Taiwanese band CHTHONIC - who will complete their stint as the first-ever Asian extreme metal act to tour with OZZFest this week - will continue their historic UNlimited tour next month, when they will perform their first headlining concerts in America.

"OZZFest has been a great experience for ChthoniC, but we're excited to perform for our fans for longer than 20 minutes," says vocalist Freddy Lim.

In concert, ChthoniC (pronounced "THON-ick") will continue to perform the tour's theme song, 'UNlimited Taiwan', written and recorded this spring "to emphasize the 'UNlimited' potential of Taiwan and the Taiwanese people," Lim says. Like the tour - which kicked off in Taipei earlier this summer following the international re-release of 2002's Relentless Recurrence and last year's A Decade On The Throne two-CD/DVD live set - the song was named 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.

With a new session of the United Nations General Assembly scheduled to open in New York on September 18th, many pro-Taiwan rallies will be held around the city in the days beforehand. To coincide with the UN session's kickoff - 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 September 16th. 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 21st performance with NILE and a September 6th concert 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. (A photo can be seen here.)

The "UNlimited New York" concert will be videotaped, and ChthoniC hopes that people of all nationalities will join them in this historic plea for freedom and independence.

ChthoniC "UNlimiited" tour dates:

August

27 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA (with Nile)
28 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, NC (Ozzfest)
29 - The Haven - Winter Park, FL (with Nile)
30 - Sound Advice Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL (Ozzfest)

September

1 - The Muse - Nashville, TN
2 - Uncle Pleasant's - Louisville, KY
5 - Penny Arcade - Rochester, NY
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)