Crossfaith
XENO (2015)
Track Listing
1. System X
2. XENO
3. Raise Your Voice
4. Devil's Party
5. Ghost in the Mirror
6. Dystopia
7. Wildfire
8. Tears Fall
9. Paint It Black
10. Vanguard
11. Calm the Storm
12. Astral Heaven
3 words: Pandemonium, Disposition, MIDI
Overall
Ah, So this is what a SuperNova sounds like?! Put
XENO on when you want to hear sounds in Rock music you've never heard before. Right from the start
Crossfaith establish a colossal atmosphere full of MIDI and synth sounds urging the listener to double check they picked up a Rock album. Grab some layered MIDI sounds, mix in some hardcore guitar riffs, top with non-conformist lyrics and you get something like
Crossfaith. XENO is an album
the listener must approach with an open mind, as some of the tracks struggle to even fit in the Rock genre. There are heavy Techno and EDM elements incorporated in
XENO ranging from Drum 'n' Bass, Drumstep, Trance, and Dubstep.
XENO will have leave the listener wondering where this music even came from.
Best Tracks:
Devil's Party
XENO
Calm the Storm
Honorable Mention:
Astral Heaven: Despite this being a Trance track this track perfectly showcases the talent of the instrument section of the band. It's enormous and leaves the listener wondering where the rest is therefore making it the perfect album closer.
If you like: Enter Shikari, Motionless in White, Eskimo Callboy
Associated Genres: #Electronicore #PostHardcore, #Techno, #EDM, #Metalcore
Musically
There are a lot of good things happening in XENO as well as a lot of average things. Do the 'good' things outweigh the just 'ok' things? Well, sometimes. . .
Vocals: The vocals on
XENO overall are solid, only don't expect anything new. Despite being from Japan and English being a second language the vocals on
XENO are clearer than most. This goes for both the cleans and the dirty sections. While the diction of the vocals are clear this doesn't necessarily address the tone or note choice. The cleans have decent tone however the screams as well as the half screamed-half spoken word lyrics are regrettably generic. The "intimidating" growling sections are extremely overdone and overused in this album (as well as in the PostHardcore genre itself). Lyrically this band shines. The lyrics are straight forward and their creative vocabulary save the vocals on this album.
Guitars: Regrettably, the guitar in
XENO falls short compared to the other elements. The typical style of riffs written in a single guitar based band are almost non-existent. The guitar does hold down the chord progressions and hangs in the mix, but that's just about all it does. When the "riffs" do come unfortunately you are served with a large helping of "typical" with nice tall glass of "done before". The intervals chosen are very standard PostHardcore influenced. The guitars in this album seriously lack creativity, especially in the solo department. Through the entire 12 track album,
XENO offers a singular (approximately) 30 second disappointing guitar solo,
[8. Tears Fall] featuring perfectly "on the click" tasteless slides, a struggling unison bend, and basic Minor-Pentatonic leads played over two positions. The licks are repetitive, and the bends are soulless, leaving the entire solo characterless and robotic. The fact that this was the solo on the ballad (the one track that usually showcases the musicianship of the band) of the album was extremely disappointing. Though lacking, the guitars aren't all bad. Towards the end of the album
XENO finally
presents some guitar dominated songs that proves the technical guitar skill does in fact exist in this band
[10.Vanguard, 11. Calm the Storm]. Also the tones on this album, unlike some of the playing, are above average and interesting. The guitars, no matter how mediocre they come across sometimes, are always clear and maintain note definition even in the heaviest and dirtiest of passages. There are even tasteful wah swells every now and again. All in all the general reaction from the guitar fans listening to this album is as follows, "I finally found the guitar! But why did I have to listen to 10 tracks on a ROCK album just to hear some good guitars?!"
MIDI/Synth: A section that is unique to this band, The MIDI/Synth section holds an interesting space in the mix of
XENO. The MIDI/Synth section can go from laying low and providing support for the rhythm section, to taking the main spotlight and outshining the vocals with insane sounds and effects. Many bands have tried to incorporate MIDI/Synth sections into their bands however they almost always seem to come across as an "effect" versus a key band element. Similar to sprinkling salt on your favorite dish, many bands seem to use MIDI/Synth as a tool to enhance another elements of the band and create atmosphere.
Crossfaith,
instead use their Synth/MIDI section as a primary ingredient, and with the amount of presence they have in
XENO they demand respect from the listener. This section almost always controls the overall groove/feel of most tracks in
XENO. This is not your typical atmospheric MIDI/Synth, this is a piece of the band directly involved in progressing the flow of each song.
Bass: The bass really is an unsung hero in this band. The bass is perfection on
XENO. The bass finds these clever holes to put perfectly polished runs that will have the listener following the bassline without even realizing it. The bassist is truly a master of musical space. The bass ingenuously occupies its own space acting as the glue in the band but still finds plenty of opportunities to quicky and cleverly step to the front
[2. XENO, 9. Paint It Black, 10. Vanguard]. Interestingly the bass seems to be the tightest with the MIDI/Synth section versus the typical drums or guitar. There's even a bass solo on the album closer
[12. Astral Heaven].
XENO's bass, It's thick, it cuts just the right amount, and most importantly it grooves.
Drums: The drums are extremely versatile. The constantly changing MIDI/Synth passages are still perfectly complimented with the drums ability to stay in the pocket no matter what groove is thrown into the mix. The drum fills aren't wild, instead they come in short concentrated bursts. The kicks particualarly, are euphonious and aren't your standard machine gun kicks you so often hear in this genre.
Crossfaith's drummer is a perfect fit for this bands sporadically mutating sound.
Secret Weapon: MIDI/Synth
The entire atmosphere of
XENO is driven by the MIDI/Synth section. Titling this album "
XENO" without having the MIDI/Synth section simply wouldn't make sense. They dominate the overall album mix and are what intrigue and motivate the listener to keep listening to
XENO. The sheer amount of sounds and grooves generated from this section in itself alone is enough to power an entire song. The album closer
[12. Astral Heaven] ,which is 80% MIDI/Synth, proves it. Without the MIDI/Synth section this band would more than likely be lost in the vast mix of bands today.
Final Analysis
7.0/10
XENO is a double edged sword. There is just about as much positive as there is negative. Strictly viewing XENO as a Rock album, it comes across as sometimes boring and predictable. The few fresh sections containing MIDI/Synth can easily turn off the average rock fan who isn't familiar with the eclectic genres Crossfaith pulls from. However, approaching this album with an open mind, genre aside, this album is definitely enjoyable. Crossfaith have demonstrated they are not afraid to step outside of the box artistically. No matter how far away from their native music scene in Japan, they are still honest and true to themselves and their art. This album overall, creatively speaking, is magnificent. Crossfaith with XENO have conquered and developed a niche, proving they are here to stay. XENO has its strengths and weaknesses however, what will determine the amount of enjoyment the listener will receive from this album depends solely on their feelings about the various techno genres infused in XENO.