CHTHONIC — Takasago Army (review)

CHTHONIC — Takasago Army album cover Album · 2011 · Symphonic Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Time Signature
Oceanquake...

Genre: epic black/death metal

Hey, this is pretty cool - and quite versatile, in a way. The style sounds like death metal meets black metal meets power metal, and, with its symphonic layer, Chthonic's music comes across as being very epic, and there is even a sort of folk element to it, as they use traditional Taiwanese instrumentation, and there are also passages sung in the Taiwanese dialect (I think), as the chorus of "Takao" and a passage presumably sung by bassist Doris 'Thunder Tears' Yeh. In addition, there is also a modern feel to the band's music and sound which sometimes even sounds thrashy.

Now, some might think that what I am describing is an erratic and unfocused mishmash of styles. But that is not the case. It is true that Chthonic draw on a number of metal subgenres, but the album is actually very coherent and focused, as the band manage to capture all of these elements and integrate them into some very well wrought and captivating songs. Needless to say, the music, while extreme, is also quite melodic, and, perhaps the symphonic and traditional Taiwanese elements and the use of keyboards might put some purists off, I think it just works perfect in creating a unique and haunting atmosphere.

for my money "Takasago Army" is very close to being a heavy metal masterpiece. Fans of epic and symphonic metal will cheat themselves if they do not give this album a listen.
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