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Lim sang clean vocals in '海息' ('The Breath of Ocean') the early song '深耕' ('Cultivating') can be classified as power metal while '母島解體登基' ('Decomposition of the Mother Isle (Aboriginal Gods Enthroned)') is black metal. In their early years, Chthonic tried different styles of heavy metal. They released their first single '深耕' ('Deep Plowing') in early 1998.

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They played to a full house at Vibe, the main rock club in Taipei at the time, and played as headliners for large rock festivals like Spring Scream. Chthonic became quite popular in the rock scene in Taiwan. By that point the line-up had settled around Freddy Lim on vocals and erhu, Zac Chang on guitar, Xiao-Yu on bass, Xiao-Wang on drums, and Ambrosia on keyboards and backing vocals. The line-up went through many changes before the band released their debut album in 1998. The original members were Freddy Lim and some of his classmates from high school and university. In the west, the term is usually pronounced thonic. Formation (1995–1998) Ĭhthonic was formed in 1995, and the band name ' Chthonic' is a Greek term referring to the earth and the underworld. The most recent of which, Battlefields of Asura, was released in October 2018. Since their formation, Chthonic has released eight studio albums. Singer Freddy Lim served as Chairman of the Taiwan chapter of Amnesty International from 2010 to 2014 and has been a legislator since 2016, first representing the New Power Party before becoming an independent. The band members are also acclaimed artists and political activists who advocate independence for Taiwan and self-determination for Tibetans and Uighurs. Since 2011 their trademark erhu has been complemented with stringed instruments including the koto and shamisen, as well as Tibetan Bells and shakuhachi and pgaki flutes, the latter of which are traditionally used by the aboriginal people of Taiwan.

Their stated goal is to use their music to bring ancient history and mythology into the modern era especially to build awareness of the myths of Taiwan and tragic events in that country's history (for example, those experienced by the Seediq people). They have been called 'the Black Sabbath of Asia.' The group incorporates influences from traditional Taiwanese music, including adaptations of folk songs and the use of traditional instruments, most notably the erhu (often called the hiân-á in the band's native Taiwanese Hokkien). Chthonic (sometimes typeset ChthoniC or ChThoniC) is a Taiwanese heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Taipei.