Crossfaith (Japanese: クロスフェイス) is a Japanese metalcore band from Osaka that was formed in 2006, which currently consists of vocalist Kenta Koie, guitarists Kazuki Takemura and Daiki Koide, drummer Tatsuya Amano, and keyboardist Terufumi Tamano. They are characterized by performing a style of metalcore with dubstep and other forms of electronic music influences, and for their intense live performances.
Crossfaith released their first demo Blueprint of Reconstruction in 2008.[3] The band later released their debut EP The Artificial Theory for the Dramatic Beauty, through Zestone Records in 2009, and debut full-length studio album The Dream, the Space in 2011 through Tragic Hero Records. Crossfaith then released their second EP Zion in September 2012; this acted as a promotional release to countries outside Japan.
History
Early years, The Artificial Theory for the Dramatic Beauty and The Dream, the Space (2006–2012)
The band started when vocalist Kenta Koie, now guitarist Kazuki Takemura and turntablist Terufumi Tamano were in a nu metal band which they covered Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit songs.[4] This used to feature Kenta rapping as well as screaming.[4][5] After their cover band broke up Kenta wanted to start up a new metal band. To do this, he asked drummer Tatsuya Amano, a fellow student at his school who was in Kenta's music club to audition. Amano's drum cover of Slipknot's "(sic)" impressed Kenta and the others so much they knew they wanted him a part of the band.[5] Turntablist Terufumi joined the new project with an inspiration from electronic dance music groups such as Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy, Terufumi would work to connect his electronica inspirations with the heavy metal covers the band was doing at the time.[5] The band formed fuelled by their hatred of Japan's enormous pop music culture.[6]
In 2010, Koie was featured in Manafest's song "No Plan B" on Avalanche/No Plan B EP.
Zion, international success and Apocalyze (2012–2014)
In 2012, Crossfaith's tour schedule for Europe expanded, supporting Of Mice & Men with Bury Tomorrow and later in the year supporting While She Sleeps alongside Bleed from Within and Polar in September.[8][9][10] In August the band went to Japan to play the Summer Sonic Festival, the largest festival in the country, where they played at 3 am to 10,000 people.[8]
In September 2012, the band released their second extended playZion, used as an introductory sampler designed to break into a bigger market.[11]Zion was named after the human city in The Matrix film series.[12] The extended play revived a popular response from mainstream critics such as Kerrang! and The Sydney Morning Herald.[13][11] Three promotional videos spawned out of the promotion of the EP: music videos for "Monolith" and "Jägerbomb" and one typography style video for "Photosphere".[9][14][15] On November 10, the band performed at the Warped Tour 2013 at the Alexandra Palace in London on the 'Kevin Says Stage'.[16][8][17] Their performance at the festival garnered much attention for the band.[13]
On February 4, 2013, the Zion EP was released in Europe by Search and Destroy Records, and just a few days after that the extended play was streamed online at SoundCloud.[18][19] Crossfaith performed at the Australian 2013 Soundwave festival for all five dates in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth between February 23 and March 4.[20] They have also announced Sidewaves shows before the festival dates with Periphery.[21] Just two days after their appearance in Australia the band is started their March tour across the United States in support of Enter Shikari and Architects.[22][23]
In May, the band supported Bring Me the Horizon's headline tour of the United Kingdom.[14][24] After their tour with Bring Me the Horizon they performed two headline shows at the Barfly in London and the Sugarmill in Stoke supported by We Butter the Bread with Butter, but due to the success of the London show sold they upgraded the venue to the Camden Underworld.[25][26] Their performances were praised as offering "constant energy" and how Amano Tatsuya's drum solos were "stunning".[25] This show was at the Underworld just a year after their show there supporting Of Mice & Men.[5] Across July and August, Crossfaith was touring at the festival Warped Tour 2013 in the United States and will perform at Reading and Leeds Festivals in the United Kingdom.[23][1] Crossfaith had released their second studio album Apocalyze in Japan on September 4, 2013, and on September 9 in the United Kingdom.[27][1] The album was recorded at Machine Shop Studios in New York City in January 2013 and will be released through Search and Destroy and Sony Music.[15][27][1] Before the release of Apocalyze, the band released three music videos: "We Are the Future", "Eclipse" and "The Evolution".[1]
Xeno, Ex Machina and Species (2014–present)
On October 8, 2014, the band released a three-track long single titled Madness. The tracklist consists of the three songs: "Madness", "Dance with the Enemy", and "S.O.S.".[28]
Crossfaith has also announced that they will be playing the entire Vans Warped Tour in 2015 for North America, as well as playing the SlamDunk Festival in the United Kingdom in the May 2015. Crossfaith released their third studio album Xeno on September 18, 2015.
On July 27, 2016, the band released another three-track long single titled New Age Warriors, featuring three new songs: "Rx Overdrive", which had an accompanying music video, "Kill 'Em All" and "Revolution".
In an interview with Dead Press! in April 2017, the band confirmed that they had two new singles ready for release for the summer and that they planned to release the fourth studio album titled Ex Machina, which was released on August 1, 2018.[29]
On February 5, 2020, the band debuted their first single "Endorphin" exclusively on Daniel P. Carter's BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, the day before the release of the single worldwide.[30] However, the EP wasn't announced until the release of the second single "Digital Parasite" on April 9, 2020.[31] Following the EP, the band released a bunch of remixes of "Endorphin", including one from Spanish techno DJ and producer Regal.[32]
On February 16, 2021, the band released a brand new single "Dead or Alive".[33] On April 7, the band released another new single "RedZone".[34] On July 19, 2022, the band announced on the social media that their longtime supporting guitarist Tama departed on good terms and was replaced by Daiki Koide, formerly from Her Name in Blood.[35][36] On January 30, 2024, Crossfaith announced on social media that they decided to part ways with bassist Hiroki Ikegawa.[37]
Musical style
Crossfaith have used clean singing as far back as their first album, on the song "K". It is the only song on that album which uses clean vocals. On The Dream, the Space, they used clean vocals on the songs "Omen" and "Demise and Kiss", did not use any clean vocals on the Zion EP, and did on their third album Apocalyze on the songs "Eclipse", "Scarlett", "Only the Wise Can Control Our Eyes", and "Counting Stars". After Apocalyze, on the song "Madness", the majority of the song used clean vocals. On their third studio album, Xeno, most of the songs on this offering feature clean vocals. Crossfaith have also incorporated spoken word passages and whispers into their songs. Many their tracks are fully screamed, as opposed to other songs, where they use clean vocals more, which is much more common in their newer output. They have typically been labelled as metalcore[3][6][25][38][39] and electronicore,[3][11][38][40][23] blending influences from heavy metal,[7][11][23]electronica,[6][39][23]hardcore,[24]melodic death metal[41][42] and industrial metal.[15][38] The band's music is seen as a combination of metalcore instrumentation and vocals with keyboards and industrialsynths.[13][39] They have been described as "Slipknot tearing the Prodigy limb from limb",[8][23] and have been seen as a fusion of "metal, dance beats, raging punk fury and an energy that's entirely Crossfaith's own".[43] The band has always wanted to write English lyrics as they felt their music is quite westernised.[23]
The band's EP Zion showcases their synthesiser dominated sound, particularly on "Monolith" showcasing "double-kick beats, rapid chugging riffs and atmospheric bursts".[39][6] While the party anthem "Jägerbomb" is seen as "pure Panteragroove metal with an underlying dash of synth" and is credited as solidifying Crossfaith's reputation as a party band.[44][24][5] The pace of the record slows with "Dialogue", a "techno-infused instrumental" interlude with a "slow, tense electronic beat".[6][45]
For their second album, Apocalyze, the band wrote lyrics which dealt with different subject matters. "We Are the Future" is written about bands who don't wish to sound like anything else which exists.[43] "Deathwish" is a fictional tale about a man who wishes to seek revenge on his girlfriend's killer and "Countdown to Hell" which is about being bullied when at school.[43][4] "Only the Wise Can Control Our Eyes" confronts the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster and how the band believes the government is withholding information about the disaster from the public.[43][4] When commenting on the reasons behind writing about the disaster, Kenta said: "When I started writing the lyrics for the new album I thought I have to write about it for other Japanese people, but not really about [the] politics, [more] about the nuclear thing."[46]
Band members
Current members
Kenta Koie (小家 健太, Koie Kenta) – lead vocals (2006–present)
^ abcJames Hickie (December 15, 2012). James McMahon (ed.). "Japanese mob (Briefly) show why they'll be 2013's breakout stars". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1445): 50. ISSN0262-6624. Bring Me The Horizon may have been Warped Tour UK's big draw, but this Japanese five-piece were definitely the festival's 'did you see?' sensation. This six-track EP serves to temporarily state the appetite of anticipation for their third full-length album, showcasing their combination of metalcore and industrialsynths.
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