Chthonic (styled as ChthoniC or ChThoniC) is a Taiwanese heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Taipei. They have been called “the Black Sabbath of Asia.”[4][5] The group incorporates influences from traditional Taiwanese music, including adaptations of folk songs and the use of traditional instruments, most notably the erhu (often referred to as the hiân-á [絃仔] in the band’s native Taiwanese Hokkien).
Labeled as a symphonic black metal band, Chthonic’s lyrics often draw inspiration from the defiant spirit of early Taiwanese colonizers, fictional wars between aboriginal gods and Han Chinese gods, Taiwanese folklore, and the experiences of victims of the dictatorship during past decades.