04/06/2026
CHTHONIC 閃靈’s award-winning 2018 album Battlefields of Asura reissued on vinyl in September via Svart Records.
CHTHONIC is a Taiwanese metal band formed in Taipei in 1995, with the members nowadays split between Helsinki and Taipei. With their 2018 album Battlefields of Asura, CHTHONIC won their second Golden Melody Award, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Grammy Award.
After their 2014 European tour, the band decided to slow down, and vocalist Freddy Lim began his political career. He was elected to Taiwan’s Parliament in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. During his tenure, he pushed for LGBTQ rights and gender equality, helping Taiwan become the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage, along with advocating for Indigenous rights and other human rights issues. Throughout this period, the band continued working on new music, and in 2018 they released Battlefields of Asura in Taiwan and Japan.
The album incorporates metaphors on human ideals and philosophies through depictions of Taiwanese deities. Musically, it blends East Asian elements with a mythological and ritualistic atmosphere. The lyrics explore themes of resistance, freedom, fraternity, and protection. Asian audiences may find deep cultural resonance in the album, while international listeners can be drawn into its rich spiritual and mythological world.
The album also features guest appearances by Randy Blythe of Lamb of God and Hong Kong pop singer Denise Ho. CHTHONIC and Lamb of God became close friends during Ozzfest 2007. Denise Ho, a Cantopop singer with numerous awards, was also selected as one of BBC’s 100 Women in 2016. She is currently facing political pressure in Hong Kong and is restricted from traveling abroad.
Finally, the album will be released on vinyl in Europe and North America in 2026, marking 13 years since CHTHONIC’s previous release in these regions, Bu-Tik (2013). The vinyl edition will also feature a specially updated version of the original cover artwork, offering an added benefit for collectors.
TAIWANESE CUSTOMERS! The album is distributed in Taiwan exclusively by the band and is availabe for pre-order at their own webstore.