Review Summary: Very well done, but they can do better.
Crossfaith have had an interesting past two years or so, dropping three EPs including "Freedom" as well as "Wipeout". Now that they've unleashed their fifth effort "EX_MACHINA" upon the world, is it an improvement or a step backwards? It represents perhaps the biggest experiment they've done in their career, and it honestly pays off as it shows how truly versatile the band can be and how brave they are.
Kenta Koie's vocals are a very strong point of this album; his screams are the best they've been in the band's career, and his cleans have also had vast improvement. He performs everything, from aggressive screaming in songs such as "Daybreak" to emotional singing in "Lost In You" very well. The sheer willingness they are to experiment also gets points: the aforementioned "Lost In You" is pop punk while they also excel in nu metal in their cover of Linkin Park's "Faint". To make things even better, they also haven't lost touch with their roots: "Eden In The Rain", which sticks to the electronicore sound they formed with, is perhaps one of the three standout tracks on the album, while "Catastrophe" is another reminder that they've still got it. The production is good, though as with pretty much every -core band, the bass has been drowned out, a trend within the genres that should have been dead long ago. Guitar and drum work is pretty much standard fare for the genre, though there is definitely a ton of potential for both. The lyrics can get very personal and relatable in songs such as "Lost In You", another quality that makes this album truly great.
The strongest asset this album has is the amount of guts it possesses due to its willingness to experiment. Crossfaith has shown that they're very good at pulling off stuff above basic electronicore, but not completely abandoning the sound that many of their fans came from, which something a lot of bands seem to be incapable of doing nowadays and for that, they deserve a commendation. If they can improve their instrumental work and continue being as versatile as they are on this album, they could potentially create an album worthy of a 4 or maybe even a 5. But as it currently stands, "EX_MACHINA", while a great album, is also a reminder that they're capable of producing something much better, and I will be looking forward to the day where that something finally comes along.
