised the bands more accessible sound, I must applaud that they do sound tighter and much more focussed. To label this as symphonic black metal which I might have previously called them wouldn’t be entirely accurate as while it is true to a certain extent there are also other elements that make it hard to pigeonhole this; not that it is a bad thing and if you are yet to discover this band then I strongly recommend that you check this out for yourself.
http://www.myspace.com/chthonictw
http://chthonic.org
