Latest news from OZZFEST~

Taiwanese Metal Monsters ChthoniC Prepares for OZZFEST and Release Reissues in Fantastic Packaging!

Next week, two albums by Taiwan’s premier metal act ChthoniC—soon to be the first-ever Asian act to take part in Ozzfest—will finally be released in North America! Relentless Recurrence, initially released in 2002, and last year’s A Decade on the Throne live double album/DVD will continue the momentum started by the acclaimed Seediq Bale, the group’s first American release.

The music of ChthoniC (pronounced THON-ick) mainly focuses on the history of the Taiwanese. The band has even christened its upcoming international tour, which will commence in suburban Seattle when the group kicks off the summer’s first Ozzfest—
"UNlimited"—in part to protest how the United Nations limits Taiwan's full participation as an independent and sovereign country.

Relentless Recurrence relays a Taiwanese folk tale about a demonic ghost hell-bent on revenge. Like the group’s other recordings, the album sees ChthoniC use a “Hena,” a traditional Asian instrument comparable to a violin, to emphasize the legend’s sorrow and grief. Meanwhile, A Decade on the Throne is an engrossing live double album/DVD set recorded before a sold-out crowd in Taiwan. It will be released in a lavish digibook with special artwork and a velvet covering.

The band’s image is reminiscent of the black metal legends of Scandinavia; however, ChthoniC’s use of corpse paint is inspired by the history of their own culture. In Taiwanese folklore and religious practice, deities known as the “Eight Generals”(八家將) wear corpse paint to become empowered with Taoist spirits that give them the ability to judge good and evil. It is this spirit that the band conveys on stage.

During the past decade, ChthoniC has been pushing boundaries and single-handedly launched an extreme metal scene in Taiwan. The group now sets their sights squarely on the rest of the world. The band will continue taking its music abroad in August when it performs at Wacken Open Air, Germany's largest annual metal festival. It will also embark on its first full European tour this fall. And though ChthoniC—like all rotating second-stage Ozzfest bands—will have just 20 minutes to make its case on tour this summer, the group hopes its message reverberates long after their final notes are played.

For more info about Ozzfest, please check: http://www.ozzfest.com/
ChthoniC official website: http://www.chthonic.org/