Crossfaith – AЯK (Album Review)

Crossfaith – AЯK
Released: June 26th, 2024

Lineup

Kenta Koie // Vocals
Kazuki Takemura // Guitar
Terufumi Tamano // Keys, Producer
Daiki Koide // Guitars
Tatsuya Amano // Drums

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There is just something that has felt special leading up to the release of Crossfaith’s new album AЯK. Their first album in six years. Coming back from an indefinite hiatus. The departure of founding member, bass player Hiroki Ikegawa. Guitarist Daiki Koide joining the fold. Situations like these can make or break a band.

What marks have these challenges left on the artistic direction of Crossfaith? Well, rest assured, the lads from Osaka are still rocking their signature sound- they just have some new tricks up their sleeve.

In tried-and-true Crossfaith fashion, they set the mood with ‘The Final Call’. A hardstyle intro that would have the uninitiated wondering if they were indeed about spin a metalcore album- the mode is set and it’s time to move.

The synthesised strings lead us into the primal drums of ‘Zero’, our first reintroduction to the band that dropped last February. This anthem for fighting against inactivity, the sonic representation of the boredom of isolation- it hits just as hard almost half a year since its release. An almost nod to Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’, it is also our first taste of the guitar prowess of Koide, his shredding, heavy metal style complimenting original guitarist Kazuki Takemura. Lyrically, they have never been a band that has shoved too much hidden meaning and this song puts the message on full display. They have weathered the storm. They are starting from scratch, and they are ready to start climbing the mountain to the top again.

A similar mood is maintained with ‘My Own Salvation’. It continues that theme of just getting on with it and fighting forward. The juxtaposition of raw drums and layers of samples highlight the rhythm section tastefully, giving the song a lot of teeth. A fresh take on the band’s classic sound. It is risky- because the potential for it to dip into cheesy territory is right around the corner, but they subvert it. Drummer Tatsuya Amano and the man in charge of the keys, samples and programming Terufumi Tamano are in their element, shining as a dynamic duo throughout.

So far Tamano has been drip-feeding us his skills, but it all comes to a head with ‘God Speed’. For this third single, the band teamed up with British electronic rock duo WARGASM for what can only be described as if Dance, Dance Revolution released a metalcore version. There is a very specific audience for this song, and I have to say, that audience is me. Combining Eurobeat elements, catchy riffs and sultry vocals from every singer involved- it is as sexy as it is fun. It is jumping in your Japanese import model and driving down a mountain in Gunma to deliver tofu (again, a very specific audience). The challenge will be to not set it on repeat because I have started replacing one of my morning coffees with listening to this at least five times, back-to-back. My biggest gripe though? The placement.

This certified banger is followed by ‘Warriors’, a reggae-tinged heavy rock track that while not awful, is a little cringey. Featuring Mah from fellow Japanese metalcore band SiM, this collaboration was always going to give us either a masterpiece or something a little corny. Unfortunately, it is the latter. It does sound like it would be a great anime opener and while it would work as a stand-alone track, it just doesn’t sit right on this album. I do find myself skipping over it to the next song ‘Headshot’, which picks back up from ‘God Speed’.

Speaking of ‘Headshot’, sample sample-laden number takes on an arcade-style fighting game soundtrack but dials the heaviness up to eleven. The chorus remains that catchy, sing-along moment that the Japanese metalcore giants love so dearly, but throughout the verses and the end breakdown, we get glimpses of frontman Kenta Koie’s progression as a metalcore vocalist. He flexes a style that is a bit raspier, a tad grittier and a little more edge to it. It is exciting to see Koie still experimenting this far into his career and it does not stop with this song.

Being from the Myspace generation and bands like Bring Me The Horizon bringing back the horrific spelling of songs, I was a little sceptical seeing the title ‘DV;MM¥SY5T3M’. Fortunately, I was wrong to doubt them; this is one of the heaviest offerings they have ever put out. Once again the influence of new guitarist Koide is strong, teaming up with Koie to bring forth a snarling, brutal, bordering on deathcore track. Being a Crossfaith fan for over a decade, I do not remember ever hearing Koie go this route with his vocals but as he put the cherry on top of it with a disgusting “BLEURGH”– I have to say this is the biggest hidden gem on this album.

Switching back to dance mode and giving us room to recover from that last song, ‘L.A.M.N‘ (Look At Me Now) is up next. The second single released from ARK, featuring Britrock producer Bobby Wolfgang, is a gorgeous blend of heavy breakdowns and catchy riffs. Upon release it stood out, but amid the rest of the album, it just feels a little lacklustre. It lacks the danceability of God Speed and doesn’t quite give us anything new or fresh to latch onto.

Perhaps the role of the previous track is to set us up to come down because the next number ‘Night Waves’ brings us to lighter moments. Lulling us with a dreamy soundscape by dipping into vapour wave vibes, it follows the underlying theme of Euro-inspired, Japanese electronic music sounds. The atmospheric guitar solo blends in cohesively, fading into the next interlude track ‘After Glow’. Both these tracks show a softer side to the often-belting vocals of Koie, proving again that he is still evolving as a vocalist.

The time to relax is just under five minutes before we are thrown back into the chaos, ‘Canopus’ gives us one last time to bang our heads. It has all the makings of a final credits moment, pulling together this epic journey of an album. It shines as a beacon of positivity, the summation of the ten snippets of story that came before it. Ringing as a victory song, you cannot help but smile as Koie sings “This is where I belong”. Yes, there is a little cheesiness to it that if any other band tried to do, they might get mocked for it but for Crossfaith– it is just part of their charm.

While not everything on the album was an absolute masterpiece, you cannot deny the authenticity and honesty that rang through every song. They took risks. There were moments of cringe, and moments of misses but overall, it is a pure offering from a band that you can see has an insatiable love for their craft. Finishing AЯK the way we came in, with the prowess of Tamano on the synths- it may be the end of the album, but this is only the beginning of these metalcore veterans’ next chapter.

Rating: 8/10
‍AЯK is out now via UNFD and Warner Music Japan. Get it here.
Review by Kayla Hamilton @kaylazomboid