First catching sight of them on tour with Arch Enemy last November, Chthonic have brought out an absolutely stunning record, which must surely be considered one of the most ambitious cuts of the year thus far.
Merging melodic death metal with some ingenious oriental elements, Taiwan’s finest (only?) metal export have put together a blisteringly furious album powered by some of the finest drumming of the year thus far. Scintillating blastbeats, and furious work behind the kit powers each of the tracks on Takasago Army, and along with some of the best death metal vocals around at the moment, Chthonic have an album to be immensely proud of.
The ambitious inclusion of the oriental elements starts early with a dramatic instrumental The Island, before Legacy Of The Seediq signals the way forward with sickening precision, frenetic screaming and powerful grooves. The pace is unrelenting, and is mirrored in the following Takao and Ocean Quake, before Southern Cross displays some incredible guitar work, while still continuing the outstanding pace dictated from the start of the album.
Oriental instrumentation and a haunting interlude in Root Regeneration change the pace a little, adding a nice dynamic to the record, before Mahakala brings a doom metal influence with its thunderous sound.
Quell The Soul Sin Sing Ling Temp closes the record, with a killer solo to boot, and at 10 tracks long, Takasago Army is the perfect death metal assault on the senses, and it is a joy to listen to, especially with their cultural influences infused to such perfection.
A huge surprise, and a fantastic album.
9/10
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