Chthonic- Seediq Bale (Down Port Music)
What can I really say about the current state of Black Metal. For me
personally it has completely come to a stand still. With the recent
resurgence of so called "True Black Metal," all these untalented,
minimalistic artists have seemed to be popping out of the woodwork at an
all time high. I just can't get myself into these purveyors of modern
disgust. There is just absolutely nothing to this style worth listening
to, no talent, no passion, no real song structure, no anything. I
really wish fans would stop supporting these senseless "so-called"
musicians and end the livelihood of this horrid style of pure garbage.
That being said, Chthonic have finally arrived stateside with a pure
explosion, an absolute wonderous breath of fresh air. Hailing from the
unlikely depths of
Taiwan, these portrayers of beautiful, sorrowful Symphonic Black
Metal are an honorful savior to the most excellent form of this style of
music. The entire album is picturesque of everything you could have
possibly wanted or asked for in a group playing this style of extreme
metal. Extraordinarily intricate and flowing song structure embraces
every track. Lead singer Freddy can hit all the highs and lows
incorporated in this respected form. There are beautiful, haunting
female vocals embracing almost every track provided by bass player
Doris, that bring chills to your flesh. The guitar work by Jesse is
completely flawless, from extremely heavy speeding riffs, to the
amazingly melodic complicated chords. The drumming performed by Dani
and bass playing from Doris are spot point, never out of place, hitting
every mark exactly at the right time. The synth and keys are completely
amazing, but do not make the album or overcompensate for anything, but
they are definitely some of the best that I have ever heard to date. It
sounds as though every key just flows effortlessly out of keyboardist
CJ's fingers, endearingly completing each song on this amazing album.
Chthonics Seediq Bale has completely raised the bar for Symphonic
Black Metal for years to come. They are far ahead of the scene and I
can only see them going further and further causing numerous
doppelgangers, and I feel that this is definitely not a bad thing.
Seriously, I think the way things are going, they will be the next
Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir and fans alike will adore these talented
Asians just the same. I believe them to be the saviors of the scene,
and I'm hoping and praying that more labels will start focusing on this
unique style again, because I would love nothing more than to relive
this genre in a new era.
*Listen or Die*
Sam Nastasuk
