As the nation celebrated the Double Ten National Day yesterday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) got a thunderous reminder that she will have to contend with the voice of youthful rebellion at the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 24.
Death metal band Chthonic, led by New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), released its latest album.
Lim is one of the co-founders of the party born in 2015 out of the previous year’s Sunflower movement.
Contesting its first local elections this year, the party has 41 candidates running for council seats nationwide.
While the band’s album is called Battlefields of Asura in English, its title in Chinese is a little more pointed: Politics (政治).
The NPP is proving a draw for younger Taiwanese who want a more decisive break with China.
That is a problem for Tsai who — despite also supporting independence — has lost traction among younger voters frustrated with the slow pace of progress on issues such as marriage equality and political reform.
Tsai hosted the National Day celebrations at a time when ties with China are at their lowest ebb in years.
Lim’s album reflects the growing sense of unease. Featuring foreboding lyrics such as “Darkness surrounds, Endless seas as yet unseen, Death’s fugue abounds,” its songs explore themes such as resistance and freedom through a mix of Taiwanese mythology and history.
The track A Crimson Sky’s Command is about a god on the warpath.
“It represents the courage we need to face, confront and overcome our own weakness,” Lim said in a video statement on Tuesday.
“That’s what I’ve learned in my political career,” he said.
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