Apparently this was the album that made Chthonic known outside of Taiwan, and I can see why. I did have to listen to it a few times though, just because I'd heard their most recent one (Mirror of Retribution) first and that was so good. Inevitably I've had to compare it to that one.
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| Seediq Bale by Chthonic |
The mix not quite as good as Mirror..., it sounds flatter, the drum sound in particular has less depth, but since this record recording technology has got better and they've got more money so it's understandable. It's nowhere near as bad as traditonal tin shed raw black metal, which is good because that only sounds good for a handful of bands and painful for the rest.
There's alo more tremolo picking than on the other record, and also more gothenburgish guitar riffs too, kind of half-way between death and black metal. The erhu is not so prominent either, and not so eastern sounding, kind of just follows the keyboards. The latter uses a piano and harpsichord effect alot which undermines oriental feel a little, and I suppose justifies Cradle of Filth comparisons more. There are more female vocals apparently from a famous Taiwanese pop singer, giving it a more gothic edge, while the metal vocals are a bit further down in the mix, but still don't sound Danny Filthish to me - maybe when he sings in English, since again I have the Taiwanese version rather than the international one.
I can't comment much on the lyrics, as my edition has some lyrics in Chinese and some in what I'm told is one of the aboriginal languages of Taiwan, but I assume it has something to do with aboriginal folklore and their historical struggles.
Seediq Bale has a different feel to Mirror..., it's not as violent and unrelenting, sometimes not quite reaching the climax you expect, though it gives the whole album a kind of driving, sinister, brooding tone. Song structures are more fluid, more black metal if you will, so it works really well as a whole album but doesn't really have standout tracks as such - no duds either though. Here's a brief rundown of my favourites though:
Indigenous Laceration - not too fast, has a good riff and solo, and one of the best song names ever Enthrone - short little song, but not instrumental Bloody Gaya Fulfilled - good riffage and keyboard stuff, solo's pretty awesome too Where the Utux Ancestors Wait - good atmospheric song Banished Into Death - really good riff and atmosphere, even has a good solo, possibly my favourite song on the album... unless this next one is Quasi Putrefaction - with an awesome metal name, good build up, riffs, and structure, it's an excellent closing track.
So Mirror of Retribution didn't just come out of nowhere, this is a really solid black metal album. And before I finish this review, I have to mention the cover. I don't know if it comes in a standard CD format, only the digipack was available in Taiwan, but it's definitely worth getting the digipack or better still a vinyl edition if it exists just for cover design. Beautifully drawn with gold lettering, and the old, more traditionally black metal Chthonic logo, but not nearly so much of a metal cliché as most covers you get. This kind of design makes it worth getting a physical version even if you can find a top quality digital one. | 
