ALBUM REVIEW: AЯK – Crossfaith

After a six-year gap since their last album EX_MACHINA, the Japanese outfit CROSSFAITH break the silence in the only way they know how, bursting back onto the metalcore scene with their fifth studio album AЯK. Fans of their previous work will likely know what to expect with this one – for better or worse, their energetic formula combining the more fun elements of metalcore with an electronic/nu-metal sensibility remains largely untampered with. It’s not necessarily a bad thing – while it doesn’t break new ground at this stage in their career, AЯK proves that the fire that drives CROSSFAITH hasn’t vanished in their time away.

You can almost picture the band bouncing out onto the stage one-by-one during the brilliantly cinematic opening of The Final Call as it swiftly erupts into an electronic fever. It sharply drops off and explodes into the furious break-neck speed of ZERO, and any doubts that they’re not the same old CROSSFAITH vanish quickly. Everyone is on top form on this track, but the ridiculous drumming from Tatsuya Amano is the real hero here. There’s a lot to like about this record, but the one-two punch of these opening tracks particularly stands out as a highlight – the first five minutes are a reminder of what makes the band so brilliantly unique.

The beginning of My Own Salvation has an almost CELLDWELLER quality to it, but this scene-setting quickly gives way to yet another blast of sheer metalcore. Vocalist Kenta Koie isn’t a stranger to using clean vocals, but AЯK might utilise these more than any of their previous releases. It allows for some big choruses, like on the cheesy and danceable God Speed (feat. WARGASM) and the bouncy HEADSHOT! At other times, the band remind you just how heavy they can be. DV;MM￥SY5T3M takes that particular award this time around, with keyboardist and backing vocalist Terufumi Tamano assisting Koie to briefly steer things into deathcore territory. That comparison might seem like an over exaggeration on paper, but the band play around with pig squeals and deep-growls in a way that’s so ridiculously juxtaposed to the party-metalcore of L.A.M.N (feat. BOBBY WOLFGANG).

AЯK is an eclectic and wildly fun return for CROSSFAITH that will no doubt serve their famously rowdy live performances well. While it doesn’t massively innovate on their core sound, that sound was never by-the-books in the first place. It might be argued that AЯK doesn’t quite hit the peaks of their earlier releases, like the brilliantly heavy Apocalyze and the (slightly) cleaner sounding XENO, but the continued use of clean vocals and guest spots allow for some massive moments that easily reach those previous heights. CROSSFAITH’s incomparable energy remains unmatched, and with AЯK they bring just enough new to the table to keep things from becoming stale.

Rating: 7/10

AЯK is out now via UNFD/Warner Music Japan.

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