𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…
August 10, 2009 — CHTHONIC 閃靈 released their fifth studio album, Mirror of Retribution via Spinefarm Records (Europe), and on September 1, 2009 via Century Media Records (US).
The album was produced by then Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano (Volbeat).
The album, as with previous albums is based upon concepts of historical facts (as with previous studio album Seediq Bale), an ancient myth of hell, and contains references to the 228 Massacre (read below). The band adopted a new logo starting with this album, as seen on its cover; as well as a new stage presence based upon Taoist magic figures of folklore and the types of facial masks they wore.
Background:
Mirror of Retribution is based on the February 28 Incident (see the 228 Incident below) and features guest appearances by singers Sandee Chan and Francine Boucher of the band Echoes of Eternity. The album was released in Taiwanese and English versions. The British music magazine Kerrang! called the album "𝚃𝚘𝚙-𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚌𝚑" Metal, and Freddy Lim appeared on the cover of Terrorizer Magazine.
During this period, bassist Doris Yeh became the band's spokesperson and business manager, taking over the roles performed by Freddy Lim since the band's formation in 1995. Yeh has since earned a great amount of publicity, speaking about the band's political beliefs in magazines like Monocle in the United Kingdom, Metropolis in Japan, and Cacao in Taiwan. Yeh has also been recognized as a model and sex symbol, appearing on the cover of the Taiwanese version of Body magazine and regularly being selected as one of the sexiest women in music by Revolver and the Taiwanese version of FHM.
CHTHONIC was named Best International Artist in 2009 at the Tibetan Music Awards. Erhu player Su-nong left the band in 2009, with Lim taking over that instrument. After many early changes, the lineup of Freddy Lim, Doris Yeh, Jesse Liu, Dani Wang, and CJ Kao has remained intact since 2009.
In the 2009 Terrorizer readers' polls the band was voted No. 2 for best band, No. 2 for best album, and No. 2 for best performance; Freddy Lim was voted No. 3 for best singer, Doris Yeh was voted No. 2 for best bass player; Jesse Liu was voted No. 7 for best guitarist, and Dani Wang was voted No. 8 for best drummer. Yeh and Lim were also No. 9 and No. 10 respectively as best individual performer, making CHTHONIC the only band to have two members in the top 10 for that category.
Touring for Mirror of Retribution:
In 2009 and 2010 CHTHONIC continued to tour internationally, including stints with Satyricon, Bleeding Through, and Arch Enemy, plus appearances at several major Heavy Metal festivals in Asia and Europe.
The February 28 Incident (or 228 Incident):
The February 28 incident, also rendered as the February 28 massacre, the 228 incident, or the 228 massacre was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang (KMT)–led nationalist government of the Republic of China (ROC). Directed by provincial governor Chen Yi and president Chiang Kai-shek, thousands of civilians were killed beginning on February 28, 1947. The number of deaths from the incident and massacre was estimated to be between 18,000 and 28,000. The incident is one of the most important events in Taiwan's modern history and was a critical impetus for the Taiwan independence movement.
Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:
Click this link to listen to Mirror of Retribution (US Edition) via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/mirror-of-retribution-us-edition/735299878
Click this link to listen to Mirror of Retribution via Spotify: Mirror of Retribution https://open.spotify.com/album/5KvZNd2XAaiQ3eCFrqZLac
Click this link to follow CHTHONIC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chthonictw
Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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