Metalcore is a niche genre, and one I don’t usually follow. But over the last three years, there has been a consistent buzz about an Osaka metalcore band called Crossfaith, and it’s been coming from across the board. Goth kids at raves, concert photographers, promoters and even general fans of Japanese rock have all been saying the same thing, “You have got to see this band!”
Next weekend, we’ll get a chance. Crossfaith will visit Taiwan for the Heart Town Festival in Greater Taichung, an outdoor festival that features around 60 bands on four stages from Aug. 9 to Aug. 10. The flavor will be mainly metal and hardcore, especially with the dozen or so international bands, including Crossfaith, Coldrain, SiM, Rottengraffty and Hatake from Japan, Born of Osiris, Finch and While She Sleeps from the UK, US bands Issues and Architects and around 50 other bands from Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
“We looked at the other festivals already happening in Taiwan, and we wanted to differentiate ourselves,” says Heart Town Festival organizer and self-avowed metalhead Jimmy Liu (劉鈞輝). “Then we ended up with this lineup, which is really metal. Crossfaith was the first band we booked, and it all kind of flowed from there.”
Photo Courtesy of Julen Photo and Heart Town Festival
Crossfaith is young, with the oldest band member 26 and the youngest 23, and things are happening for them extremely fast. The first time they got the chance to play a big concert stage was in 2009 at Loud Park, Japan’s biggest showcase for metal, which that year also featured Judas Priest, Slayer and Megadeth.
“Before the show, there were only 50 people in front of the stage,” recalls bass player Hiroki Ikegawa, speaking via Skype from New Jersey, where the band was in the studio recording.
“But then we started playing, and suddenly there were 3,000!”
Photo Courtesy of Julen Photo and Heart Town Festival
Three years later in 2012, they got their first chance to play internationally, touring the UK with Of Mice and Men. At that point, “We couldn’t even speak English,” recalls Ikegawa, who says he has since learned English by watching the animated comedy Southpark. “We were just used to touring Japan, which basically consisted of three shows — Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. But there we played 17 shows in 17 days. We were learning very quickly what it means to be a band.”
In Japan, Crossfaith’s last album, Apocalyze (2013), hit number one on the Tower Records chart and number 13 on Oricon, the chart for all music sales in Japan. Unique for international metal, though not for Japan, their music is a mix of screamo hardcore and techno beats, which play around the edges of most songs, even underpinning some as the major driving force. They write songs about partying (Jaegerbomb), high school (Countdown to Hell) and the Fukushima nuclear disaster (Only the Wise Can Control Our Eyes).
“If there is one band we really look up to, it is Prodigy, because their live show is totally insane” says Ikegawa, who also counters that Prodigy is not necessarily a template.
“We just really respect them for their energy. For us, we are trying to find a balance between rock and electronics. But we are coming more from the side of metalcore.”
The band formed while in junior high school, though lead singer Ken (Kenta Koie) and the main composer and DJ, Teru (Tamano Terafumi), had been friends since elementary school. With the addition of guitarist Takemura Kazuki, Crossfaith officially formed in 2006. Still all in high school, they began to make their way in Osaka’s legendary hardcore scene. Ikegawa joined two years later.
“Osaka is really different from Tokyo,” says Ikegawa. “It’s not such an international city, and there is more poverty and social problems. And that weird scene is giving inspiration to all the hardcore bands.”
Since bridging to an international audience, Crossfaith has begun meeting their idols of their not-so-distant high school days. Last summer they were invited to a barbecue by Metallica, while playing the Soundwave Festival in Sydney, Australia.
“We met Metallica’s lead singer, James Hetfield, and I was really surprised that he knew of our band,” says Ikegawa. They also got to meet James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins and Tom Delonge from Blink 182. “It was so crazy for me. I was a little nervous,” he recalls.
But on stage, nervousness is not an issue. “Onstage, the energy is just incredible,” says Julen Esteban-Pretel, a photographer who toured with them last year through the UK. “Back stage they are actually pretty low key, but the minute they go on stage, they just go crazy.”
■ The Heart Town Festival (山海屯音樂節), Aug. 9 to Aug. 10 at 362, Fuxing Rd, Sec 3, Greater Taichung (台中市復興路三段362號). Advance tickets are NT$2,000 for single day or NT$2,800 for two-day pass. Available through iBon or on indievox.com.
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
On Thursday, former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges. Seven others related to the case were also handed prison sentences, while two were found not guilty. It has been a bad week for the TPP. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) with suspicion of taking part in Beijing-directed election interference. Xu has strong links to the TPP, which once offered her a party list legislator nomination. Tuesday also
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
RSS