Crystal Lake shows us the fruits of its evolution.
After the departure of its iconic vocalist, the band led by Yudai (guitar), T.J. (guitar, Her Name in Blood), Gaku (drums), and Mitsuru (bass) recruited John Robert C (vocals, ex-The Last Ten Seconds of Life, ex-My Bitter End), signed with Century Media Records, and unveiled their highly anticipated seventh album, The Weight of Sound.
Everblack takes us by surprise and attacks at full speed, immediately offering powerful, jerky rhythms coupled with John‘s screams, sometimes doubled by a little clean singing that naturally sticks to the Metalcore roots, but he also welcomes David Simonich (Signs of the Swarm) at his side to reinforce the heavy and murderous side of the song. The band follows up with a final break by BlüdGod and his unifying tones that are sure to hit the mark live, this time welcoming Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer, Seven Hours After Violet) for a new, equally devastating duet under the frenzied rhythm, then Neversleep gives us a few seconds to catch our breath before hitting us with his riffs. The recipe remains the same for the arrival of Myke Terry (Volumes), who nevertheless offers a few sampled electro touches to temper his moments, each more unifying than the last, while King Down relies on an Old School but still catchy groove to win us over. The alarm signals the arrival of the break, but the track quickly transitions into The Undertow, which weaves more melodious harmonics, leaving the vocals in the foreground while Karl Schubach (Solace, ex-Misery Signals) joins the singer for moments of violence, ultimately allowing the track to sink into softness. We can also breathe a sigh of relief with The Weight of Sound, which gives us a moment of respite thanks to a fairly long introduction and haunting touches before finally offering a livelier rhythm while remaining relatively accessible. The clean vocals also contribute to this calming effect before Crossing Nails returns to explosive tones, with screams and jerky riffs taking over, promising all kinds of crowd movements during live performances. Once this wave of raw energy has passed, Dystopia takes its place and provides us with a new one at full speed, benefiting from the voice of Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage) for a moment of intense calm after another devastating break, then we move on to Sinner, which in turn emphasizes melodies in its introduction. The lively rhythm is obviously not far behind, but it calms down towards the middle of the track, taking on an almost ballad-like feel before joining Don’t Breathe, where we once again find raw fury and virulent rhythms coupled with haunting harmonics. The band once again slows down before the final eruption, then a last melody leads us to Coma Wave, the eleventh and final track on the album, which plays on sweet and intoxicating melancholy in the first half before finally letting saturation reappear and color the rest of the journey.
Far from being discouraged by their latest setback, Crystal Lake has risen brilliantly and taken a decisive step forward by signing with one of Europe’s biggest labels. The doors are already wide open for them, and The Weight of Sound confirms that their breakthrough is well deserved, while opening their minds to collaborating.
85/100