CHTHONIC Frontman-Turned-Politician FREDDY LIM: 'Artists Are Capable Of Doing A Lot Of Things That Politicians Cannot'

During a recent appearance on the Bleeding Metal podcast, recorded at this year's Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland, Freddy Lim — vocalist for the Taiwanese extreme metal band CHTHONIC — discussed the intersections between politics and music.

In 2025, Lim was appointed as Taiwan's new ambassador to Finland. Notably, Lim is a longtime politician who served two terms as a member of Taiwan's legislature, from 2016 to 2024. He was considered to be the first-ever metal musician to become a member of a national parliament.

Asked if he thinks music still has the power to be a force for political resistance and change, Freddy told Bleeding Metal (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, especially after what I have experienced over the past few years, I learned more that artists are capable of doing a lot of things that politicians cannot. Although in the eight years, during the eight years in the parliament, I helped advancing many causes in the parliament, like we passed the same-sex marriage, make Taiwan be the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. And there are so many important causes that we have taken part over these couple years. But I think artists know better than politicians that sometimes political reforms doesn't mean the end of movement. Because, for instance, like what I just said, after we legalized same-sex marriage in 2019, it doesn't means that it's a perfect world in Taiwan already because there are same-sex couples who have to encounter discrimination from time to time. So cultural change, cultural reform is more important, and that's [something] politics cannot do. That's [something] art can do because politics mostly tries to tell people what's the right thing. But I think art inspires people to learn why it matters. And I think art encourages people to keep moving forward. So it's not about reform political systems. It's more about how you make the society better."

Freddy continued: "During those years in parliament, in the political field, I always shared with my colleagues that the society is not that simple as you think. There are a lot of things we have to do outside of politics. So I think, even myself, I think I was inspired by so many metal bands to take action. It's not about that the bands that I love tell me what to do. No… I'm dedicated to so many metal bands, but not about what they tell me to do. It's more about how they encourage me to think, think deeper and to hold on to your beliefs. I think that's something [that] makes me want to do more things. Especially I learned from like bands like RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SYSTEM OF A DOWN. They take action in their movements as well. And I decided to take my own action in my movements. So I believe that the music we are creating right now will inspire our next generation, our future movements. Definitely. So that's why I'm so cherished that I can still write music."

Asked if CHTHONIC has ever experienced censorship or been banned from performing anywhere because of the band's political lyrics, which are all about Taiwanese culture, history and mythology, Freddy said: "Yeah, I think in the early years, because we were formed in mid-'90s, and that was the transitional time that Taiwan was becoming a democracy. So even like what I said, the political system was becoming a democratic system, but the society still remained the legacy of authoritarian rule. So in different parts of the society [they] tried to shut our mouths, so we were troubled by government officials during outdoor performances, and I received phone calls from journalists at some big media outlets to ask us to keep our mouths shut. And that kind of different forms of harassments in the early years, like in '90s, late '90s. But early this century, Taiwan became a full democracy, and the society embraced freedom more broadly. So this kind of harassments got less common. But then I encountered the harassments from the, the people, individuals associated with the Chinese regime, with the Chinese Communist Party, with China. So, like I said, around 10 to 20 years ago, when we were touring a lot, occasionally we got threatening e-mails from so-called associates with China asking us to cancel our show. I believe that that was when we toured with ARCH ENEMY. We got a very tense e-mail [telling] that they will kill us if we got on stage, something like that. So our tour manager asked if we want to stop the show, if we want to cancel the show. And I can see that it's not just because we are Taiwanese, of course, we support Taiwan, but we we were also outspoken for those people who are under oppression, like Tibetans, the people from Hong Kong, and Uyghurs, and those neighboring countries in our region that those regimes [are] controlled by China. So we support those oppressed peoples. I believe that's why they really want us to shut up. But in the same time, there are so many regular Asians, not metalheads, who come to the show, [who] didn't buy tickets, but they come to the backstage, provided foods like Tibetans, Hong Kong people, Uyghurs. They're definitely not metalheads. It doesn't mean that there is no metalheads in Tibet or Hong Kong, but I can see that they are not metalheads. But they really want to show their appreciation, so they come with food, they come with small gifts to us. They were waiting outside of the backstage. So we never consider canceling our shows because we see that how important our music and our existence symbolize to those oppressed people. So, for us, I think what we did was to discuss with our manager how we strengthen, how we enhance the security. But in the other hand, members all know that we have to work harder on our music because we know it carries very strong, meaningful message, message for those even not metalheads."

CHTHONIC has released several albums, including "Mirror Of Retribution" (2009),"Takasago Army" (2011) and "Butik" (2013) with Spinefarm/Universal Music, and performed at Ozzfest, Download, Wacken Open Air and a number of tours in Europe and North America. However, the band turned low-key when its lead Lim was elected to the Taiwanese parliament in 2016.

For almost a decade, Lim was occupied with parliamentary work, and other members were working on their own projects. As a result, CHTHONIC only had occasional large performances in Taiwan. It released some new works, such as the album "Battlefields Of Asura" (2018) and the singles "Pattonkan" (2023) and "Endless Aeons" (2025),but stopped almost all performances overseas.

People say rock can change the world, and Lim made that a reality during his two terms in the parliament when he advocated for reforms. He pushed for legislation to make Taiwan's first country in Asia to have marriage equality and to better protect indigenous rights. He also pushed for passage of budgets to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. He advocated "transitional justice", demanding that government declassify files from the authoritarian era in the past, so that there may be truth and justice in the society.

In 2023, unexpectedly, declassified files revealed the sorrowful and previously unknown past of Freddy's family. Combining history and mythology, it was perhaps not merely coincidental that CHTHONIC's music told the sorrowful yet brave stories of Freddy's grandparents. Freddy was deeply shocked when he learned that. Overwhelmed by complicated emotions, he decided to end his eight-year service in the parliament, and announced that he would not seek re-election. He paused to rethink what life means to him, and where he will go with his music.

Lim's appointment as ambassador to Finland in 2025 was seen as a fitting choice, given the country's reputation as the "heavy metal capital of the world".

When he was appointed as the ambassador to the Nordic country, he said in a social media post: "Working with my partners in the Finnish music industry for a long time has made me have a special feeling for this country."