Lost In Forever: How Crystal Lake became one of Japan’s hottest metal exports

Everything Japanese metalcore upstarts Crystal Lake do is done with the utmost conviction and dedication to excellence. Whether it’s the intense instrumentals that dot the band’s catalogue or the honestly mindblowing vocal abilities of Ryo Kinoshita (who’s clearly in demand for tons of bands as a guest vocalist), Crystal Lake are only recently beginning to garner a worldwide audience. Their recent rise in popularity has as much to do with an accessible sound (that tacks on nu-metal and even some extreme metal influences) as it does the band’s determination to succeed and passion in doing so. If you listen to huge singles like “Apollo” and their newest single “Curse”, it’s pretty easy to hear.

Taking creative risks is a hallmark of Crystal Lake, who manage to incorporate a distinct nu-metal influence into their sound on their most recent albums. Remember when they covered Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin'”? Same. These sorts of songs give Crystal Lake a wide-ranging appeal to more than those who listen to primarily metalcore, while still being very heavy as well. There’s even some double bass patterns on tracks like “Apollo”, which honestly sound fucking awesome!!

They’re also one of the few bands who seem to buck the typical trend, in that on more recent albums, Crystal Lake seem to pump up the volume to 11 on the heaviness scale. Relatively speaking, of course, but if you compared Helix to, say, their earliest material, it’s pretty noticeable. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with bands in the genre exploring softer soundscapes as they age (there’s not), but there’s also less serious songs like “+81”, which, according to vocalist Ryo Kinoshita, is actually an anti-partying song.

Many of their songs carry the same anthemic power that bands like While She Sleeps do, and echo many of the same sentiments. Crystal Lake simply creates a live experience that’s made for the moshpit at the end of the day, and between this important trait and music that electrifies the listener, their success didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. It’s the product of determination, passion for the art of heavy music, and most of all, good songwriting. They’re even inspiring their fellow countrymen to follow a similar path, which just goes to show that Crystal Lake have far, far more stories to tell. Perhaps the band’s upcoming album will launch them into the worldwide stratosphere? Aligned with Sharptone Records, the sky is the limit.