Crossfaith ends the last one man live of their EX_MACHINA Asia Tour by rocking out on stage at MAO Livehouse

The five Japanese metal warriors marveled the foreign audience with their phenomenal style of rock.

After touring in Taiwan, Korea, and GuangZhou, Crossfaith finally reached the end destination of their one man live show in Asia for their newest album, EX_MACHINA: Shanghai. The show started at 8:30 pm at MAO Livehouse on March 10. The powerful beat of their songs and the band itself made the quiet Sunday night an exceptionally memorable time for their fans.

Crossfaith is a Japanese metalcore band that was formed in Osaka in 2006. The band consists of Kenta Koie, the main vocal; Kazuki Temura, the guitarist; Hiroki Ikegawa, the bassist; Terufumi Temano (a.k.a. Teru), the keyboarder and programmer; and Tatsuya Amano, the drummer. Crossfaith began their world tour after the release of their EP “Zion” in 2012 and received great recognition from the international market. In 2016, the band expanded their global reputation. After releasing the album “XENO,” Crossfaith started their “New Age Warriors Tour 2016” tour in Asia which covered Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, and China. Finally, with the release of their newest album “EX_MACHINA,” the band excited the fans by announcing their third tour (EX_MACHINA WORLD TOUR 2019) across Asia.

The atmosphere at MAO Livehouse on March 10 was filled with intense excitement. Forty minutes before the show started, hundreds of fans were already awaiting the band while an AI female voice counted down the minutes. As the lights of the hall dimmed down, signaling the start of the show, the audience switched their focus to the stage.

The fans began to scream as they saw Teru appear on the stage, quickly followed by Tatsuya, Hiroki, Kazuki, and Koie, who held the signature flag of their band. The show kicked off with “Catastrophe,” one of the most well-known songs of “EX_MACHINA.” While the band was performing the single, the audience began to slam against each other after running in a large circle, performing what was known as a “circle pit.”

Crossfaith not only performed other new songs such as “The Perfect Nightmare” and “Make a Move,” but also several classic works: “Jägerbomb” and “Blue.” While Koie performed the death voice–a vocal technique that is used by metal singers who often sing with low, beast-like growls or high, screechy vocals–Teru began to stage dive. Hiroki shook his long green hair. Kazuki threw his pick to the crowd while Tatsuya stole the spotlight with his heavy drum beats.

The first section of the show ended after the band performed “Blue.” The crowd became silent as Koie started his MC. After saying, “Cheers!” and drinking his beer in front of the audience, Koie shouted, “It is the first sold out show at this live house!” As the crowd began to applaud thunderously, he gave thanks to his fans saying, “We’ll not be able to perform here without you guys’ support. Although we’re from different countries, music bonds us together. Next song we’re going to play is another important song from “EX_MACHINA.” If you know [the song], sing it with me. Are you guys ready for this!” said Koie.

At the end of the touching speech, Crossfaith performed “Lost in You” from their newest album. Compared to the songs in the previous section, “Lost in You” had slower beats and clearer vocals. While singing the song, Koie asked the audience to turn on the flashlight function on their phone. The live house was filled with little spots of light clustering together.

Crossfaith “took over” the audience in the second section of the show. The fans did several more circle pits. Also, when the band began to play “Photosphere” and “Xeno,” the fans put their arms on each other’s shoulders while shaking their heads in the same pattern. After playing the songs Koie yelled, “We only have two songs left for you guys tonight!” The first encore began minutes after the fans kept shouting “Crossfaith!” even as the members left temporarily.

After returning to the stage, the band performed “Countdown to Hell” and a classic song “Monolith” for the fans, who began to form a line and dance, a type of punk dancing that is known as the wall of death. Moreover, Teru jumped down from the second floor of the live house and started slamming into people, a move called moshing. Last but not least, Crossfaith ended their last one man live for this tour as Koie thanked the fans in Chinese. The spectacular live came to its conclusion as the members bowed and left the stage.

Attending Crossfaith’s Asia Tour was an unforgettable experience. The band will officially end their Asia Tour at the Sundown Festival in Singapore on April 19. Additionally, the live at Beijing is postponed due to extenuating circumstances. For more information, please visit: http://crossfaith.jp/.

Featured Image – Crossfaith EX_MACHINA ASIA TOUR in Shanghai Photo Courtesy of Cazrowaoki (Crossfaith Official)

by Selina Tai