Taiwan appoints metal singer Freddy Lim from Chthonic as envoy to Finland

Freddy Lim, the frontman of metal band Chthonic, has been appointed as Taiwan’s new ambassador to Finland.

Lim has been the lead vocalist of the band – sometimes referred to as the “Black Sabbath of Asia” – since their formation in 1995 in Taipei. They broke through internationally with their 2005 album ‘Seediq Bale’ and they have gone on to play major festivals such as Download and Ozzfest.

In 2015, Lim started his transition into politics, co-founding the New Power Party (NPP), and he was elected to Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan the following year. He left that party in 2019 and successfully ran as an independent in 2019, before joining the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), supporting current president Lai Ching-te.

His appointment as ambassador to Finland reflects that country’s affinity with heavy metal, with the Encyclopaedia Metallum reporting that Finland has the highest number of metal bands per capital in the world – approximately 80 for every 100,000 people.

“Working with my partners in the Finnish music industry for a long time has made me have a special feeling for this country,” Lim wrote on social media following his appointment. Chthonic were long-time signees to Finnish metal label Spinefarm Records and have toured around Finland multiple times, alongside acts like Ensiferum and Turisas.

“I’ll continue to work on these solid foundations to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Finland and Taiwan, to benefit the two peoples, and to gain stronger support from Finland for Taiwan,” he added. “There is no magic in diplomacy, just going all out and moving forward.”

Prior to his involvement in politics, Lim served as the chair of Amnesty International Taiwan, working closely with counterparts in Finland and neighbouring countries. He has also consistently advocated for the declassification of documents from Taiwan’s authoritarian past.

Lim also supports the legalisation of same-sex marriage and has argued for protections for indigenous rights.

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