Like a phoenix reborn from its ashes, Crossfaith delivers its first full album in six years on June 26, 2024! A bold bet for the band for whom the sequence of pandemic, canceled tour(s) and line-up change could have been fatal.
As its twentieth career anniversary quickly approaches, Crossfaith returns at the start of summer with its new album, “AЯK”, released by Warner Music Japan and UNFD. The opus is particularly anticipated by fans around the world. Indeed, six years separate this release from that of the album “EX-MACHINA”, produced in 2018. In the meantime, Crossfaith has produced several digital singles trying as best they can to navigate the troubled waters created by the global pandemic since 2020.
The majority of groups with whom we have been able to discuss this pandemic are clear: this period has been particularly difficult for the music sector. Impossible to go to the studio... Tours and performances canceled... The opportunity for digital opuses to emerge just like the concerts broadcast in streaming. A temporary solution which nevertheless has the disadvantage of losing the warmth, the strength and the happiness of sharing a stage with the members of your group and your community. Faced with these multiple challenges, Crossfaith will have nevertheless produced several opuses including the “latest” released in February 2022 featuring Ralph, “Gimmer Danger”. However, it should be noted that the training is running out of steam through its latest achievements.
Crossfaith experienced its hour of glory from 2013 with the release of the album “Apocalyze”, then supported by “XENO” in 2015. The opuses which followed unfortunately did not make it possible to explode the notoriety of the group as some could predict it. No offense to others, Crossfaith is a group that has the capacity to achieve international fame. Unfortunately, in recent years, the training has closed in on itself. Proof of this is the venues in which she was to perform during her 2022 European tour. La Maroquinerie had been selected for Paris while five years previously, Crossfaith occupied the stage of the Download Festival Paris!
It is rare for a group’s career to be a long, quiet river. The difficulty lies in overcoming obstacles, evolving and striving towards something better. This is what Crossfaith was able to do by taking a year off in 2023 and then separating from its bassist, Hiro. While the single “ZERO”, with the symbolic title of starting over, was officially released on February 15, the band took the opportunity to instruct its new guitarist: Daiki, ex-HER NAME IN BLOOD. A new start warmly welcomed by fans! The single “ZERO” takes up the very DNA of Crossfaith, namely a clever mix between metalcore and electro. The notes follow one another at a frantic pace struck by the alternation of growls and Kenta’s clean singing. It’s hard not to imagine future live performances!
Thanks to the solid foundations laid by this single, “AЯK” is particularly anticipated, both by fans and by media specializing in the genre. Composed of eleven tracks, the opus gives pride of place to this mixture between pure metal and electro dance that Crossfaith is fond of. Tracks such as “My Own Salvation” bring out, for a few minutes, the beginnings of the group with more rock metal sounds, in which electro has no place. Conversely, “God Speed” featuring WARGASM is an ode to electro dance. It’s hard not to imagine yourself on a track when listening! The wild rhythm, the sequence of notes and the electro moves bring out the same DNA as on “Wildfire”, from the album “XENO” (2015) produced featuring Benji Webbe of Skindred and which was highly praised. An explosive and hard-hitting piece that is difficult to forget.
This has also been a Crossfaith signature since “XENO”: including collaborations with artists from both similar and different backgrounds. This is the case again for this new opus, which presents three featurings! In addition to the one with WARGASM, Crossfaith teams up with the singer of SiM (Silence iz Mine) through the track, “Warriors”! A symbolic piece which proves Crossfaith's determination to return to the forefront, without losing its identity... “We will never lose our flames”! In addition to this apparent determination, “Warriors” demonstrates that the training wishes to renew itself and explore new universes. Mixing it with SiM’s reggae style gives an extra dimension to the track that feels like it never stops. It is also one of the longest of the opus with almost 4 minutes of listening time!
“AЯK”, concludes with an astonishing trio: three pieces which, far from completing the album, open the way to a brilliant future for Crossfaith! “Night Waves” and “Afterglow” follow each other gently like their respective rhythms. Far from the pogos that the previous pieces can provoke, the time is one of sweetness and melancholy. Take the best from the past to build a solid future! The message is consolidated with “Canopus”, the last track of this album. Just over five minutes of listening time, it marks the start of a new era for Crossfaith. Representing the second brightest star in the solar system, this track opens the way to training to build a new future, like the navigators who used it to find their way on the oceans.
Through this new opus, Crossfaith proves to have succeeded in overcoming the obstacles encountered in recent years. The group also demonstrates that it has learned from these challenges to emerge stronger and more determined to (re)earn its place on the international music scene. The balance is particularly fair between the metalcore and electro dance genres, allowing everyone to appreciate this album through all the tracks and to already imagine the return of Crossfaith to the international stages!
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