Taiwan’s metal masters CHTHONIC have released a new live EP, “Megaportal 2425”, including five select songs from the band’s appearances at 2024 and 2025 Megaport Festivals.
There has been a consistent theme in CHTHONIC‘s performances at Megaport Festival over the past two years — breaking the boundary between reality and illusion, and bringing onto stage the virtual. In 2024, technology was used to allow virtual characters to be presented in real time on the big screen, and in 2025, these characters appeared onstage in person — interacting with the virtual big screen characters.
CHTHONIC lead vocalist Freddy Lim explains that the screen at these two concerts are a “tunnel of time and space”, “portals” in time-travel dramas. “The virtual time and space are connected to the real world through the portals. We see the virtual character through the screen, and the character sees us in the real world. When we performed ‘Endless Aeons’, the character travelled through and appeared in the real world,” he states.
Other than “Endless Aeons”, the interweaving of time and space appears throughout other songs included in this live EP. The overture “Megaportal Intro” superimposes different versions of the band’s smash single “Takao”, presenting a chaotic and thrilling atmosphere; “Quell The Souls In Sing Ling Temple” is a battle across the world and the underworld; for “Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace – Acoustic”, Finn, a character who has appeared in several CHTHONIC music videos in the past decade, came to life onstage.
CHTHONIC will now turn their attention to a new album, with no future performance plans in the short term. For now, the band invite fans to enjoy the live EP.
“Megaportal 2425” track listing:
01. Megaportal Intro
02. Quell The Souls In Sing Ling Temple
03. Endless Aeons
04. Defenders Of The Bu-Tik Palace – Acoustic
05. Takao
CHTHONIC has released several albums, including “Mirror Of Retribution” (2009),“Takasago Army” (2011) and “Butik” (2013) on Spinefarm/Universal Music. In their time they’ve performed at such fêted events as Ozzfest, Download, Wacken Open Air and have toured Europe and North America multiple times.
However, the band’s activity halted in 2016 when lead vocalist Freddy Lim was elected to Taiwanese Parliament.
For almost a decade, Freddy has been occupied with parliamentary work, and other members have been working on their own projects — resulting in only occasional large Taiwan performances for the CHTHONIC. Occasional musical output followed (2018’s “Battlefields Of Asura” album and 2023’s “Pattonkan” single, which was selected to Grammy‘s Global Spin) but almost all overseas performances were halted.
Although CHTHONIC have stayed low-profiled in recent years, in 2019 they performed with an orchestra in front of Taiwan’s Presidential Palace to an audience of 50,000.
People say rock can change the world, and Freddy Lim made that a reality during his two terms in parliament, advocating for reform. Freddy pushed for legislation to make Taiwan’s first Asian country to have marriage equality, and for greater protection of indigenous rights. Additionally, he pushed for increased budgetary aid for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and advocated for “transitional justice”, demanding that government declassify files from Taiwan’s past authoritarian era.
This hit home unexpectedly in 2023. Declassified files revealed the sorrowful and previously unknown past of Freddy‘s family. Combining history and mythology, it is perhaps not coincidental that CHTHONIC‘s music told the sorrowful yet brave stories of Freddy‘s grandparents. Shocked at the news and overwhelmed by emotion, Freddy called time on his eight-year service in parliament, and announced that he would not seek re-election.
Now, CHTHONIC returns. The band is working on new songs and could possibly return to global stages once more again soon.
CHTHONIC is:
Freddy Lim (lead vocals)
Doris Yeh (bass, backing vocals)
Jesse Liu (guitars, backing vocals)
Dani Wang (drums)
CJ Kao (keyboards, synthesizer)
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