Japan: a land of musical experimentation, a country that absorbs western culture in a very peculiar way, creating an own culture. Have you ever listened to visual kei bands? If not, open google right now to understand what visual kei is and then search for some bands of this scene. This paragraph’s first phrase will become very clear.

The thing with certain Japan musicians and bands is that they aren’t afraid of mixing and going further the “limits”. Blending musical elements is easy peasy for japanese people. The band xTRiPx has something to say about it. But anyways, here I want to talk about Crossfaith.

Crossfaith is a band from Osaka, and they are completing 10 years this year. The band is integrated by Kenta Koie on vocals, Kazuki Takemura on guitar, Hiroki Ikegawa on bass, Tatsuya Amano on drums and Terufumi Amano on programming. Of course a band such as Crossfaith would have a programmer, for they make use of many and many electronic effects on their songs, making their band able to be called electronicore.

For those who do not know, electronicore is a fusion of elements from metalcore or post-hardcore and electronic music, in a variety of levels. There are bands that do not fit the electronicore label, but that also use electronic elements. I see as a difference the fact that, while those bands make use of electronic effects as a complement, bands such as Crossfaith use and abuse of these effects, making them as essential as the guitar sound. That’s why at the beginning of this text I pointed out how japanese musicians like to mix musical elements: it’s this “cultural” element that makes Crossfaith to stand out and work. Crossfaith would not be Crossfaith without the electronic elements. Crossfaith is so electronicore that the video that helped them to get attention is a cover of The Prodigy (for who don’t know: The Prodigy is a british electronic music band). That was before the band began developing a more solid sound, such in instrumentals as well as vocals.

Crossfaith’s ascension to fame came with contracts with western labels, obviously, and also with their participation on European festivals. They have already played at Download Festival, for instance. I see as a very important landmark in the band’s career the release of Zion EP, in 2012 (when I finally watched Matrix whole trilogy last year, I noticed there is a city in the movie with this name. I hope the name of the EP is a reference, because it would make so much sense), which brought everything the japanese quintet was proposing to do to a new level, leaving a strong mark of what Crossfaith is. One of the most impactful moments on the EP occurs at the beginning of Monolith, with its heavy and sharp chugging.

These japanese dudes already had two albums before Zion EP, but in 2013 their album Apocalyze brought a fresh and more solid sound, much more forward in relation to everything the band had put out before their EP the year before. These two releases, Zion EP and Apocalyze, bring the band’s reworked sound, more mature and ready to boom all across the world. The album has heavy songs for the most die-hard fan of metalcore bands such as All That Remains, Killswitch Engage and Parkway Drive, but never putting aside the electronic effects that make the band to be what it is.

If there is a world that comes to my mind when I think about Crossfaith’s musical trajectory, that word is evolution. Even though their above mentioned records are solid and exciting to listen to, each new song that came after took the skills of these musicians to a new level, showing that they have no stopping point. 2014 brought the single Madness, which showed a new Crossfaith way of making music, and in 2015 their new album Xeno improved everything they have ever done before: stronger, heavier, more instrumentally consistent, with electronic elements even more in the right place, and even with participation of Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo on the track Ghost In The Mirror and Skindred’s Benji Webbe on Wildfire, a song that invites do dance (and mosh, why not). The path to global domination was then open.

After Xeno, two EPs/singles came out (they were release as EPs, but each has only three tracks, and in Japan this is generally called single), New Age Warriors and Freedom. NAW perfectly expanded what they done in Xeno, bringing new songs with the same vibe, but experimenting some new melodies. Crossfaith doesn’t stop. That’s why every release from them deserves to be waited with expectation, for they will surely bring something new, fresh and interesting. And that’s what happened with Freedom: three new tracks going straight to a different approach, a bit more towards rock or post-hardcore. Electronicore lovers surely know Enter Shikari, and Freedom brought the perfect collab, as it’s title-track counts with Rou Reynolds’ participation, the vocalist of the british band. The second song of the single/EP, Rockstar Steady, counts with JESSE from the bands The BONEZ e RIZE. These songs are the signal (the omen, lol) of Crossfaith’s global domination: bringing popular artists is a great strategy to get attention to their music, and shows that the growing is happening. Once again: Crossfaith is evolution. This quintet brings a unique music, and it’s impossible not to get eager about their next release as soon as announced.

Lastly, the title of the text is due to all the potential the band holds, all the growth showed by a japanese band front to a global marked dominated by british and american bands. You may not agree that they’re the legitimate kings of the genre, you may think Enter Shikari or The Browning are better and more interesting (I particulary don’t, haha), but you can’t ignore the giant Crossfaith has been becoming and is yet to become, even bigger and stronger.

Stay tuned: the band will release a new EP called WIPEOUT on January 26th.