Diplomatic appointments do not usually excite the world’s metalheads. But when Taiwan on Monday named the frontman for a band known as “the Black Sabbath of Asia” as its envoy to the heavy metal mecca of Finland, rockers on multiple continents rejoiced.

外交任命通常不会引起全球金属乐迷的兴趣。但在周一，一支被誉为“亚洲黑色安息日”的乐队的主唱将作为台湾政府代表派驻金属音乐圣地芬兰，世界各地的摇滚乐迷为之欢呼。

“Because if you’re gonna be an ambassador to any Scandinavian country, you better be in a metal band,” the Brooklyn-based publication Metal Injection wrote.

“因为如果你要成为北欧国家的大使，你最好是金属乐队成员，”布鲁克林刊物《金属注射》(Metal Injection)写道。

The choice of Freddy Lim, founder and lead singer of Chthonic, by President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan appears apt: Finland has the most metal bands per capita, with about 80 for every 100,000 citizens — a data point often cited by metal fans. And Mr. Lim already has an affinity for the country, where his band has played in major cities and performed with Finnish musicians.

台湾总统赖清德选择闪灵乐团创办人兼主唱林昶佐担任代表，可谓恰如其分：芬兰是世界上人均金属乐队最多的国家——每10万人中大约就有80支金属乐队，这一数据常为金属乐迷津津乐道。而林昶佐本就对这个国家情有独钟，闪灵乐团曾在芬兰多个主要城市演出，并与芬兰音乐人同台表演。

“Working with my partners in the Finnish music industry for a long time has made me have a special feeling for this country,” Mr. Lim said in a social media post on Monday, noting that his band had released four albums with the Finnish-founded label Spinefarm Records.

林昶佐在周一的一则社交媒体帖文中表示：“与芬兰音乐产业伙伴们长期一同打拼的日子，让我一直对这个国家有着特殊的感情。”他指出，闪灵乐团与芬兰人创立的厂牌Spinefarm Records合作发行了四张专辑。

His selection as Taiwan’s envoy is not based on musical fame alone. Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, said on Monday that Mr. Lim was chosen for his human rights work and international exchange experience: He served as a national legislator from 2016 to 2024 and was chairman of Amnesty International in Taiwan from 2010 to 2014.

他之所以被选为台湾驻外代表，并不仅仅是因为音乐上的知名度。台湾外交部长林佳龙周一表示，之所以选择林昶佐，是因为他在人权事务上的投入以及丰富的国际交流经验：他曾于2016年至2024年担任立法委员，并于2010年至2014年担任国际特赦组织台湾分会会长。

Mr. Lim, 49, formed Chthonic (pronounced THON-ik) around 1995, creating a heavy metal mythology for the band using elements of Taiwan’s local lore instead of the pagan and satanic imagery of some Western bands. The band’s 2005 album, “Seediq Bale” (Real Person), which was released in the United States in 2006 and worldwide the next year, brought the band international attention. It got Chthonic a spot in Ozzfest — on a tour founded and headlined by the British heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne — playing 24 major American cities. The band also toured Europe that year.

现年49岁的林昶佐在1995年前后组建了闪灵乐团，与一些西方乐团所采用的异端或撒旦意象不同，他为乐团创造出一种融合台湾本土传说的重金属神话体系。乐团于2005年推出的专辑《赛德克巴莱》（“真正的人”）于2006年在美国发行，次年在全球发行，为闪灵赢得了国际关注。该专辑让闪灵登上了Ozzfest的舞台——这是由英国重金属传奇人物奥兹·奥斯本创办并领衔的巡演，闪灵在其中巡演了美国24个主要城市。同年，乐团还进行了欧洲巡演。

Chthonic used its music and performances to call attention to the struggles of Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 23 million about 100 miles off China’s mainland. Beijing considers the island a renegade province and pressures other countries to keep it out of international bodies.

闪灵乐团通过音乐和演出呼吁外界关注台湾的处境。这座拥有2300万人口、实行民主治理的岛屿距离中国大陆约160公里。北京将台湾视为一个叛乱的省份，并施压其他国家将其排除在国际组织之外。

In 2007, The International Herald Tribune wrote that Chthonic used “loud music and diabolical face paint to bring attention to its home government’s exclusion from the United Nations.”

2007年，《国际先驱论坛报》曾撰文指出，闪灵乐团用“震耳欲聋的音乐和魔鬼般的面部彩绘来引起人们对其政府被排除在联合国之外的关注”。

Mr. Lim explained at the time how he presents the issue onstage to audiences. “I usually say: ‘The U.N. considers themselves to represent all nations of the world. But Taiwan is limited from its membership, so Taiwan represents the underworld, like you guys!’ When I say, ‘Underworld,’ they go crazy.”

林昶佐当时解释了他如何在舞台上向观众呈现这一议题：“我通常会说：‘联合国自认为代表全世界的国家，但台湾却被限制加入，所以台湾代表的是冥界，就像你们一样！’当我说出‘冥界’的时候，观众都会疯狂欢呼。”

Mr. Lim highlighted his varied experiences in his statement about his new role, saying they had given him “a sense of mission in Taiwan’s international affairs.”

林昶佐在谈到自己新职务的声明中强调了他多样的经历，并表示这些经历赋予他“对台湾国际事务的一种使命感”。

His official turn to politics began in 2014, when hundreds of students occupied Taiwan’s Parliament to protest a trade deal with China that they feared would make Taiwan more vulnerable to Beijing’s influence. Students took to the streets in what became known as the Sunflower Movement, and Mr. Lim was among the best-known participants.

林昶佐正式涉足政治是在2014年，当时数百名学生占领了台湾立法院，抗议一项与中国的贸易协议，他们担心该协议会使台湾更容易受到北京的影响。这场抗议演变为“太阳花运动”，学生走上街头，而林昶佐则是最知名的参与者之一。

By then, the musician had already established himself as a vocal advocate, someone who had literally been screaming about Taiwan for years.

那时，这位音乐人早已是台湾议题上直言不讳的倡议者，他多年来几乎是在用呐喊的方式为台湾发声。

In 2015, Mr. Lim founded the New Power Party and secured a parliamentary seat the next year. But in 2019, he ran as an independent and in later joined the governing Democratic Progressive Party.

2015年，林昶佐成立了时代力量党，并在次年成功获得了立法院席位。但在2019年，他以独立候选人身份参选，随后加入了执政的民进党。

As a legislator, he has been involved in foreign affairs and often held late-night meetings online to discuss issues of “democracy, human rights and security” with counterparts abroad, he said in his statement. At Amnesty International, he added, he worked “hand in hand” with branches in Finland and beyond on human rights issues. Mr. Lim did not respond to a request for comment.

他在声明中表示，作为立法委员，他参与了外交事务，并经常举行深夜的在线会议，与国外官员讨论“民主、人权和安全”问题。他还说，在国际特赦组织任职期间，自己与芬兰及其他地区的分支机构在推动人权问题上“携手合作”。林昶佐并未回应置评请求。

Though heavy metal fans may be onboard with his appointment, several legislators from opposition parties in Taiwan expressed doubts. They note that Mr. Lim said he did not serve compulsory military service because of an anxiety disorder, and they question whether he was suitable for the position.

虽然重金属乐迷可能支持他的任命，但台湾一些在野党立法委员表达了疑虑。他们指出，林昶佐曾表示自己因焦虑症未履行兵役，并质疑他是否适合担任这一职务。

His appointment comes as Taiwan’s president has taken a tougher stance on China, raising criticism from some who say it’s a risky position since a geopolitically fickle President Trump may not offer steadfast support for the island.

他的任命正值台湾总统对中国采取更强硬立场之际，这引起了一些人的批评，认为这是一个冒险的立场，因为地缘政治上善变的特朗普总统可能不会坚定地支持台湾。

And China’s global squeeze on the government in Taipei is still in effect. On the day Mr. Lim’s new role was announced, member states in the World Health Organization rejected a proposal to invite Taiwan to an annual meeting in Geneva after China opposed it.

中国在全球范围内对台北政府的挤压仍在继续。在林昶佐新职务宣布的当天，世界卫生组织成员国在中国的反对下拒绝了邀请台湾参加在日内瓦举行的年度会议的提议。

In his statement about the new role, Mr. Lim said that Taiwan and Finland had made advances in economic and trade cooperation and other areas in recent years, and that he would continue to build “on this solid foundation” and “strive for stronger support from Finland for Taiwan.”

在关于新职务的声明中，林昶佐表示，近年来台湾与芬兰在经济、贸易合作及其他领域取得了进展，他将继续“在这一坚实基础上”努力，并“争取芬兰对台湾更坚定的支持”。

The metalhead turned politician — who has returned to making music — signed off with the Finnish word for cheers: “Kippis!”

从金属人转变为政治人的林昶佐——他已重新开始创作音乐——以芬兰语“Kippis！”（“干杯”）一词结束了他的声明。