CHTHONIC's Heavy Metal Message Crosses Globe

September 15, 2007

David Pierson of the Los Angeles Times reports: Lead singer Freddy Lim carefully drew black and red veins over his white-caked face while his mates in the heavy metal band adjusted their combat boots and studded leather minutes before they took the stage at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

Chris Chou, a 53-year-old Taiwanese-American realty agent, eagerly awaited the start of the show. He was drawn less by the music than the message, which helped him lure friends to this and other shows by the band.

Beside him, dozens of middle-age and elderly fans in dresses and stiff button-down shirts applauded as the band appeared.

"I saw people in their 70s and 80s at the Santa Ana concert," Chou said. "They stayed all night. It was such an exciting experience for them."

The band is CHTHONIC (pronounced, Thon-nick, a Greek word for spirits of the underworld). It plays a fast, driving metal sound, enough to pop hearing aids out of ear canals. But it also has a unique theme song that calls for the United Nations to recognize Taiwan as an independent nation. The lyrics for "UNlimited Taiwan" include:"We have the land, the strength, the power. Rise up, overcome, take it over. Ignored too long, we became stronger. Tear down the walls and let us run over."

The words have created a rallying point for the small but spirited Taiwanese independence community in the United States.

CHTHONIC, one of Taiwan's most popular bands, was paid by the Taiwanese government to travel to America. The result turned out to be one of the most unusual scenes in rock music.

Read the entire article at this location.

Watch a video interview with Freddy Lim conducted by Ashiana Productions on August 20, 2007 at Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts:

Watch video footage of CHTHONIC's August 10, 2007 performance at Ozzfest in Tinley Park, Illinois:

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