Taiwan’s biggest metal band CHTHONIC and Finnish artist Mariska have released a surprising collaboration “Näin Määrättiin”. Listen to the single on Spotify. The track also marks the first time ever that Mariska has appeared on an extreme metal song.

While the new song was inspired by the final words written by Taiwanese political prisoners to their loved ones before their execution, vocalist Freddy Lim discovered that, despite the historical differences between the two countries, Finland’s history also contains similarly heartbreaking stories of separation, loss and survival.

As Freddy researched the subject further, he made a surprising discovery: during the Winter War, stories of Finnish resistance were frequently reported in Taiwan Minpao, the first newspaper founded by Taiwanese people. At the time, Finland’s struggle against overwhelming odds provided inspiration and encouragement to Taiwanese readers. Many of those readers would later become political prisoners in the late 1940s.

The idea that people on opposite sides of the world could share the same emotions and struggles – and even inspire one another – deeply moved Freddy. Around the same time, he met Mariska and became interested in her artistry and poetic approach to songwriting.

“This takes me back to my good old punk hardcore days – it’s a really interesting experience!” says Mariska. “When I first heard CHTHONIC, their powerful music and videos made a deep impression on me. So when they contacted me and suggested a collaboration, I agreed almost immediately.”

“I hope listeners can feel the sadness in the song, but also find comfort in it. Death is something we all have to face sooner or later, and none of us can avoid it.”

The band’s other key songwriter and guitarist Jesse Ulas Liu adds:

“I think this is CHTHONIC’s first love song. It’s a love song filled with conflicting emotions – grief, guilt, regret, despair and hopelessness. Although you can still hear the style that is characteristic of CHTHONIC, we have also brought in many new elements. I hope our fans will find it refreshing.”

During the songwriting process, bassist Doris Yeh once again refined the original demo by Freddy and Jesse and helped shape the song, in much the same way as she has done with the band’s most recent releases.

“We no longer rush to release music the way we used to. Now we finally have the opportunity to work carefully on each song, one at a time. I really appreciate that we are still able to make music together, so I wanted to think carefully about every detail,” says Doris Yeh, adding that she also discovered a surprising connection with Mariska through her well-known song “Terveisin Doris.”

The members of CHTHONIC are currently literally spread across opposite sides of the world, with Freddy and Doris living in Helsinki while the rest of the band are based in Taipei.

“Freddy still sends messages on every possible communication platform!” laughs Dani. “It still feels like he’s right here with us. But that’s a good thing. That attitude keeps us moving forward and inspires us to create new music.”

The music video for “Näin Määrättiin” premiered at the Air Guitar World Championships, as well as at the Oulu Music Video Festival in Finland.

More info: chthonic.tw – mariska.fi