Fresh from Ozzfest - a tour that had never before featured an Asian performer - Taiwanese extreme metal sensation CHTHONIC will hold a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on September 13, just hours before they play the nearby Jaxx Nightclub in West Springfield, Va.

At the press conference, which will be moderated by Jaxx owner Jay Nedry, the band will discuss the message behind their current tour, which they've dubbed UNlimited to protest how the United Nations (UN) limits Taiwan's full participation as an independent country. The Washington Post and the International Herald Tribune, among others, have recently devoted lengthy features to the message behind the tour.

On the heels of the international re-release of their 2002 album Relentless Recurrence and last year's double live album/DVD A Decade on the Throne, ChthoniC have blown away American crowds with their unique style of symphonic black metal, which prominently features a hena, a two-stringed Oriental violin known for its "weepy" and melancholy sound. During each concert, the band has performed the tour's theme song, 'UNlimited Taiwan', written and recorded this spring "to emphasize the 'UNlimited' potential of Taiwan and the Taiwanese people," according to vocalist Freddy Lim. A short film inspired by the track, which includes stirring historical footage of Taiwanese citizens' fight for democratization, was recently assembled by esteemed Taiwanese motion picture director Cheng Wen-Tang (The Passage, Somewhere Over The Dreamland) and posted on the group's MySpace page.

Three days after the press conference, and just two days before a new session of the United Nations General Assembly opens (where Taiwan will once again petition to be formally recognized as an independent country, and not a Chinese province), ChthoniC will hold a special UNlimited New York concert at Manhattan's Highline Ballroom, located less than three miles from the UN, on Sept. 16. Tickets are currently available on the venue's website, www.highlineballroom.com, and at their box office.

Because this is the group's third New York City concert in recent weeks, coming on the heels of an August 21 performance with Nile and a September 12 concert alongside OBITUARY (which replaces their canceled appearance alongside Katatonia), ChthoniC has arranged for the Highline Ballroom to offer tickets for only $5 to anyone who redeems a ticket stub from one of their previous shows at the venue's box office. For everyone else, a $2 discount can be obtained by purchasing the tickets online at www.highlineballroom.com (enter "un4taiwan" in the access code field). Furthermore, the first 100 fans in the doors will receive a free set of ChthoniC "paper dolls," which are sold in toy stores throughout Asia.

ChthoniC will then play four high-profile shows alongside CRADLE OF FILTH to conclude the North American leg of the UNlimited tour before returning to Taiwan. The band will then travel to Europe for an extensive tour that kicks off with a performance alongside TWISTED SISTER, THE 69 EYES, TESLA and dozens more at the Hard Rock Hell festival in Minefield, U.K. on November 9.

ChthoniC "UNlimiited" tour dates:

September

6 - B.B. King's - New York, NY (with KATATONIA)
7 - The Funhaus - Toronto, Ont.
8 - The Embassy - London, Ont.
9 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
10 - The Underground - Hartford, CT
13 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
14 - Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, NC
15 - Jester's Pub - Fayetteville, NC
16 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY
19 - Le Capitole Theatre - Quebec City, QC (with Cradle Of Filth)
20 - Metropolis - Montreal, QC (with Cradle Of Filth)
21 - Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT (with Cradle Of Filth)
22 - Higher Ground - Burlington, VT (with Cradle Of Filth)