Formed in 1995, five-piece set-up Chthonic (a name deriving from a Greek word signifying spirits of the underworld) have delivered an 11-track body of work that touches on both the spirit and mortal worlds, with loss of national identity and the sometimes turbulent history of their homeland recurring themes.

With Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano at the production & mixing helm, 'Mirror Of Retribution' sees the award-winning musicians further developing a style that started with the '99 album 'Where The Ancestors' Souls Gathered', blending full-on metal of the darker persuasion with traditional Taiwanese instruments such as two-string violin, the hena.

"The story behind this album combines true historical fact with an ancient myth of hell," explains bassist and band spokesperson Doris Yeh. "Amongst other things, we make reference to the famous '228 Massacre', which was the biggest ever massacre in Taiwanese history. Tens of thousands of Taiwanese were killed by the Chinese army. The final battle of the event occurred in the middle of Taiwan, where 40 local militia attempted to resist 2,500 soldiers from the Chinese army. In the end, the militia lost their lives near the Sing-Ling Temple.

"Musically, we tried to move the band to a whole new level," continues Doris. "In the past, we've been described in various ways, as 'symphonic black metal' or 'melodic death', the word 'folk' has also been applied at times, but this was our chance to establish a new place for ourselves in the extreme metal genre…"