Tahun 2022 jadi tahun pertama event berskala besar mulai kembali di gelar di Indonesia pasca pandemi Covid-19, perubahan tentu saja terjadi yang paling mendasar adalah aturan mengenai protokol kesehatan yang masih ditetapkan jika sebuah acara ingin berlangsung, perubahan lainnya adalah, kalian menyadari tidak bahwa event berskala besar sekarang ini lebih banyak berbentuk festival? Ya, pagelaran…
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Sejak acara musik mulai kembali bergulir pasca pandemi Covid-19, aku sering terjebak dengan segala yang berhubungan dengan konser di Filipina, mulai dari pra konser itu sendiri sampai bagaimana fans mengungkapkan kebahagiaannya setelah menghadiri konser. Hal-hal tersebut membuatku penasaran, apa sih yang bikin konser di Filipina bisa bikin fans bahagia? Apa promotornya juga yang serapi itu? Nah…
Concert Review: #DibuatNyaman The Script di Bandung
Akhirnya di tahun 2022, geliat konser dengan skala besar sudah bisa dilaksanakan tentunya dengan penyesuaian pasca Covid. Blog inipun akhirnya bisa hidup kembali setelah ceritanya saat konser-konser hanya dapat dinikmati secara streaming mau dibuat review juga, tapi ya apa daya ternyata ambience yang timbul berbeda.
Dipromotori oleh Otello Asia, band asal Irlandia yang digawangi oleh Danny…
Here I am with a new band review in “Focusing on”! Today’s subject is a Japanese metal band, which mixes their heavy style with an high electronic concentration of electronic music. We’re talking about Crossfaith, formed on 2006 and composed by Koie Kenta (vo.), Kazuki (gt.), Teru (prog. & visuals), Hiroki (ba.) and Tatsuya (dr.). The band name comes from the literal union between the words “cross” and “faith”, meaning a variety of styles, genres, thoughts and backgrounds which converge in a one and individual shape, which is the band. Their genre is an heavy metal with a strong and relevant electronic component, taken by the inspiration from the Western electro-dance bands, adding even something from punk and industrial and brilliantly exalted by Koie’s versatile vocals. Their debut occurred on April 2009 with the first album The Artificial Theory for the Dramatic Beauty.
One of the lead-tracks, named Fiction in Hope, shows out the typical sound of the band, with a strong and noisy metal melody, along with an interesting rhythm and aggressive vocals; the song is about an hope revealed to be fake and vain. It has been followed by the second album The Dream The Space and the first mini-album Zion.
One of the lead-tracks, titled Monolith, sees the electronic dominating a compelling metal melody, with a strong rhythm and energetic notes; the song is about the impossibility of changing the past. It has been followed by the second album Apocalyze, the single Madness and the third album Xeno.
The lead-track, named Devil’s Party, is an adrenalinic track, with an unpredictable style, characterized by a mix of metal and electronic sound; the song is about drowning in the pain and despair. It has been followed by the singles New Age Warriors, Freedom and Wipeout and the fourth album Ex_Machina.
The lead-track, titled Catastrophe, features a strong but incredibly balanced metal sound, with a versatile vocal perfomance, fitting the refined structure of the song; the song is about the hatred leading up to a circle of endless violence. It has been followed by the singles Soul Seeker, Endorphin and Digital Parasites.
Crossfaith is a band which demonstrated how metal and electronic can couple in a balanced way, without appearing too forced. Thanks to this efficient mixing, the band achieved to be incredibly popular, especially overseas, touring with several Western bands and confirming themselves among the representers of Japanese metal scene. Maybe their sound can be a bit hard to follow up, especially for who is not accustomed to electro-metal bands, but with time Crossfaith’s music becomes even easier to listen, as they even brought up flowing and simpler metal themes, making them fit for mostly any kind of listener. I suggest you to catch up with them, as their sound will grow more and more on you, if you already hadn’t done it. You can surely hear more of them, thanks to their newest EP, Species, came out two days ago, bringing out the perfect soundtrack for these troubled times, in a mix of metal, EDM and rap.
Who might enjoy: who loves the mix between metal and electronic notes and needs a bit of energy and adrenaline inside an album.
Recommended songs: Fiction in Hope, Omen (Prodigy cover), Monolith, Jägerbomb, We Are The Future, Devil’s Party and Catastrophe.
That’s all folks! See you tomorrow for the monthly chart in “Best of… May 2020″!
Crossfaith front man Kenta Koie in an interview about the new EP "Species" with morecore.de (English Translation)
Crossfaith recently launched their new EP "Species" on the market. The record marks the first new output since the release of the last album "EX_MACHINA" two years ago.
We had the exclusive opportunity to talk to front man Kenta Koie about the new plant. He also tells us what the name of the record is about and why they also called their own label.
Natasha | MC: Corona has turned completely upside down this year and a lot of us have been sitting at home for a while. How are you with the current situation and how does that affect the band?
Ken: It's really annoying for all of us, we can't play live shows and people can't go to concerts. Real live music is not working properly at the moment. However, we now have more time to do other things than usual in everyday life. I think this is a good opportunity to sit down and think about a lot of things. Actually, this is the best time to create something new, because you will never have so much free time again.
Natasha | MC: What do you miss most at the moment? And what are you most looking forward to when the lockdown is over?
Ken: Of course I miss singing on stage most of all. It's like losing an important part of my life. I just want to go out and play loud music than I can.
Natasha | MC: Two years have passed since “EX_MACHINA” and the new EP “Species” is also about to be released. On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you for the release?
Ken: It has been released by now, but I was very excited to release the EP - I hope you were too. We also had two years to release a new album, and I'm sorry people had to wait that long. I think we will release another new song very soon.
Natasha | MC: Can you tell us a little bit more about the message from “Species”?
Ken: “Species” is a kind of revival from the abyss. This process is not easy and we cannot skip it. Some people also struggle in a dark place for a very long time, but the most important thing is to recognize yourself and understand how to create something to prove to yourself that you can make it out of this abyss. I hope that this EP can help others to explore life and feel alive even if it is a painful experience.
Natasha | MC: How did you get the title of the EP and what is behind it?
Ken: Since we founded Crossfaith, we have developed new methods for heavy music and we always want to be a band that nobody has heard of. We also founded our own label called "Species Inc". The word “species” reminds me of the beginning. That is why we named the EP and our label after it.
Natasha | MC: "Digital Parasite" is the first track on the record and a very hard song. What inspired you to write such an angry song?
Ken: Kazu wrote the song and when he told me about it he said "I'm so frustrated with living in a world where we can't even say what we really want to say". He added "Let's make the song as dirty as possible". Hard music has always been in our blood and this track is like an explosive start to the EP.
Natasha | MC: You have a feature with Jin Dogg on your EP. For such a heavy record it is rather unusual to record a song with a rapper. Did you ask about the collaboration or is Jin Dogg a fan of your music?
Ken: The first time I came across him through his documentary on YouTube. He comes from Osaka, just like we boys from Crossfaith, and so we really liked Jin Dogg. The moshpits on his shows are more like a hardcore show. He has so much energy, chaos and emotions, that's why we offered him “None Of Your Business”.
Natasha | MC: How was the recording process for this EP? Did you do something different compared to the last time?
Ken: It was very straightforward and stress free when recording. I think the process was similar to writing “EX_MACHINA” back then.
Natasha | MC: You already said that we all have more time than ever, including you. Are you already working on new songs?
Ken: Yes, we're actually writing new songs. This is the best time to record a new record. The next step is to have time to experiment, so you should be curious ...
Crossfaith haben vor kurzem ihre neue EP'Species' auf den Markt geworfen. Die Platte markiert den ersten neuen Output seit
Rockin’on JAPAN March 2019: Taka Interview Translation "However, after finishing the album, I don’t know if I will make something similar again."
Julia @storytellerxxxx and I finally finished translating this monster interview (8.826 words to be exact) that’s centered around ONE OK ROCK’s latest album “Eye Of The Storm” and the production behind it. Special thanks to my friend Ann (hitotsu_no_ai @ twitter) for helping out with the translation as well!
Important: Neither of us are Japanese natives, therefore we cannot guarantee for a 100% accurate translation, but we definitely did our best!