Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011)

[The Metal Advisor]

This is a fun album, ladies and gents. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you try it out. ------------------ From my first listen through Takasago Army, I pondered how it could be categorized as straight black metal because, in the general sense of the label, most of the music on the record has little, if any, resemblance to the grim subgenre of metal. A good portion of the music would fit well under the melodic metal umbrella, if not the melodic death metal subgenre. I suppose some of the tracks could be filed under melodic black metal due to symphonic bits and the occasional melodious tremolo picking, but I typically find the music too chuggy and polished to be included there. As I've seen the band say before, they cannot be categorized, and I wholeheartedly agree because Takasago Army is essentially whatever it wants to be, unhindered by boundaries created by subgenres. Further forays into Chthonic's earlier work should prove to be interesting beacuse I'll get to see if there is a pure black metal side to the band. The most compelling thing about Chthonic is that their home base is in Taiwan. Not too many artists from Taiwan can claim to have gotten international attention, but after 10 years of hard work, the band certainly deserves it. At the beginning of this year, I saw blabbering and interest across various metal websites, but it was only a month or so ago that I decided to give them a look. They're touring with one of my favorite bands (Skeletonwitch), so they have to be good, right? And they are very good. Despite apparently being a step back from earlier works, I've been enjoying Takasago Army immensely, even though it offers little variation from song to song. The first full track, "Legacy of the Seediq," gives you a nice little tip off of what to expect with its culturally invigorating melodies and musical passages. I'm happy the band is consistent though. Some bands can't even make a good album. Lyrically, Takasago Army is quite interesting because it forages into the deep unknown histories of World War II from the perspective of Taiwanese citizens who were forced to fight on the side of the Axis due to Japanese control. After WWII ended, Taiwan was handed off to the United Nations, which resulted in the Chinese arriving in the country, once again subjecting Taiwan to total oppression. As a result, the small Takasago Army formed with aspirations to defend the country from further take overs. Where the heck was this shit in my history books? Wherever it's been hiding, I'm glad I finally found it because the history nerd in me is fascinated. As always, Chthonic offers their newest album in two varieties, each a different flavor to tickle your fancy. For those looking to play it safe, the band recorded the album in English, likely to appeal to a bigger audience. But if you're looking for something a little more exotic, a Taiwanese version of the album also exists, one I'm particularly eager to try out when I get the chance. I'm guessing the two will be the same musically, merely with a change in dialects. Majestic would be the proper tag to give Takasago Army with its free flowing and soaring melodies that embed themselves into a listener's head with heavy backing from the guitars and rhythm section. I can't recall the last time I enjoyed symphonic elements in metal this much. In a sense, the record is multifaceted because it combines traditional Taiwanese musical melodies and the occasional vocal line or chant with the heaviest of metal, thanks to a tip top modern production. Possibly the worst thing about the album is the production, however. It accomplishes its job of giving the music oomph and a kick in the teeth, but in doing so, it lacks dexterity and transparency because nearly everything is pushed to the brink of audio peaking, offering little dynamic range. But in this day and age, that's the norm, and I'm not surprised it found its way to these Taiwanese metallers. Takasago Army doesn't push any boundaries or bring anything new to the metal round table, but it is a very good slab of modern metal in its own right, one that should stay enjoyable for a very long time; yet, it is relatively unique because it combines Asian cultural melodies with metal, which is relatively unknown to the popular metal scene. I can only hope Chthonic continue on their upward climb to success, and we see more metal bands come across the pond from Asia with their wonderful music. Listen to this album and support Chthonic, The Metal Advisor See the original post @ The Metal Advisor with a video and a few photos here: http://metaladvisor.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-chthonic-takasago-army.html

[Iceni]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) They bring a Sabaton sensibility to black metal... yeah, I can go for that. 'Course I've never been a fan of black metal vocals, but this...this is quite different. Your use of majestic works quite well, I would say it fits. I saw the music video for 'Takao' just now and the non-English vocals were great. Very indigenous flavor. I'm also listening to female vocals for 'Kaoru' and I like them. Definitely worth a slot at ProgPower if they were available. So there, I listened to Chthonic for you and it was a reward. Although I have to disagree with good bands touring together...apparently Redemption opened for Primal Fear once. Got it backwards, I think they did.

[The Metal Advisor]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) I'm not sure I'd call it a Sabaton sensibility, but.... yeah. I'm glad you're liking them because they're obviously a great listen. The album that predated Takasago Army has a bit more black metal influence.

[Iceni]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) I'll probably prefer their newer stuff then. Never much liked black metal much.

[The Metal Advisor]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) You'll like the one before. Trust me.

[Iceni]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) Maybe you'll also like Shangren? What I mean by Sabaton sensibility is the WW2 history. Like a lot of Sabaton songs, you may have to do some research to know what they're talking about. It's worth it, though.

[The Metal Advisor]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) Ah, I see. I'll give Shangren a look. They may make a cool post for my blog, but I regrettably haven't had the a ton of time for that lately,. Chthonic's previous album may be better than Takasago Army, although I haven't made up my mind for sure yet.

[Iceni]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) Actually, I have checked out Mirror Of Retribution and I like it as well. I've also bought about 5 songs off Takasago Army. Chthonic is probably my favorite black metal band.

[The Metal Advisor]

Re: Chthonic - Takasago Army (2011) I recommend picking up a copy of the record if you can. It's great, not their best, but great. My favorite so far is Seediq Bale.

[Gary The Red]

I first became aware of Chthonic during their Seediq Bale album at the first Hard Rock Hell festival. After their set I was hooked and bought the 2 albums I could find at the stalls and the during Cradle of Filths set look over and see the band sitting next to us, no one recognized them out of their stage clothes. All I can say they are such awesome people (Doris is also very easy on the eyes) and each album since Seediq Bale has got better and better. They are also endorsed by Randy Blythe...... nuff said \m/